Funny, Free and Filthy

The middle ages, a multifaceted discovery.

Exhibition from March 30 to December 1, 2024 in the Yper Museum's Royal Hall.
A visit to the exhibition is included in the museum's ticket price.
Audioguide by Wouter Deprez costs  €2/pp

A woman walks her dog around a colourful church. Laughing party guests drink from a jug with a phallus-shaped spout. A monk toils over a Latin translation of an Arabic medical text. A cook adds a dash of almond milk to his delectable dish. A workman lays a colourful tiled floor in an Ypres suburb.

Scenes like this were common in medieval cities like Ypres. The Middle Ages were vibrant rather than a dark epoch marred by violence and epidemics. It was a time of merry jesters, free spirits and bawdy farces.

A rich urban culture flourished in Flanders between the 12th and 15th centuries. Ypres also experienced its heyday. Welcome to the medieval city! Meet Richard who prostitutes himself as Eleanor. Discover why monks invented the mechanical clock and marvel at the glorious fashions of the day.

Plan your visit

 

YPER MUSEUM

Lakenhallen
Grote Markt 34
8900 Ieper
Tel. 057 239 220