Sint-Janshospitaal

About the museum

For centuries the Sint-Janshospitaal was the most important institution for the sick, the poor and travellers in Bruges, and it is one of the oldest care institutions on the European mainland. The oldest surviving document, a rule for the brothers and sisters, dates from 1188; archaeological finds point to an even earlier foundation.

The great sick ward was built around 1200, and the church dates from the fifteenth century. Around 1220 the brothers’ monastery arose, later used as a pharmacy. After the brothers disappeared at the end of the sixteenth century, the Augustinian sisters took over the care.

Since 1977 the medieval sick wards have been arranged as a museum. It tells the story of the building and of centuries of care, using everyday objects and works of art. The Memling collection of Musea Brugge is the second largest in the world; four of the seven masterpieces were made by Memling especially for the hospital. The museum also includes the old hospital pharmacy and a herb garden, and in the monumental attic the Closer to Memling Experience brings Memling’s work to life interactively.

Highlights

• Masterpieces by Hans Memling, including the Ursulaschrijn (Shrine of St Ursula), in a glass shrine
• Closer to Memling Experience in the monumental attic with oak roof trusses
• Authentic 17th-century hospital pharmacy with herb garden
• Contemporary works by, among others, Berlinde De Bruyckere and Patricia Piccinini
• Children’s hospital and audio tour for children

Permanent exhibitions

• Memling-collectie – Seven masterpieces by Hans Memling, four of them made especially for the hospital, in a glass shrine; the Ursulaschrijn stands in the hospital church.
• Closer to Memling Experience – Interactive audiovisual experience in the attic, where experience tables, music and light bring Memling’s work closer.
• Hospitaalapotheek – The old pharmacy, with an authentic seventeenth-century interior, tells the story of the sisters who were apothecaries; a herb garden lies beside it.

Founded

1977

Operated by

Musea Brugge (Stad Brugge)

Admission & discounts

Residents of Bruges and of the districts of Koolkerke, Sint-Andries, Sint-Michiels, Assebroek, Sint-Kruis, Dudzele, Lissewege and Zeebrugge, and Friends of Musea Brugge, visit the sites for free. Admission is also free with ICOM, Museumpas, Merito Club, Riebedebie (passport campaign), SELECT Card and the Brugse Stadsgids with FTG card. Book a free ticket online and have it activated at the ticket desk with your card or identity card. Holders of an UiTPAS Brugge region card with a reduced rate get a discount, only via the Musea Brugge website; with the UiTPAS you can also collect points. An online ticket cannot be changed, exchanged or cancelled.

Accessibility

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

Access routes can be used independently by wheelchair users, and the entrance with help; there is a spacious, wheelchair-accessible lift, and the museum is wheelchair-accessible. There are rest points with free folding chairs and wheelchairs. For visitors with a visual impairment there is a tactile model of the Sint-Janshospitaal and its surroundings, and a descriptive audio tour of the area; for visitors with a hearing impairment there is an audio tour in text form. Neurodiverse visitors can borrow sensory kits and watch a preparatory video.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area

Children under 13 enter free. The youngest (from 2.5 years) can play in the children’s hospital with doctors’ coats, dolls and bandages. The Closer to Memling Experience (from 7 years) is an interactive experience with experience tables, music and light. At reception, the humorous audio tour Het Geheim van Hugo is available free of charge (from 6 years). There is a changing table, and pushchairs are welcome.

Getting there & parking

Wheelchairs can be taken on all De Lijn buses and on the city centre shuttle bus. Plan your route via the De Lijn website.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Wi-Fi

Museum shop, bicycle parking and free toilets. Free Wi-Fi in the Musea Brugge locations.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit