Back to the village of yesteryear

Stand-up comedian Wouter Deprez regularly intersperses his shows with memories of his native village. These memories now take shape in a unique way in the exhibition "Big people I knew when I was little". The refectory of the historic St Peter's Abbey in Ghent will be transformed into a playful recreation of Deprez's village, full of objects that refer back to a childhood in the 1970s and 1980s.

The exhibition is accompanied by an audio guide, voiced by Deprez himself (optionally in standard Dutch or West Flemish). To listen to all the excerpts, you will need an hour and a half. As an adult, the comedian tries to understand the behaviour of people he knew as a child, and who were then often a strange mystery to him. What will be behind all those remarkable anecdotes in the village? An accompanying book is also available.

The exhibition runs until 16 April 2023, from 10am to 6pm, and is closed on Mondays.  You can order tickets here.

By the way, St Peter's Abbey is well worth a visit in itself. The abbey is now fourteen centuries old and, together with St Bavo's Abbey, is the cradle of the city of Ghent itself. The historic garden with its own herb garden and vineyard is especially popular with the people of Ghent. The refectory where the exhibition takes place is the oldest part of the current abbey building and is authentically medieval.

The abbey is within walking distance of our familiar Hotel Astoria , where you can reminisce about your own childhood in our comfortable rooms.

Copyright photos: Visit Ghent, Historic Houses Ghent