History museum

In 1603, Rockox bought the house called Den Gulden Rinck (The Golden Ring), which is now number 10 Keizerstraat, together with the adjacent house at number 12, converting them into a single, handsome patrician residence.

After his death, the house passed to his nephew Adriaan van Heetvelde, with the stipulation that, if there were no descendants, it should be sold for the benefit of the poor. This occurred in 1715. Frans van Simpelvelt came to live in the house and had the Renaissance façade converted into the style then current, which explains the date 1715 on the façade.


Subsequently, the house passed from one owner to another and in 1949, was acquired by the non-profit association Artiestenfonds. At the prompting of Mr Benoit Reese, it was converted into a museum exhibiting chiefly neo-styles.


The Kredietbank (now KBC) purchased the Rockox House from the Artiestenfonds in 1970. At the same time, under the auspices of the bank, the Stichting Nicolaas Rockox (Nicolaas Rockox Foundation) was set up, which was entrusted with the restoration of the property and which continues to manage it as a witness to a glorious past.