Step into the story of the Plantin-Moretus family. Learn all about the residence and the printing workshop, where nine generations of the family lived and worked. An enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide tells the stories of the family, the business and the books.
On the ground floor, Plantin’s daughter Martina and grandson Balthasar take you through the elegant private quarters and the bustling workspaces of the family business: from the printing workshop to the proofreading room, and from the type room to the bookshop. Even the kitchen is included.
The result of all that painstaking labour can be admired on the first floor, where you will be dazzled by the vast collection of books once produced by the printing house. Subjects such as philosophy, languages, censorship, propaganda, knowledge and science are all covered. You gain a deeper insight into the social, political and cultural world of the time.
Visit and see history brought to life. It covers both the grand narratives and the smaller stories, and how they are still relevant today.
