Steenwerck: Churches, Museums and Christmas Market

There are several different reasons to visit Steenwerck: church and museum history, mechanical music, rural life, a route featuring landscapes and buildings, and the Marché de Noël. If you are looking for a hotel, the purpose of your visit can help with planning. A museum visit, a guided group tour, the circuit and an event date differ in subject and timing.

Church and Local History

The Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste was built in 1928 in the Romanesque-Byzantine style, replacing the church destroyed in the First World War. The new building can thus be understood in the context of the period following the loss of its predecessor. On July 15, 2025, the church was registered by decree. This later date relates to the registration, not the construction phase; the two dates mark different chapters in the church’s history.

Museums: Mechanical Music and Rural Life

The Ferme des Orgues is a museum of mechanical music. Its lovingly restored instruments range from miniature music boxes to large orchestrions. During school holidays, the Ferme des Orgues offers special guided tours for children, including a workshop on making musical cards. Check the exact dates before your trip if you plan to take this tour.

The Musée de la Vie Rurale opened to the public in 1987 and presents agricultural activities, village life and the design of homes from the early 20th century. Its focus is therefore on everyday work, community life and domestic spaces from a specific historical period. The museum offers guided tours for groups of around 20 people, lasting approximately one hour. This time estimate can help you plan your day; hours and booking conditions may change, so check them in advance.

A Route Through the Countryside

The Circuit de la Boudrelle starts in Steenwerck and follows country roads lined with hedges, passing chapels and oratories and running along the Grande Becque. At the Serpentine, the route also passes the old Pont Vanuxeem. The focus here is therefore on a succession of landscape features and buildings along a route rather than on a museum collection.

Marché de Noël and Trip Planning

The Marché de Noël de Steenwerck features evening concerts and changing daytime events; the programme may vary from one edition to another. The market was founded in 1993 on the initiative of Charles TONDEUR. If you are planning your trip around it, check the dates for the relevant edition.

There are different scheduling considerations: a group tour at the Musée de la Vie Rurale lasts approximately one hour, children’s tours at the Ferme des Orgues take place during school holidays, and the daytime programme at the Marché de Noël varies from one edition to another. These involve different kinds of planning: an approximate duration, a school-holiday window and dates that depend on the event. Compare these points with your travel dates before finalising your stay.

Discover more destinations: La Madeleine, Neuville-En-Ferrain, Oisy, Beauvois-En-Cambrésis, Steene, Potelle, La Gorgue, Deûlémont.

See the regional travel overview: Nord.