Museum van het Belgisch Trekpaard

About the museum

Vollezele was known as the horse village and is considered the cradle of the Belgian draught horse. Several large stallion breeding farms were located here, from which champions such as Brillant emerged. The Museum van het Belgisch Trekpaard opened on 12 August 2000 on the initiative of Philippe van Dixhoorn (1928-2008), whose family owned one of those stud farms. At first the municipality rented a room for the museum; since 1 July 2005 it has been housed in the former town hall of Vollezele, which became available when the library moved.

After the founder’s death, his daughter Hilde van Dixhoorn took over the chairmanship. In 2012 the museum underwent a thorough restyling, so that a wider public would also find something of interest. In 2018 the film room was extended for larger groups, and adapted sanitary facilities and new heating were installed. In 2024, QR codes with audio were added in the rooms, in Dutch, French, German and English. Werner Godfroid has been chairman of the vzw for several years; Hilde van Dixhoorn is honorary chair.

The museum shows objects and stories about the Belgian draught horse in agriculture and mining, including a winch with which horses were lowered into mine shafts. It also keeps the archive of the Koninklijke Maatschappij van het Belgische Trekpaard (Royal Society of the Belgian Draught Horse). In 2018 Flanders recognised the culture surrounding the Brabant draught horse as intangible cultural heritage. After your visit you can follow the 3.5-kilometre Brillant walk past places from the history of the breed, with horses in the pastures.

Highlights

• Museum in the former town hall of Vollezele, the cradle of the Belgian draught horse
• Audio tour via QR codes in Dutch, French, German and English
• Winch with which draught horses were lowered into mine shafts
• Archive of the Koninklijke Maatschappij van het Belgische Trekpaard
• 3.5-kilometre Brillant walk past places from the history of the breed
• Free guided tour on the first Sunday of every month, March to October

Permanent exhibitions

• Het Belgisch trekpaard – The permanent display tells the history of the Belgian draught horse and the stud farms of Vollezele, with objects from mining and a film room, among other things.
• Brillantwandeling – A 3.5-kilometre GPS-supported walk leads past places connected with the heyday of the Belgian draught horse after the visit.

Founded

2000

Operated by

vzw Museum van het Belgisch Trekpaard

Admission & discounts

Holders of a teacher card enter free.

Accessibility

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

The museum has had modern, adapted sanitary facilities since 2018. Further information on the accessibility of the building has not been published; please contact the museum in advance.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

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