Hotel d'Hane-Steenhuyse

The Hotel d'Hane-Steenhuyse is a stone residential mansion in Ghent featuring an 18th-century facade decorated with classical pilasters and refined details. Inside are spacious rooms with painted walls, valuable furnishings, and a garden section connected through an interior courtyard.

The mansion was constructed between 1768 and 1773 under architect Jan Baptist Simoens as a private palace. Later it served a notable political purpose when French King Louis XVIII took refuge there during his exile in 1815.

The name comes from the family who lived here for generations and shaped the house's character. Visitors can see today the ornamental plasterwork and fine furnishings that display how the aristocracy lived.

The house is open to visitors and requires adequate time to walk through the various rooms and garden area. It is advisable to wear comfortable shoes since the tour covers multiple levels and passes through different spaces.

Lesser noticed is the collection of paintings by notable Flemish artists that hang throughout the rooms, reflecting the region's artistic wealth. These works illustrate the connection between this house and the cultural prosperity of the southern Netherlands in the 18th century.