Humanities Wunderkammer
Take a seat, look around and stay a while… The soft greens and creaking wooden floors give this space a very different feel from the rest of the library. At first glance, you may notice the large plants, vintage furniture, colourful rug and patterned wallpaper. Look a little closer, and you'll discover there's more to this room than meets the eye.
What is this space for?
Take a break from your reading list and enjoy a book - whether it's an academic work, a novel, an essay, or something else. Sometimes the best ideas appear when you step away from your desk. The Wunderkammer is a place to slow down, reflect, and make room for new thoughts.
Above all, we hope this space feels a little like home: a place to slow down, read, explore, and be inspired. After all, that's what Wunderkammern were always meant to do.
Cyst Collection Cabinet
This nineteenth-century building is not always the easiest place to navigate, but it certainly knows how to surprise people.
During renovation works, we stumbled upon an old cyst collection cabinet, quite literally hidden away in a dusty corner of the cellars of the former Institut des Sciences. The cabinet immediately reminded us of the historical Wunderkammern or cabinets of curiosities: places where unusual objects were collected, displayed, and admired. They were spaces designed to spark curiosity, inspire new ideas, and encourage people to look at the world with a sense of wonder.
Our Humanities Wunderkammer follows the same spirit: a room dedicated not to scientific specimens, but to books, poetry, art, and all unexpected connections that emerge when curiosity is given some room to wander. After all, universities aren't just about knowledge, the Humanities Wunderkammer is a reminder that curiosity and inspiration matter too.
Poetry Jukebox
Pull open a drawer and you'll find a favorite poem chosen by someone connected to the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy - a researcher, lecturer, or staff member.
A small collection of personal favorites, waiting to be discovered.
Art on the walls
Julie Van Kerckhoven - Brussels Sprouts 6 (diptych)
Kunst in huis (‘Art at home’) is an organization that supports emerging artists from Flanders and Brussels by giving their work a place in private homes and public spaces, using a library-like lending system. Every now and then, you will find some fresh artwork from their collection on these walls.
Michiel Hendryckx - The staged marriage of William Philips and Els Lybeer (private performance by Etherisch Strijkersensemble Parisiana)
This photograph by Ghent-based photographer Michiel Hendryckx was part of a retrospective exhibition Schoonheid als verzet (‘Beauty as resistance’) held at Sint-Pietersabdij in Ghent in 2025-2026. Each portrait from the exhibition was accompanied by a personal reflection from the photographer himself, capturing friendships, stories, and encounters that emerged from a lifetime spent observing people through the lens of a camera.
Other photographs from this exhibition are displayed on the first floor in the Magnel Wing.
Michiel Hendryckx about this photograph: “Ghent, October 1980. Not quite a proper wedding for Els Lybeer and William Philips in an improvised tent on a piece of wasteland by the Watersportbaan. The master of ceremonies, wearing a tropical helmet, is Eric De Volder. On the right, with a Swiss guard’s baton, is Dirk Pauwels. On the far right, looking away, is Arne Sierens, who later made a name for himself as a theatre director. The photograph captures the elusive Ghent art scene of those days.”
The musical theatre and performance group Etherisch Strijkersensemble Parisiana (‘Ethereal String Ensemble Parisiana’) was led by theatre director Eric De Volder (1946–2010) and was active in the late 1970s and early 1980s.