Gruuthusemuseum

The Gruuthusemuseum features a distinctive stepped gable topped with a tall, slender spire that rises above the stone facade. This mansion served as the fifteenth-century home of Lodewijk van Gruuthuse, a wealthy merchant who made his fortune from a royal monopoly on gruut, a mixture of herbs used to flavor beer. Inside his private chapel, a window overlooks the neighboring Church of Our Lady, allowing the family to attend Mass without leaving their home. The building keeps these remnants of medieval wealth.