Arts and heritage

Museum Mayer van den Bergh
Flanders is synonymous with heritage. Our famed Flemish Masters’ genius and inimitable craftsmanship helped move art history in a different direction. Since then, many generations of creative people have followed their example, both in the arts and in other areas. We have castles and cathedrals, churches and belfries, tapestries and beguinages, artistic masterpieces and entire historic city centres. All attest to Flanders’ rich cultural heritage.

History is also present at Flanders Fields, which stand as silent but deafening witness to the First World War, bearing a message of universal peace. Flanders’ rich legacy is tangible, something which can be seen and felt.

A chaotic, crowded scene of a mythical battle between angels and demons, filled with vibrant colors and intricate, fantastical creatures in motion.
Discover the Flemish Masters, a group of artists who revolutionized Western European painting. Learn about their lives, work, and where to see them in Flanders.
Nieuwpoort, Vigor Boucquet, Oordeel van Cambyses, (c) Dominique provost
Our Lady's Church Nieuwpoort. Vigor Boucquet, Judgment of Cambyses.
Van Eyck. Rubens. The Flemish surrealists and expressionists. In Flanders, old and modern masters are at home. It is here where they lived and worked.
Rustic garden scene with vibrant red poppies swaying amidst rusty metal tools and lush greenery. Overcast sky adds a calm, nostalgic feel.
From 1914 to 1918, Flanders Fields was a major battle theatre on the Western Front during the First World War.
campagne thumb
Flanders is a treasure trove of heritage. The cities brim with history and stories, and even in the surrounding countryside, there is much to discover about the

27 WWI memorial sites in Flanders Fields recognised as Unesco World Heritage

Buttes New British Cemetery Zonnebeke © Copper Tree Media
The sun shines on a cemetery in Zonnebeke of fallen soldiers from World War I.

Who are the Flemish Masters?

Van Eyck, Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait) © Jan van Eyck. Portrait of a Man
Jan van Eyck, the genius behind the Ghent Altarpiece
Hans Memling - Mansportret © Royal Museums of Fine Arts Belgium, Brussels photo J. Geleyns - Ro scan
Hans Memling - Man's Portrait © Royal Museums of Fine Arts Belgium, Brussels
Hans Memling, grand master with an eye for detail
Portrait of Bruegel
Pieter Bruegel, a brilliant enigma
Self-portrait of Rubens  ©Rubenshuis Antwerpen collectiebeleid
Peter Paul Rubens, master of Baroque
Zelfportret Anthony Van Dyck © Rubenshuis Foto: Michel Wuyts en Louis De Peuter
Self-portrait of Anthony Van Dyck
Anthony van Dyck: master of refinement and elegance
A bearded man in a suit, wearing a floral hat, gazes intently. The background is an artful blend of earthy tones, conveying a contemplative mood.
James Ensor, pioneer at the North Sea