The cozy Baggaerts Court is protected as a monument since 1939 and was founded in 1638 by Joossine Baggaert. She set up 13 small houses for women in need of help. These women were mostly widows or unmarried so they could no longer provide for themselves. One of the rules of life in the Baggaerts Court was repairing linen fabrics. The janitor was put in charge of the other women and mainly had to prevent altercations. The last occupant stayed there by herself until 1975 when the complete evacuation for the planned restoration works began.
The Baggaerts Court includes not only 13 small houses under a red tile gable roof but also a communal toilet, a water pump and herb garden with over 200 different kinds of medicinal herbs.
The present Baggaerts Court, which was fully restored in 1979, is now the property of the social aid program OCMW. Because the small size of the houses, it was impossible to repurpose them as legitimate form of housing. Eventually the OCMW opted to transform the houses into a children’s village where vulnerable children could have fun. Each house had its own activity. On Wednesday afternoons children could draw, do crafts, model and act but not anymore because these activities actually damaged the houses. So they have been moved to another location. Right now, the Baggaerts Court will be redesigned to serve as a location for the exhibition of photographs.
The Baggaerts Court is free to visit from Tuesday to Thursday and on Saturdays from 2:00-6:00 pm. Monday, Friday and holidays are the closing days.