Scheepswerven Baasrode

About the museum

Baasrode, a district of Dendermonde on the Scheldt, grew into a well-known centre of shipbuilding. The eel fishers, known as palingboeren, also had their home port here; their fishing on the river ended around 1925 because of pollution. On a site of about three hectares lay three shipyards: Van Damme, Van Praet and De Toekomst. The last yard closed on 31 December 1986, after which volunteers looked after the buildings and the collection.

The province of East Flanders gradually bought the grounds and buildings and, since 2006, has been developing the site into a heritage site for historic vessels. The wooden shed was restored, the grounds were remediated, and in 2018 the province also bought the master's house with its car park. Since 2011 there has been a museum on the site; the entrance is in the restored house of the shipbuilders César and Gaston Van Damme.

Since March 2026 you can also visit the twentieth-century workshop. The workshops remained largely untouched for about forty years after closure. A red path leads you through the work halls, and with augmented reality you can see how the stationary machines once worked. A replica of the 1881 eel boat Rosalie is under construction and is to sail on the Scheldt later.

Highlights

• Master's house of the shipbuilding Van Damme family
• Van Praet-Dansaert workshop with augmented reality
• Dry docks and historic ships on the outdoor grounds
• Exhibition in the restored wooden shed
• Construction of a replica of the 1881 eel boat Rosalie

Permanent exhibitions

• Werkplaats Van Praet-Dansaert – The shipyard workshops remained untouched after closure; with a red path, information panels and augmented reality you discover how the machines worked.
• Tentoonstelling in de houten loods – The restored wooden shed shows the history of shipbuilding along the Scheldt; admission is free.

Founded

2011

Operated by

Provincie Oost-Vlaanderen

Admission & discounts

The prices apply to visiting the master's house and the workshop. Free are the outdoor grounds (dry docks and historic ships), the exhibition in the wooden shed and most events. Also free: children, teachers, press, holders of the Museumpas, members of ICOM/ICOMOS and province staff. A paid ticket gives free access once a year to another provincial heritage site: Archeocentrum Velzeke, Mola Molencentrum or Erfgoedsite Ename. Tickets can be bought online or by telephone; booking is not compulsory.

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: not available

Parking next to the site; the toilets are accessible and located on the ground floor in the offices; the workshop is wheelchair-accessible. The ground often consists of cobblestones. There is no audio description and the exhibition has no sound fragments; silent films with interviews of former workers in the workshop have sound via a QR code on your smartphone. The site calls itself autism-friendly, and groups can request an autism-friendly guide.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

From Dendermonde station it is about a 20-minute cycle ride. Charging point for electric cars: Rosstraat 7 in Dendermonde (about 700 m); for electric bicycles: Stuyfbergen 6 in Hamme (about 1.6 km).

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Meeting rooms and outdoor space can be rented; the website does not list rates.

Plan your visit