I really hadn’t ever heard of it and it seems to be fairly new, the Historium in Bruges. I came across it when I was researching things to do in Bruges for my tour group. So when I was actually in Bruges, walking around, thinking about what to do, I decided to give it a try. All I knew really was that it would portray Bruges during the golden age. Sounds interesting.
It was beyond what I expected. I paid my entry fee and got a headset. It would automatically activated as I entered the museum. I was a bit confused on what was going to happen, especially when I heard that every 4 minutes the first door opens. I didn’t have to wait that long and stepped in all by myself. Then the door closed and I was stuck in a room.
Luckily I wasn’t alone for long, because my headset started talking to me. This was just the introduction, but already I was in a room with a certain smell and a medieval vibe. As it turned out, I would go on a guided walk through the middle ages. There were several rooms that showed different medieval customs and places. They’d even made animations of places that no longer existed. I was led through the rooms by my personal digital medieval guide.
It’s really clever. In amongst the decorations, it really felt like Disneyland, they had put screens. The screens showed pieces of a story, as if the main character was telling and showing his story. The mise en scene was excellent, with sounds, visuals and smells as they should be. Entering the bath house I smelt the perfumes and it felt like you were in a bath house.
It was a bit creepy going by myself, especially since I didn’t know what to expect. It was pretty dark everywhere and I felt like any moment someone could jump out at me. It didn’t happen though. It was merely a story, like a fairytale, taking you back to a different time. At the end there was some more information about the middle ages. It’s learning and entertainment in one. I am well impressed. If you’re ever in Bruges… you now know what to do apart from eating chocolate and drinking beer.
Sounds like an interesting thing to see. I am surprised you were alone…not too many tourists around?
Well, every four minutes a group gets in. I must have just missed all the other people 🙂 It was a Monday, so not super busy though. Definitely recommended to see!
I would have thought the same as you, and been constantly waiting for someone to jump out! I think the characters alone would have creeped me out!
ha ha! Glad I’m not the only one 🙂