Museum Arnold Vander Haeghen, Ghent Travel Guide

The Museum Arnold Vander Haeghen, nestled in Ghent's Veldstraat, offers a captivating journey into the city's rich cultural past. Housed in the former Hotel Clemmen, a patrician mansion dating back to 1746, the museum showcases the elegance of the belle époque. Designed by David 't Kindt, the mansion was expanded in the 1770s by textile baron Josse Clemmen, who added classicist and baroque elements.The mansion's highlight is its stunning Chinese salon, adorned with 18th-century Chinese silk wall coverings and murals. The museum also features a reconstruction of the study and library of Maurice Maeterlinck, the Belgian Nobel Prize winner in Literature, providing insight into the writer's life and work. Works by artists Charles Doudelet and Victor Stuyvaert, known for illustrating Maeterlinck's works, are also on display.The Vander Haeghen family acquired the mansion in 1836 and bequeathed it to the City of Ghent, stipulating that it be used as a museum. The museum opened in 1953 and has also housed the City of Ghent's Culture and Arts Departments since 1997. Visitors can explore the vestibule, dining room, Chinese salon, and Maeterlinck cabinet on the ground floor, each offering a glimpse into history and art.