Almshouse the "Vette Vischpoort" (Fat Fishgate) is one of the oldest in Bruges. Founded in 1434 in the Klaverstraat (Cloverstreet) by the families Fierens and van Leeuwerghem, it moved to the Moerstraat in 1618 (moer= wetland).
It lays in the shadow of the beautiful St-jameschurch and is discreetly hidden behind a massive wooden entrance gate. One of the houses desperatly needs some restauration but this small cobbled street with its little white houses kept its seventeenth century aspect very well. Seldom visited by tourists, this is a tiny oasis of silence.
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This lovely house, just beside the Saint-Salvador cathedral, named "In den Cleynen Thems", was mentioned for the first time in 1484. It became a pharmacy in the late 17th century and is still the best place in town for pills and powders. The crow-stepped gable facade dates back to 1700 and the combination of red-painted brick and limestone is typical for Bruges. The statue on the corner is a recent work (1987) by the sculptor De Vlieghere, it represents a Madonna with child.
The present pharmacy is a modern one but the officina still contains a lot of 19th century elements, giving it a lot of character.
The staff is very friendly and professional. They are used to a cosmopolitan clientele and speak several languages themselves. If you have a headache in French, English or German... they supply you with the proper medication.
