Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Borre Municipal Museum came into being in 1905, when sculptor Delphin Haeww offered two of his works to the city. The municipality then decided to create a museum in four rooms of the municipal college, soliciting donations from the population. This first, modest space marks the beginning of a cultural institution dedicated to fine arts, ethnology and local history, with collections centered on religious art (goldware, wood sculptures, paintings) and decorative arts (ceramic, furniture).

The inauguration of the present museum took place on 11 November 1927, under the leadership of Abbé Lemire, a local figure committed to preserving the heritage. The building, a former 17th century Flemish convent (dated 1616 on its gable), was enlarged in 1895 in a Flemish Renaissance style. His collections are enriched with remarkable works, such as the monumental fresco La Chute du Tyrante (1927) by Lucien Jonas, friend of Abbé Lemire, as well as Flemish ethnological objects (giants of procession, reconstitution of a traditional cuisine).

The museum is distinguished by its regional anchor, highlighting 19th-century paintings (French and Flemish schools) and religious pieces from the former Southern Netherlands. Part of the collections are now displayed in large format in the public garden and in the park of the castle of Orme. The labeled Musée de France, it illustrates both the local history and the Flemish artistic heritage, while preserving traces of its Conventual past, as evidenced by its characteristic architecture.

External links