Letterenhuis

About the museum

The Letterenhuis in Antwerp preserves the literary heritage of Flanders. The core of the collection dates back to 1899, when the city of Antwerp bought the estate of Hendrik Conscience, including all of the writer's manuscripts. A large exhibition marking his hundredth birthday in 1912 in Hôtel De Beukelaer, a 19th-century patrician house, led to the Museum van de Vlaamsche Letterkunde, which opened in 1933 with a permanent exhibition on Conscience and his contemporaries.

In 1945 the institution was renamed the Archief en Museum voor het Vlaamse Cultuurleven (AMVC). The building, which had been heavily damaged by V-bombs in the winter of 1944, was restored and extended; in 1959 a new museum building was added on the Minderbroedersstraat. Around 2002 to 2004 the house chose the care of literary heritage as its core task and adopted the name Letterenhuis. In 2004 a permanent exhibition opened on two hundred years of literature in Flanders.

Since 2022 the Letterenhuis presents itself mainly as an archive rather than a museum. In 2024 the museum display gave way to a public space on the ground floor, with a small-scale presentation of collection items, a theme exhibition, a reading corner, a study space and a reading room. Other organisations working with literary heritage also have a place there.

Highlights

• Free public space with theme exhibition, reading corner and study space
• Reading room for the literary archive of Flanders (by appointment)
• Archive of Hendrik Conscience as the core of the collection
• Online collection platform for researchers and enthusiasts
• Literary activities, lectures and podcasts

Founded

1933

Operated by

Stad Antwerpen

Director

Nele Hendrickx

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

The public space with theme exhibition is free to visit. Payment at the ticket desk, in the shop and for activities is cashless only (Bancontact, Mastercard, Maestro, VISA and V Pay).

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The Letterenhuis is accessible to wheelchair users with help from staff at the entrance desk. The public areas of the building are accessible, but the public lifts are not adapted. There is an accessible toilet. Animals are not admitted, except assistance dogs.

Kids & families

Children under twelve must always be accompanied by an adult.

Getting there & parking

By car, follow the signs to Antwerpen-Centrum Zuid and then to P-Groenplaats or P-Scheldekaaien Noord. Since 1 August 2023 visitors may not park on the street in the historic centre, and Antwerp is a low-emission zone. You can park bicycles at the corner of the Minderbroedersstraat and the Minderbroedersrui; Velo stations are on the Blindestraat and on the Minderbroedersrui at numbers 44-46.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Cloakroom and lockers are free; ask at reception for a locker key.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Organisations and initiatives can rent meeting rooms, a workshop space, an auditorium, multipurpose rooms (reading room and study room), shared office space and a podcast set. Organisations with shared target groups and goals receive a preferential rate.

Plan your visit