Hospice Comtesse, History museum in Old Town, Lille, France.
The Hospice Comtesse is a history museum in Lille's old town, occupying buildings that span from the 15th to 18th centuries. The site contains two courtyards and a medicinal garden that preserve the original layout of the former hospital.
It was founded in 1237 by Countess Jeanne de Flandre to care for the sick and poor. After seven centuries of operating as a hospital, the institution became a museum in 1939.
The museum displays Flemish paintings and period furniture that reflect how people in the region once lived and decorated their homes. Walking through the rooms, you see the tastes and daily life of northern French residents across different centuries.
Plan your visit for Wednesday through Sunday when the museum is open all day. On Mondays it opens only in the afternoon, and it closes on Tuesdays.
The museum holds Vincenzo Coronelli's celestial and terrestrial globes from the 17th century, rare objects that show how people once understood the world. These globes blur the line between art and science.
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