Godshuizen (Almshouses)

Scattered across Bruges like quiet secrets are over forty godshuizen — literally "God's houses" — small whitewashed courtyard dwellings built from the 14th century onwards as acts of charity. Wealthy citizens, guilds, and occasionally the church built them to house the elderly, the poor, widows, and other vulnerable members of society. In return, residents were usually required to pray for the soul of their benefactor. It was a neat medieval transaction: real estate for the living in exchange for spiritual capital for the dead.

The godshuizen follow a consistent pattern: a row of small houses arranged around a shared courtyard garden, entered through a narrow gate from the street. They are deliberately hidden — tucked behind walls, accessed through archways, invisible unless you know where to look. The gardens are immaculate, planted with flowers and herbs, and the silence inside them is startling given their proximity to busy streets. More than forty of these complexes survive, and many still serve their original purpose, housing elderly residents of Bruges at subsidised rents.

The Godshuis De Meulenaere, founded in 1613 by Johanna de Muelenaere, originally consisted of twenty-four small houses for elderly women. The Godshuis De Vos, founded in 1480 by merchant Adriane de Vos, has a peaceful courtyard and a small chapel. Each complex typically bears the name of its founder — a form of immortality that has outlasted most other ways of being remembered.

The best approach is to wander and discover them by accident. They are found throughout the city, with clusters along Nieuwe Gentweg, Katelijnestraat, and in the Sint-Anna district. Push open a gate, step through, and you are in a medieval garden of stillness. Just remember that people live here — this is not a museum, but a living tradition of charity that is over seven hundred years old.