The foundation of Texture is the collections of two driven collectors:

Bert Dewilde started out in the 1960s with an educative collection of flax tools, which he transformed step by step into a unique collection in Europe. This collection lies at the basis of the Flax museum in Kortrijk (1982) and was later expanded with a lace and linen collection. This collection contains a pulling machine and a scutching turbine (design by Vansteenkiste 1937) which was included in the list of best museum items in Flanders.

Joseph de Bethune, a descendant from a family of linen traders, gathered an impressive textile collection. This collection laid the foundation for the Broelmuseum (1879) and consisted mainly of damask and lace items. This collection also includes the internationally renowned damasks from Kortrijk.

You can look further into the Texture collection on erfgoedinzicht (the heritage database). Discover the diversity and the story of our exhibition items. That way, you can create links with exciting museum collections from East and West Flanders yourself.

The image database of Kortrijk contains over 1.300 pictures and films. You can discover photos from TEXTURE as well as from private collectors. Image after image you will understand more about their passion for flax and the exciting Golden River story.