Bruges (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The famous wooden façade at Arentshof in Bruges, designed by Jozef and Luc Vierin in 1936, was restored with a €6,000 grant. Lyne Vanhacke runs a 20-year-old B&B there.
As VRT News reported, one of Bruges’ most photographed buildings has been restored. The wooden rear façade at Arentshof, located just behind the Bonifacius Bridge. The building behind it appears in countless pictures taken by tourists and locals.
“The 1936 condition was largely preserved, but conservation work was necessary to preserve the wooden facade and the stained-glass windows,”
says Alderman for Monument Preservation Mathis Goderis (Vooruit).
“The lead was in very poor condition. The stained-glass panels were dismantled, cleaned, and fitted with lead strips and mastic. The wooden joinery was given a smooth, dark brown finish. We are awarding a grant of €6,000 for the work.”
What makes Bruges’ Arentshof façade restoration special?
According to Officials, few people know that behind the well-known wooden façade at Arentshof, Lyne Vanhacke has been running a bed and breakfast for 20 years. Every part of the house has been arranged to match the atmosphere of Bruges’ old town.
“Behind the stained-glass windows on the ground floor is indeed our breakfast room,”
Vanhaecke explains.
“The previous owner, Baron van der Elst, had a great passion for the Flemish Primitives. With a thoughtful use of colour and robust furniture, I wanted to capture the atmosphere of that period.”
Officials mentioned that from the windows, guests can look out across the canal to the Bonifacius Bridge, one of Bruges’ most visited spots. Throughout the day, groups of tourists stop to take photos or pass by in boats.
“Yet, we don’t feel watched, no,” says Vanhaecke. “It’s quieter here than you’d think. Most guests have breakfast around 9 a.m., and there’s no one around then. The boats don’t set sail yet either,”
Vanhaecke concludes.
The wooden rear façade at Arentshof, located just behind the Bonifacius Bridge in the city of Bruges, was commissioned in 1936 by Bruges architects Jozef and Luc Vierin to be constructed as a rear extension of a 17th-century deep house.
Over the years, the rear façade became one of the most photographed places in Bruges, regularly appearing on the covers of postcards and travel guides. In the early 2000s, a bed and breakfast was established by Lyne Vanhacke in the building, and then fully restored in 2025.
Brussels Morning is a daily online newspaper based in Belgium. BM publishes unique and independent coverage on international and European affairs. With a Europe-wide perspective, BM covers policies and politics of the EU, significant Member State developments, and looks at the international agenda with a European perspective.
