Alijn House

The House of Alijn was once one of the more outdated museums in the city, now it is a symbol of renewal and creativity. The name 'house of Alijn' refers to the origin story of this building.

It all started with a fierce argument between two patrician families, the Rijm family and the Alijn family. A son of the Rijm family was in love with a very beautiful girl, but heard that there was a rival, a descendant of the Alijn family. So he went to the St. John's Church and cowardly killed his rival, his brother, and also the servant. As was customary at the time, the Rijms were declared outlaws and their houses were razed to the ground. After a few years, they received clemency from the count on the condition that they established a house of worship for eighteen elderly and needy women. Thus, the house of worship Alijn was created, dedicated to Saint Catherine.

By the 16th century, the house of worship had already fallen into disrepair. However, it was rebuilt and a chapel in Renaissance style with Gothic windows was added. The complex also provided shelter for working-class families. Eventually, the city administration purchased the entire property and had it restored to serve as a museum of folklore. A permanent exhibition was set up about the life of the people of Ghent around 1900 with its crafts and trades.

A few years ago, a new young team came in. They felt there was more to be made of this museum. So they got to work: painting, carpentry, the collection was presented in a more enjoyable, clearer way and a new name was devised: the Museum of Folklore became the House of Alijn. To top it off, they planned exhibitions that garnered significant public interest due to their originality. A few years ago, for example, there was an exhibition about pigs and in 2001 a project around garden gnomes. To announce this last exhibition, thousands of garden gnomes were dispersed throughout the city. The intention was that the gnomes could be 'picked' and then painted to be brought to the museum. Curious to see what the next project will be!

Dromos