Museum Hof van Busleyden

The Hof van Busleyden in Mechelen is a city palace from the 15th and 16th centuries. Today it houses a museum where visitors can learn about the capital of the Burgundian Netherlands and important personalities such as Hieronymus van Busleyden, Margaret of Austria, Erasmus and Thomas More.

Originally built as the residence of Hiëronymus van Busleyden, a humanist and member of the Grand Council, the building has served various purposes over the centuries – from a magnificent residence to an almshouse to a modern museum.

A look back in time

In 1496, Francois van Busleyden bought a house on Koestraat in Mechelen. At that time, the city was the center of the Burgundian kingdom and very lively. After Francois’ death, the house passed to his brothers.

Hiëronymus van Busleyden acquired the palace from his brothers in 1506. As a councillor, he needed a sumptuous property to be able to receive his guests in style. The palace quickly developed into a meeting place for humanists such as Erasmus and Thomas More.

To this end, he had the building extended by the famous Keldermans family of architects. Two imposing main wings were built. Particular highlights were the large garden, the elegant hypocaust (a room for private conversations) and the high-quality frescoes, which have been preserved to this day. He also had stables, storage and accommodation built for the servants.

After Van Busleyden’s death in 1517, the palace changed hands several times. These owners also continued the conversion. The stair tower was built with a high superstructure with a spire.

In 1619, the architect Wenzel Cobergher bought the Hof van Busleyden and converted the magnificent palace into a pawnshop for the poor. Poorer people could take out loans here without having to fear usury.

When the building was restored in the 19th century, romanticizing elements were used to distort the original appearance. During the First World War, the courtyard was badly damaged in a fire, but was subsequently rebuilt.

In 1938, the courtyard opened as a town museum. At the end of the 1990s, a new transformation began. In 2018, the Hof van Busleyden Museum was reopened with a modern extension and a permanent exhibition on Burgundian history and the humanist culture of the region.

Welcome to the Hof van Busleyden Museum

We enter the museum grounds through a gate in the boundary wall. We stand in the garden and look out over a truly impressive building. It looks a bit like a majestic and magnificent Renaissance castle to me and at first glance nothing reminds me of a museum.

In total, there are three differently landscaped gardens that are part of the museum complex: the large inner garden in the Sint-Janstraat, the smaller cour d’honneur on the Frederik de Merodestraat and the third enclosed garden, which borders the rear of the City Palace. The design of the gardens is reminiscent of Renaissance gardens. They are planted with vines, olive trees, cypresses and roses. I really like the area through which we walk to the museum entrance.

The inner garden and the courtyard of honor are accessible free of charge daily from 10 am to 5 pm.

Museum visit

We enter the museum’s permanent exhibition with an audio guide. This shows us the history of Burgundy and Mechelen in themed rooms.

We learn a lot about the most famous inhabitants of the city at this time. For example, about Margaret of Austria’s influence on life in the city, her incredible strength and power to assert herself in a man’s world and, of course, what became of the city after her death.

Another area that is addressed in the permanent exhibition is the subject of craftsmanship. In the 15th century, craftsmen in Mechelen specialized in working alabaster. Visually, the stone resembles marble, but is softer and therefore easier to work with. The craftsmen produced alabaster images of saints, altarpieces and statues, which can be found throughout Europe. Another “top seller” at this time were the “Poupées de Malines”. These are painted wooden figures that became known as Mechelen dolls. They depicted Christ, Mary or a saint, were relatively inexpensive and were used for prayer or meditation. The small figures were particularly popular with missionaries who took them with them to the colonies.

A look at outstanding exhibits

There are many exhibits on display at the Museum Hof van Busleyden that impressed me in very different ways. Here are my three personal highlights.

Portrait of Margaret by Bernard Van Orley

One of the museum’s most outstanding exhibits is definitely the painting of Margaret, Regent of Austria.

In 1507, Maximilian of Austria appointed his daughter Margaret regent of the Netherlands. It was she who made Mechelen interesting for society and led the city to prosperity. After she established the court in the city, not only nobles and civil servants, but also artists and craftsmen came to the city. Margaret also lived in her palace Court of Savoy in the city and raised her children here.

Mechelen Choirbook

The Mechelen choirbook was probably written around 1515 and is one of the most beautiful and best-preserved music manuscripts of the period.

It was probably commissioned by the Burgundian Habsburg court in the workshop of the singer, composer, musician and entrepreneur Petrus Alamire in Mechelen.

In the Museum Hof van Busleyden you can not only see the beautifully designed manuscript, but also listen to recordings of it.

Enclosed Gardens

An art form that I had never heard of before is called Enclosed Gardens. This unique religious art was created in the Netherlands in the late Middle Ages and seven of the most beautiful and well-preserved works can be seen in the Hof van Busleyden Museum.

Enclosed Gardens are retables depicting gardens of paradise. They are decorated with silk flowers, wooden or alabaster figures, medallions, relics and inscriptions. A small fence often separates the paradise from the outside world.

The works shown here come from the convent of the Mechelen Hospital Sisters. The nuns prayed in front of them or meditated on the scenes shown.

One of the best preserved works is the Enclosed Garden with three saints from the 16th century. It depicts Saint Elizabeth with her crown and book and a beggar at her feet, Saint Ursula holding three arrows and Saint Catherine with a golden sword in her hands. Between the saints, Mary Magdalene kneels by the risen Christ. On the side walls you can see a man and two women with their patron saints.

Is it worth a visit?

We really enjoyed the visit. The audio guide was a great help during the tour. It helped me understand a lot more about the history. I also took a booklet with me that contained a lot of the text information from the exhibition in German, which made the historical context a little easier to understand.

You should bring some time with you, the tour takes about 1.5 – 2 hours. But the time flew by and I could have stood at some of the artworks forever to see all the details.

Visitor information

Address

Museum Hof van Busleyden
Sint-Jansstraat 2a, 2800 Mechelen

Website Museum

The museum visit was part of the program of the press trip with Visit Mechelen.