The Gruuthuse Museum contains applied and decorative art from the 15th to the 18th centuries: sculpture, tapestries, furniture, silverware, copper, tin, coins and medals, pottery and musical instruments. A famous item in the collection, somewhat unlike the rest of the museum contents, is a guillotine from the French Revolutionary era. The museum is located in the ornate 15th century palace of the Lords of Gruuthuse, hence the name.
The Gruuthuse is complemented by a sister museum next door containing paintings, the Groeninge Museum.
