The Huis van Alijn occupies a medieval almshouse on the Kraanlei — a beautiful canal-side street running parallel to the Graslei — and functions as a museum of everyday Flemish life over the past century. The collection covers domestic objects, toys, cinema, radio, fashion, and the rituals of ordinary life in a way that is more engaging than many history museums because of its intimacy.
The central courtyard retains the scale and atmosphere of the original almshouse. The museum also runs a traditional café in the building that serves Belgian beers and snacks. The street itself — Kraanlei — is worth a walk for its Baroque guild houses.