Academie de Kunstbrug Gent

Academie de Kunstbrug Gent is a municipal arts school housed in the historic Braemkasteel, a former castle in the Gentbrugge district of Ghent. It isn't a conventional sightseeing attraction with exhibits for visitors — it's a working educational institution — but it's worth knowing about for the building it occupies and the long history behind those walls.

What is the Braemkasteel?

The castle was built in the 14th century by Hughe Braem and Isabelle Van Halewijn, and it still carries the name of its founding family. In the 19th century the building underwent a major renovation that gave it the appearance it largely retains today, so what you see while walking through Gentbrugge now dates mostly from that 19th-century remodeling rather than the medieval original. The building's role changed dramatically in 1946, when the municipality of Gentbrugge purchased it to serve as the local town hall, a function it held until 1974.

From town hall to music academy

After its time as a town hall ended in 1974, an arts school moved into the Braemkasteel — previously known as the Academie voor Muziek, Woord en Dans Emiel Hullebroeck, named after the Flemish composer Emiel Hullebroeck. Since then, generations of children, young people and adults have taken lessons in the castle's many rooms. Today the institution operates as Academie de Kunstbrug Gent and offers three departments: music, word (speech and language), and dance.

Structure and reach of the school

Academie de Kunstbrug Gent is not confined to the Braemkasteel — the school runs classes across seven locations spread throughout Ghent and its surroundings, including Destelbergen, Gent-Coupure, Gent-Ottogracht, Mariakerke, Melle-centrum and Melle-Vogelhoek. Instruction follows the officially recognized part-time arts education system, structured across three levels: lower, intermediate and higher. The program runs for ten years for children and young people, and nine years for adults, with lessons open to students from the age of eight onward. This makes the academy one of the more significant institutions of part-time arts education (deeltijds kunstonderwijs) in the greater Ghent area.

Why it's worth noticing while exploring

For visitors walking around Gentbrugge, Academie de Kunstbrug Gent is a notable stop mainly because of the building itself — the Braemkasteel is one of the few medieval-origin castles near Ghent that has survived in continuous practical use rather than as a ruin or a museum piece frozen in time. The fact that it has served in turn as a noble family's seat, a town hall, and now an arts school illustrates how historic buildings in Belgium are often woven back into everyday community life rather than being preserved purely as showpieces.

Frequently asked questions

Can visitors tour the Braemkasteel? The building functions as an active arts school, so public access is generally limited to occasions such as open days or events organized by the academy.

Where exactly is the castle located? In the Gentbrugge district, part of the city of Ghent.

What subjects does the academy teach? Three departments: music, word (speech and language), and dance, within an officially recognized arts education program.

From what age can students enroll? Classes are open to students from age eight, and the program also includes options for adults.