Although the Historium tells a medieval story and our building looks quite ancient, the building is not that old yet... Read the history of this location below.

During the Middle Ages, the Waterhalle was located on the spot now occupied by the Historium building. The Waterhalle was the large warehouse for the port and a real wonder of the world - especially for that period! The building was large and passed through Breidelstraat. For comparison: that is as big as our building, the Province Court and the former Post Office (where you can now visit the Bruges Beer Experience).

The Waterhalle was demolished in 1787 and a classical complex took its place (with the Province Court), which was destroyed by fire in 1878. The initiative to reconstruct the Province Court and the Post Office building on the corner of Breidelstraat was only taken in 1887. In 1902, the government purchased the corner lot on Philipstockstraat, ‘Café Foy’, that had been destroyed by fire. The government instructed the well-known Ypres architect, Jules Coomans, to construct a building in an eclectic neo-gothic style with a narrow corner tower. This is now the Historium building.

The building has a neo-renaissance appearance due to the double covered gallery on the side of the Markt Square and the medallions in the façade. It is not one of Bruges’ typical neo-gothic buildings because bluestone was used for the façade instead of red brick. The building was completed in 1921 and housed the Flemish Roads and Traffic Authority. In 2009, the building was sold to private owners and the Historium opened to the public in 2012. Since 2018 you can also climb the Historium Tower.