A jewel of Flemish Baroque art, the Bergues Mont-de-Piété was built between 1629 and 1633, according to plans by painter, architect, economist and engineer Wenceslas Cobergher.
The museum is housed in this elegant rectangular building of stone-trimmed brick, low-arched windows, a slate roof with multiple openings and two richly decorated gables. Classified as a historical monument in 1907, it houses a major collection of paintings and drawings from the 16th to the 19th centuries, mainly from the Northern schools, as well as a natural history collection. The museum's masterpiece comes from the series of watchmen painted by Georges de La Tour from 1620 onwards, "Le Veilleur au chien". The museum also boasts an important collection of drawings (1500).
The museum is housed in this elegant rectangular building of stone-trimmed brick, low-arched windows, a slate roof with multiple openings and two richly decorated gables. Classified as a historical monument in 1907, it houses a major collection of paintings and drawings from the 16th to the 19th centuries, mainly from the Northern schools, as well as a natural history collection. The museum's masterpiece comes from the series of watchmen painted by Georges de La Tour from 1620 onwards, "Le Veilleur au chien". The museum also boasts an important collection of drawings (1500).
