Gasthuys

About

The Gasthuys is a museum in the Belgian city Aalst dedicated to archaeology, applied art, the history of the city of Aalst and some prominent Aalstenaars.

Site: The site is the oldest core of Aalst. In soil studies, silex instruments dating from the epipaleolithic period were found. Also traces from the Roman and Merovingian periods were found. During the early Middle Ages, the Zelhof was founded in this place, a vroonhoeve whose main building consists of a hall. From here, the city developed.

Building: In the thirteenth century, Johanna of Constantinople and her husband Thomas of Savoy gave up this piece of land to establish a hospital complex with monastery. Throughout the centuries, the complex of Our Lady Hospital has been constantly extended and renewed (A city plan of Ludovico Guicciardini from 1581 shows the hospital without a hospital; on a map of Sanderus from 1644 the new infirmary and monastery building are already depicted). The hospital function was maintained until the establishment of a larger and more modern building in another location in 1899. Since then, the buildings have been...