{"id":24158,"date":"2011-05-14T06:22:34","date_gmt":"2011-05-14T12:22:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wend.ca\/?p=24158"},"modified":"2020-04-21T21:09:06","modified_gmt":"2020-04-22T01:09:06","slug":"gruunthuse-museum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wend.ca\/?p=24158","title":{"rendered":"Gruunthuse Museum"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you venture down an obscure alleyway along the back of Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk<\/a>, into a cobbled courtyard or across a small bridge, you’ll find a mansion that once belonged to the Van Brugghe family: the Gruunthuse<\/em>.<\/p>\n

In Medieval times, while the rest of Bruge busily worked in the textile industry, the Van Brugghes focused their efforts on the beer industry and the selling of Gruut<\/em>. Gruut is a mixture of spices used to make beer. Needless to say, this made the Van Brugghes one of the richest families in Bruges.<\/p>\n

The mansion passed to a variety of wealthy owners over the centuries and was finally acquired by the City of Bruge in 1955 and converted to a museum.<\/p>\n

In the gallery is the equestrian statue of one such owner, Lodewijk van Gruuthuse (a.k.a. Lewis de Bruges, and\/or Loys), found on the entrance to Gruuthuse. Under his statue (not seen) in icing like script, it says Plus est en Vous<\/em>. Lewis was a trusted adviser to Charles the Bold, close friend to Mary of Burgundy, and eventually chamberlain to Philip the Handsome. <\/p>\n

In the back of the mansion is a private chapel connected to Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk<\/a> that gives an excellent view of the tomb of Mary of Burgundy.<\/p>\n