City Museum Eupen

The museum is housed in the old merchant house De Ru's and the modern museum wing provides the perfect environment for this.

This museum tells you the story of a city that was characterised by its flourishing cloth industry in the 18th century. In the exhibition you will also discover the rich heritage and the literally turbulent history of this city on the border.

The new permanent exhibition shows the impact of the textile industry on the city and on the daily lives of the people to visitors of all ages. In addition, numerous pieces show how people lived their faith , how they celebrated and how they looked after their traditions .

The plans for the first museum in Eupen were made in 1891 by mayor Theodor Mooren and the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce Robert Wetzlar. They envisioned an industrial museum that would be both educational and an urban attraction. In 1892, a call appeared in the newspaper to donate objects relating to the history of the textile industry to the future sponsoring organization. However, the initiative was not successful.

In 1912, the local branch of the Eifelverein in Eupen proposed to set up a museum for local history on the top floor of the town hall. Unfortunately, this plan also did not go ahead. An attempt in 1951 with the first historical association in East Belgium had to cease its activities in 1956 for financial reasons. In 1966, the Eupen History and Museum Association was founded. One of its objectives was to set up a new museum. In 1969, concrete plans were developed to house the museum in the former orphanage on the Rotenberg. The building was available after the construction of the children's homes on the Limburger Weg and the old people's home on the Rotenberg. This concept was also rejected in 1977.

Shortly afterwards, the city bought the building "De Ru's" in Gospertstraße. It had it renovated and rebuilt. The museum was opened on 5 September 1980 under the chairmanship of Leo Hermanns. The exhibition included a richly documented city chronicle , city maps and views, insights into the living culture of the bourgeoisie and a collection of 120 costume figurines illustrating the fashionable developments in the 19th century. There were also various remains of the industrial culture and the goldsmith's workshop of the Toussaint family to discover.

In 2004, the city purchased the neighboring building at number 54, where the first temporary exhibition was held in 2005. Planning for the complete renovation began under the chairmanship of Willy Boemer, who took over the chairmanship of the VoG Stadtmuseum in 1998 and handed it over to Joseph Weber in 2011. The grand opening took place on January 25, 2019...

Willem Vandenameele