2. Flaxmuseum
  4. Museum
  5. Building

Building

The Beeuwsaert's farm

The Flax Museum is put up in the Beeuwsaert's farm, one of the last South-West-Flemish farms at the territory of Kortrijk. The farm consisted of several parts: the house, the barn and the stables, surrounded by a moat, an orchard and meadows. The buildings, dating from about 1850, stand around a square court yard, independent from each other. Originally, the farm had a rectangular moat. The dwelling house, standing on a moat, was also surrounded by water and only accessible by a bridge from the inner yard. The double moat remained unchanged till the end of the nineteenth century. Then, the small moat, separating the dwelling house from the inner yard was filled. From the moat, only the part behind the stables has been kept. The oldest buildings, formally standing at the same place, belonged to the domain of  Gorghem, depending from the castle of Kortrijk. The oldest mentions of the name date from 1272. The name of  the farm is derived from the family Beeuwsaert, who inhabited the farm till 1969.

The coming of the Flax Museum

Vlasmuseum

In 1971, the farm was condemned to demolition. The Flax Museum started an emergency procedure in the city to save the building and to put up the Flax Museum there. However, it took until 1978, before the restoration works started. These fundamental changes were realized:

  • In the street, near the short barn facade, the former gatehouse covered with bricks and the bakehouse were demolished. Both buildings dated from 1700. The disappeared entrance building was replaced by an iron gate.
  • The barn on the south side, originally used to store and deseed corn crops and flax, was enlarged by a gallery of 5 m wide. Two passages were filled up with a brick wall.
  • A small building, linking the old stables and the barn was built, serving as a reception and a projection room.  
  • The dwelling house was transformed into a tavern.
  • The installation works started in 1981and on 3 April 1982, the National Flax Museum was officially opened to the public.

Additional accommodation

Kant- en Linnenmuseum

 1983

 rise of the weeding scene

 1984

 Building of the cart shed and a  parking

 1986

Building of a projection room with capacity of 80 seats, a library and offices

 1988

rise of a new wing, containing four new scenes (pulling machine, steam-engine, boiler house, and old laundry house)

 1990

Tavern enlarged with a party room for 75 people

 1998

The Lace- and Linen Museum was opened in the adjoining new building

 2010

New draft for the Flax Museum

 

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