The Vleeshuis: Butcher's Palace of Antwerp

The unknown ins and outs of Antwerp's oldest public building.
In connection with the exhibition '500 years of Vleeshuis'.
It is no coincidence that the Vleeshuis - the butcher's palace of the Scheldt city - was built at the beginning of Antwerp's 'golden' age. The metropolis was running at full 'trade speeds'. For three centuries, butchers sold meat there. As a meat hall and guild house, it was a symbol of the increasing role of the middle class.
In 1810, after the abolition of the guilds, the Vleeshuis served as a warehouse, while painters and actors occupied the upper floor. Later, at the end of the 19th century, the city council bought the former butcher's palace and renamed it the Vleeshuis Museum.
A fascinating introduction to the unknown historical well-being of the Vleeshuis, the oldest public building in Antwerp and one of the most beautiful achievements of Brabantine late Gothic. Jan Lampo also takes a close look at the present and future prospects of this beautiful building full of unsuspected art treasures.
JAN LAMPO worked as a research assistant at the Vleeshuis Museum. He has recently been affiliated with the Archive and Museum for Flemish Cultural Life. Davidsfonds/Leuven has also published his works Between Quay and Ship. The Antwerp Harbor District Before 1885 and Vermaerde Coopstadt. Antwerp in the Middle Ages.