From May 2020, the exhibition area will also start a comprehensive update of the permanent route do some renovations including the infirmary. With this renovation, STAM is meeting the expectations of an increasingly international, diverse and engaged public.
Living heritage: the Bijloke site as a historical seed bank
We plan to invest further in the near future optimising accessibility for persons with disabilities. The basis for this is a screening by INTER, which will serve as a guide to subsequently obtaining the M label (the reference label of Toerisme Vlaanderen according to accessibility).
The Bijloke site in the year 2025
In the meantime, the Bijloke site Master Plan is ready and will provide a guiding framework for developing the site for the next 20 years. Together with the City of Ghent, various partners have the ambition to make the site a coherent driver for the arts, heritage and urban development.
Today, the site still houses many traces of living heritage. For example, the site has a unique collection of apple and pear trees, the relics of an orchard that is more than three centuries old. Historical sources indicate that cuttings from the orchard were sold and exported, to England among other places. The Bijloke site turned out to be a growing and experimental site for various fruit trees. For example, research carried out by the Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research showed that certain varieties do not appear in any of the Belgian databases. These could be unique breeds that have not been documented before...
The Master Plan offers the posibility of new alliances between other organisations that enclose the courtyard an that will help strengthen the Bijloke site as a conference venue. The main objective of this Master Plan is currently to improve access to the Bijloke site. This will be done, on the one hand, by optimising the existing access roads and creating new entrances to the site, including on the Leie side with the route to the city centre. At the same time, the outdoor areas will receive extra attention, with an emphasis placed on “living heritage� and by optimising the park experience.
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