The Hotel Prinsenhof is hidden in a typical Bruges mansion, dating back to 1930. This building was owned by the Traen family. In 1986 the building was bought en renovated by Mr and Mrs Soenen-Vandeputte. The hotel opened on the 1st of August 1986. After a long cooperation, the hotel was taken over by their daughter Katrien Soenen and her husband Thierry Lemahieu in 1992. They made the hotel to what it is now, an oasis of tranquillity in the centre of Bruges. In 2006 the hotel extended with 3 more rooms which makes a total of 19 rooms.
The name of the hotel, Prinsenhof, comes from the nearby castle Prinsenhof. The first mention of the castle Prinsenhof dates back to 1396, at that time the residence of a count and was located between Moerstraat and Noordzandstraat. At first relatively small, but expanded by the dukes of Burgundy to a luxurious residence. Except from the staff quarters and quarters for guests, the castle included the residence of the duke, a donjon, a chapel, an orchard, gardens and a zoo with exotic animals. Philip the Good and Mary of Burgundy lived and also died in the castle. After Mary of Burgundy died in 1482, the castle was only rarely used as princely residence.
In 1576 a large part of the domain was sold and parcelled out. What was still there in 1631 was also sold and from 1662 nuns moved into the remaining buildings. In 1989 the castle was sold to a local entrepreneur, to be resold in 2002 to an insurance company.
