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Welcome to the Museum Tavern of the Volkskundemuseum. The tavern 'In de Zwarte Kat' is designed as a typical folk café from the late 19th century. In good weather, you can also enjoy a local beer, a coffee, or a refreshing drink on the terrace. With some luck, you may also encounter Aristide, the black museum cat and mascot of the Volkskundemuseum.
Around 1900, Bruges counted no fewer than 1296 drinking houses. One in eight houses is a café! Especially in the poorer neighborhoods, such as here in Sint-Anna, 'staminees' and gin joints sprout up like mushrooms. Neighbors meet to share their worries and drown them in drink.
The name of the tavern recalls the first cabaret in Paris, Chat Noir (1881), and the similarly named Bruges Literary Circle. Like its Parisian counterpart, the Zwarte Kat brings together a culturally interested audience for literary readings, concerts, and exhibitions. Their meeting room is a back room of the café Au lion belge in Langestraat. In the museum tavern, some relics of the Zwarte Kat are preserved: the speaker's stand (1898) and a large poster designed by Théophile Steinlen (1896).
The Bruges version of Théophile Steinlen's poster is now almost as well known as the Parisian original. 'Here in the Zwarte Kat you can get dry and wet' you may take as truth. Even today, you can stop here for a drink and a snack. The volunteers of the tavern will gladly help you choose a delicious local beer.
