Bijloke, Cistercian monastery and hospital complex in Ghent, Belgium

Bijloke is a brick complex in Ghent whose buildings served a Cistercian nunnery and hospital. The long hospital ward has a slate roof, dormer vents and four arched windows with stone tracery; the taller gabled wing has twin round windows, pointed-arch windows and an octagonal turret with a spire.

The origins go back to 1228 when a hospital was moved to this location, with a Cistercian monastery later built nearby. For many centuries, the site served medical purposes before transforming into an arts institution.

The complex houses multiple arts organizations and schools that you see filled with students and artists going about their work daily. This mix of institutions creates an active center for creativity and artistic training in the heart of the city.

The site is a large, open space with several buildings that you can explore on foot. You should allow enough time to visit the different areas and institutions spread throughout the grounds.

The site operated as a hospital for more than 700 years before being transformed into an arts campus in recent decades. This long medical history remains visible in the building architecture and layout.