Depot Rato Collections

Inside the warehouses, storage units and Depot Rato racks you will find extensive collections owned by Museum Hof van Busleyden, Mechelen City Archives, The Predikheren Library and Projects & Monuments. These include thousands of art works, archaeological finds, archival documents, historical objects and the many books in the city's possession. Depot Rato also plays a part in preserving and passing on intangible heritage. The Mechelen Heritage Cell is based here, and it helps keep the tradition of carrying giant figures alive.

Museum Hof van Busleyden

The Museum Hof van Busleyden collection has developed organically over time and now comprises around 24,000 objects. Only a small portion is displayed in the museum - most of its multifaceted collection is stored at Depot Rato.

A core collection and three sub-collections

The core collection consists of numerous works from the Burgundian and early Habsburg periods, and features masterpieces such as the Choir Book of Margaret of Austria, the impressive tapestry ‘Battle of Tunis’ by Jan Cornelisz Vermeyen and a unique series of Enclosed Gardens, which are permanently exhibited at the museum. As the Baroque seat of the Catholic Church, Mechelen also holds a vast collection of Baroque paintings, tapestries and sculptures. To improve access to this heritage, the museum collaborates closely with Mechelen's eight historic churches.

The rest of the collection is divided into three sub-collections. The fine arts collection includes an extensive painting collection alongside a remarkable sculpture selection that features the famous Mechelen dolls and the distinctive alabaster works. The collection also includes drawings, maps and engravings.

The historical collection contains a diverse range of objects reflecting the history of the city. It includes items from prehistoric times and the Gallo-Roman era through the Burgundian golden age to the 19th and 20th centuries. It also includes fossils, coins and architectural fragments, as well as manuscripts, stained-glass, medals and instruments of punishment, and flags, banners and various everyday objects. The collection also features artefacts related to guilds and trades as well as a folklore collection.

Finally, the decorative arts collection is particularly valuable. It contains high-quality products from the old and new arts and crafts industries of Mechelen, which garnered recognition for the city far beyond the national borders. Highlights include a unique collection of gilt leatherwork and the world-famous Mechelen lace.

The Predikheren Library

Mechelen's library has a rich history. The collection dates back to 1865. Over the years an exceptionally vast storage collection has been assembled.

Over 100,000 works

The storage collection at The Predikheren contains more than 105,600 works.  These are primarily non-fiction, although fictional works, CDs, poetry collections, magazines and children's books are included. All of the items are housed in a dedicated Bibbox in the Depot Rato. While they are safely stored here, they remain accessible for consultation or lending thanks to an ingenious shelving system.

The Listening Archive

In the Listening Archive podcast, Mechelen library historian Wim Hendrickx shares fascinating stories about the library's history and its hidden treasures.

Did you know that most of Mechelen's library collection is not stored at The Predikheren? Instead, a vast library archive is kept at Depot Rato in Muizen, some five kilometres away. Inside a specially designed Bibbox, containing a three-kilometre-long shelving system, more than 100,000 books, magazines, CDs and poetry collections are preserved for future generations.

Fancy exploring this gigantic collection? Join book expert Wim as he delves into the Bibbox shelves to reveal what's hidden in this closed archive and inspire you to discover these treasures for yourself. 

Mechelen City Archives

Of Mechelen's five heritage partners, the City Archives holds the largest collection. The pieces stored at Depot Rato belong to collections that do not require permanent access in the Hof van Hapsburg reading room. These include archive and collection items that are digitalised and accessible online and those made of fragile materials that require optimal storage conditions and little or no handling.

Dive into your own history

The population registers (1795  - 1890) and civil registry records (1796  - ca 1973) are among the most frequently requested items in the City Archives collection. From birth certificates to death certificates, these records allow you to trace the life stories of your ancestors or any resident of Mechelen in the last 200 years. Hundreds of registers have been digitised by volunteers and are now accessible online.

A century of Mechelen's news

The preserved Gazet van Mechelen (1896 – 1996) collection captures a century of city and regional history in the 20th century. For decades, the collection was privately owned by the Goossens family, who later donated it to the City Archives. As a result, the newspapers are in excellent condition. This invaluable archive has been digitised in collaboration with Mediahuis and partners from Mechelen and Antwerp and is also accessible online.

Photographic memory

The extensive collection of glass plates and photographic negatives brings the rich history of Mechelen to life. Most of these images belong to the press photography category, covering events in Mechelen and the wider region. The photo archive of press photographer Leon Van Baelen (1901  - 1982) offers a visual journey through major and minor events, from WW II to the early 1970s in the Mechelen area. This fragile collection has also been digitised and is accessible online.

History of social care

The archives of OCMW-COO Mechelen form the largest collection of City Archives housed at Depot Rato. The entire archive was recently catalogued and carefully repackaged in acid-free boxes and folders. Together, these documents tell the story of social care in Mechelen throughout the 20th century. Due to privacy regulations, some documents are not yet publicly available as they contain information about living individuals, but many non-personal records can be requested and consulted without restriction.

Projects & Monuments

The city of Mechelen has long been dedicated to preserving its architectural heritage. Obviously, this includes the large, monumental buildings that define the cityscape. However, since the early 19th century, various departments and staff have sought to preserve smaller architectural fragments for future generations.

A vast collection

This (sub) collection features a wide variety of architectural fragments from public buildings and private properties including pinnacles from churches, commemorative stones, portal frames, stained glass windows, façade stones, fireplaces, columns, railings and more... The origins of these pieces are as diverse as their types. They include authentic fragments that were replaced during restorations, removed due to renovations, recovered from demolished buildings, excavated during archaeological digs, donated by private owners or acquired through public sales.

Over time, this collection expanded significantly. While the most impressive pieces were displayed in Mechelen's former city museums, the majority ended up in storage facilities across the city. Unfortunately, no comprehensive inventory was kept. This led to disorganised storage, with objects necessarily scattered across multiple locations and frequently relocated.

Relocation to Depot Rato

The transfer of Mechelen's heritage collections to Depot Rato presents a unique opportunity to bring about change in this. Among the most urgent challenges is the massive quantity of stone fragments, currently stored in former municipal warehouses. An initial, rudimentary cataloguing process began in 2023 to 2024, involving 136 wooden pallets of objects. This allowed a number of related pieces to be grouped, and it was even possible to identify some objects from photos of previous museum exhibitions.

The next phase will involve detailed identification and a full evaluation process. Once this phase is complete, the (sub) collection will expand to include wooden artefacts, stained glass windows, stone fragments stored elsewhere and other pieces.

Mechelen Heritage Cell

The Mechelen Heritage Cell does not maintain its own collection, but instead acts as a bridge between various heritage organisations and associations in Mechelen. As a service provider it provides advice and practical support in areas such as conservation of the collections.

Giant carriers and volunteers

Depot Rato has opened new support opportunities for the heritage cell. The Mechelen Giants, among others, have found a new home at Depo Rato. The Giant carriers at Mechelen Giants followed them to Muizen, where, with support from the heritage cell, they continue the tradition of carrying the Giants in processions. Volunteers for the Mechelen Heritage Cell have also descended on Depot Rato. Alongside staff from Museum Hof van Busleyden they care for the museum collections housed in the depot.