We often go to a city and head immediately to its museums and monuments without finding out much about what went into the environment that produced those works. It's a pity. The city of Ghent in Belgium changed that with STAM, the Ghent City Museum.
STAM is the new Ghent city museum built inside the renovated, 14th century Bijloke Abbey on the banks of the River Leie. It was opened in October of 1020.
STAM is meant to be a nexus for discovering the city of Ghent. Its cultural/tourist information desk can give you access to tours of the museum, as well as tours of the city of Ghent itself. The church and refectory are expected to become the occasional concert hall in the future, as the acoustics in both places are exceptional.
Inside the museum, you'll learn of the city's development over time with the permanent exhibition "The Story of Ghent," which traces the story of the city from modern Ghent exhibit on the first floor to the medieval core, the "chastened city" of 1600-1800, the industrial city of 1800-1950 and finally to the "network city" from 1950 to the present. Multimedia applications and Multi-touch tables will allow you some personal exploration time.
Location of STAM
STAM - Ghent City Museum is located at Bijlokesite, Godshuizenlaan 2, 9000 Ghent.
STAM is one kilometer from the center of Ghent, a 15 minute walk from the rail station Gent-Sint-Pieters. Tram 1 takes you to the Bijlokehof stop, where STAM is a three minute walk away.
Facilities
• full access for wheelchair-users
• gallery texts in NL FR EN DE ES
• café-restaurant
• cultural-tourist information desk
Web Information
The prefered way of getting information is via email: stam@gent.be
More: The STAM web site.
Ghent Museum Pass
The Ghent Museum Pass gives you three days free entry to Ghent's main monuments and museums (including temporary exhibitions) plus the use of the city's trams and buses for free. You can get it at the Tourist Information Office, the participating museums, hotels and De Lijn sales points. Price at time of writing was € 20, but check the list of participating museums and current prices at the official tourist bureau Ghent Museum Pass page.
