Musée de la Vie rurale de Steenwerck

About the museum

The museum’s story begins in 1980, when the Steenwerck tourist office wanted to preserve farm equipment from the age of draft horses. The project quickly expanded to cover all of village life: housing, trades, shops and school. From 1984 the Brame farm, now communal property, was fitted out, and thousands of objects were collected and restored.

The museum opened regularly to the public in 1987 and welcomed its 100,000th visitor in 1999. The same year, a twinning with a rural life museum in Kent, as part of a European programme, funded the reception room.

The current buildings date from 1922, after the destruction of the First World War, but a stone from 1747 recalls the farm’s older origins. The 2,000 m² route offers some thirty reconstructions up to 1950: a barn for farm machinery, a flax barn, a harvest barn, a village street with its shops, school, town hall, and the farmhouse. The visit ends at the estaminet “A la gaieté”, where you can play wooden Flemish games.

Highlights

• More than 30 reconstructions of rural life up to 1950
• Village street with shops, school and town hall
• Barn for farm machinery and flax barn
• Estaminet “A la gaieté” with some thirty Flemish games
• Free admission every Sunday

Permanent exhibitions

• La ferme et les machines agricoles – Barn for farm machinery, harvest barn and flax barn: horse-drawn equipment, craftspeople’s workshops and flax cultivation in the Lys valley.
• La rue du village – Reconstruction of the shops, school and town hall of a Flemish village between 1850 and 1950.
• L'habitation de la ferme – Kitchens, bedroom, laundry, cellars and bakehouse of an early 20th-century Flemish farm.

Founded

1987

Operated by

Association du Musée de la Vie Rurale de Steenwerck

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Every Sunday (free visit)

Free admission on Sundays; full price of €6 on other days. Partner offers exist (Crédit Agricole Nord de France members’ card, TER or SNCF day ticket). Payment accepted in cash, by bank card, check, Chèques-Vacances, Chèques Culture and Pass Culture.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking
• 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 visit is accessible to wheelchairs and strollers. Loan of a wheelchair, walking canes and a stroller-cane. One disabled parking space in front of the entrance. In winter only the reception and the estaminet are heated.

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

Free discovery games for children of all ages, from non-readers up to 15. Wooden Flemish games at the estaminet. During school holidays, activities and guided tours for families Monday to Friday. Bottle warmer, microwave and high chair at the estaminet.

Getting there & parking

Via motorway A25, exit no. 10 (Bailleul), then follow the signs. The museum holds the “Accueil Vélo” label: bicycle racks, bicycle locks available to borrow, an air pump and battery charging.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available
• Coat check: not available
• Lockers: not available
• Wi-Fi

Estaminet “A la gaieté” with drinks, waffles and snacks (no lunch or dinner on site); an uncovered picnic area next to it. Wi-Fi (“Yes WiFi”) in the reception area. No cloakroom or lockers: large bags are left at reception.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Up to 100 guests.

Seminars, meetings and company outings: estaminet package for up to 30 people and flax barn package for up to 100 people, both with coffee welcome and video projector.

Plan your visit