Erasmus House, Protected heritage museum in Anderlecht, Belgium.
Erasmus House is a red-brick building with a steep red-tiled roof and stone-framed cross windows, built in stages between 1460 and 1515. Its oldest wing, high and narrow, stands beside a long wing dated 1515 by wall anchors; a lower wing now holds the museum reception. A dark rectangular basin sits in the courtyard.
The building was constructed between 1460 and 1515 and served as the residence of Erasmus of Rotterdam. He translated religious texts from Greek to Latin while living here.
The house keeps its name from De Swaene, the property of the Suweel family of Brussels bankers and money changers. In the room traditionally called the chamber of rhetoric, Erasmus is said to have received visitors; period furniture stands there. The study holds portraits of the humanist, including those by Quentin Metsys, Hans Holbein and Albrecht Dürer.
The house is easily accessible by public transport and offers guided tours through its rooms and gardens. Visitors should check opening hours in advance as they may vary by season.
The garden's romantic English-style layout was designed by Charles Van Elst in 1932. Between 1946 and 1966 it hosted eleven Belgian Open-Air Sculpture Biennales, the first post-war open-air sculpture exhibition in Europe, two years before London's Battersea Park show of 1948.
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