How to visit and what to see in Van Busleyden Museum (Mechelen): schedules

When you consider making a excursion from Brussels to visit the nearby city of Mechelen in the Belgian region of Flanders, perhaps you don't know the importance that this city had during the period of the Burgundian Netherlands.

Moreover, Mechelen It was the capital of said territory and currently maintains many architectural vestiges that give the city a special interest.

Furthermore, since last summer it has been possible to visit a new museum dedicated to showing the history of the burgundy period, as well as artistic works linked to that era.

What were the Burgundian Netherlands?

the cited Burgundian Netherlands were a geopolitical territory resulting from their incorporation into the domain of the Dukes of Burgundy, former French region.

The incorporation of various duchies of the Netherlands took place between 1384 and 1477, when the one known as burgundy period ended after death in a battle of Charles the Bold without leaving a male heir.

That transition period of Middle Ages to the modern world was a time of great wealth and artistic strength that resulted in what is known as European Renaissance o pre-renaissance.

It was a time in which there began to be great development in art, crafts and science, and in which figures such as VanEyck, Bruegel, Erasmo o Tomás Moro, and in the case of Mechelen, with characters as notable as Margaret of Austria.

The latter in particular favored the development of Renaissance thought.

It should be noted that currently the seal of the Burgundy house is still present in the image of the city ​​of Mechelen, with an important architectural legacy in its historic center.

Visit the Van Busleyden Palace museum

The new museum Hof ​​Van Busleyden It was inaugurated in June 2018 in the large palatial building of the former humanist and art collector, Jerome Van Busleyden.

The aforementioned building is one of the best examples of the urban palace of the aforementioned Renacimiento European.

For the installation of the museum, a major renovation has been carried out that has allowed various rooms to be skillfully designed in a very modern museum style with interactive screens.

So, in the museum Hof ​​Van Busleyden You find areas dedicated to public life, with paintings that represent parades and festivals in the city.

Also to the art of power in the Netherlands, with the influence that guilds or the flourishing of crafts had on daily life.

The museum highlights the space in which various artistic works made with alabaster are displayed, as well as another area where you will see examples of polychrome sculptures.

Now, after having had the opportunity to visit the Van Busleyden museum, I can tell you that what is really worth going to this new cultural enclave is to see the altarpieces-wardrobe known as Intimate Gardens.

These are unique pieces made with great finesse and quality by artists from the 16th century.

Other notable artistic objects in this museum are the antiphonary of Margaret of Austria, handwritten liturgical book made by Pedro Alamire in Mechelen.

Hof Van Busleyden schedules and ticket prices

The times to visit the Hof Van Busleyden museum They are, every day of the week, from 10 a.m. to 17 p.m., except Wednesdays. which is closed to the public. and on Thursdays, it closes at 22 p.m.

The ticket prices They are, in general, 11 euros; young people from 13 to 26 years old, 5 euros; Children under 13 years old, free entry.