West Flanders
Bruges
State
Country
Belgium
Continent
Europe
Size
138 KM2
Population
118,284
Spending Budget
$600 - $800
Famous For
- Medieval Architecture
- Beer and Food
- Lace Making
Best Time to Visit
- June
- July
- August
History
Bruges was a location of coastal settlement during prehistory. Bruges had a strategic location at the crossroads of the northern Hanseatic League trade and the southern trade routes. Bruges was already included in the circuit of the Flemish and French cloth fairs at the beginning of the 13th century, but when the old system of fairs broke down the entrepreneurs of Bruges innovated. In the last half of the 19th century, Bruges became one of the world's first tourist destinations attracting wealthy British and French tourists. By 1909 it had in operation an association called 'Bruges Forward: Society to Improve Tourism.'
Present Day
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the seventh-largest city of the country by population. The area of the whole city amounts to more than 13,840 hectares, including 1,075 hectares off the coast, at Zeebrugge meaning "Bruges by the Sea"). The historic city centre is a prominent World Heritage Site of UNESCO. It is oval in shape and about 430 hectares in size. Along with a few other canal-based northern cities, such as Amsterdam and St Petersburg, it is sometimes referred to as the Venice of the North. Bruges has a significant economic importance, thanks to its port, and was once one of the world's chief commercial cities.
Future
The city depends on tourism to contribute to a major chunk of its economy. To increase the revenue from this sector, the city has implemented a carefully managed and constantly changing program of events occurring throughout the year. These events are a myriad of cultural activities that are a sight for sore eyes.
Markt
The Markt ("Market Square") of Bruges is located in the heart of the city and covers an area of about 1 hectare. Some historical highlights around the square include the 12th-century belfry and the West Flanders Provincial Court, originally the Waterhall, which in 1787 was demolished and replaced by a classicist building that from 1850 served as provincial court and after a fire in 1878 was rebuilt in a neo-Gothic style in 1887. In the center of the market stands the statue of Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck. In 1995 the market was completely renovated. Parking in the square was removed and the area became mostly traffic-free, thus being more celebration friendly. The renovated market was reopened in 1996 with a concert by Helmut Lotti.
The Historic Centre of Brugge
The Historic Centre of Brugge is an outstanding example of an architectural ensemble, illustrating significant stages in the commercial and cultural fields in medieval Europe. Brugge in medieval times was known as a commercial metropolis in the heart of Europe.
Belfry of Bruges
The Belfry of Bruges is a medieval bell tower in the centre of Bruges, Belgium. One of the city's most prominent symbols, the belfry formerly housed a treasury and the municipal archives, and served as an observation post for spotting fires and other dangers. The belfry was added to the market square around 1240, when Bruges was an important centre of the Flemish cloth industry. After a devastating fire in 1280, the tower was largely rebuilt. The city archives, however, were forever lost to the flames. The belfry is a key component of the UNESCO world heritage site of the historic centre of Bruges.
De Halve Maan Brewery
Beer has been brewed at De Halve Maan's location for approximately 500 years. The current brewery has been operating since 1856. The brewery has been in the same family for five generations. The brewery was called Henri Maes until the late 1990s. Henri Maes brewery offered home delivery by horse, and later by truck, after World War II. In 2016 De Halve Maan completed a two-mile long beer pipeline from its brewery to its bottling plant to avoid having to send trucks through the narrow, cobbled streets of Bruges. The pipeline was partially crowdsourced, and those who contributed received free beer from the brewery.
Basilica of the Holy Blood
The Basilica of the Holy Blood is a Roman Catholic basilica in Bruges, Belgium. The church houses a relic of the Holy Blood allegedly collected by Joseph of Arimathea and brought from the Holy Land by Thierry of Alsace, Count of Flanders. Built between 1134 and 1157 as the chapel of the Count of Flanders, it was promoted to a minor basilica in 1923. The basilica in Burg square consists of a lower and upper chapel. The lower chapel, dedicated to St. Basil the Great, is a dark Romanesque structure that remains virtually unchanged. The venerated Passion relic is in the upper chapel, which was rebuilt in the Gothic style in the 16th century and renovated in the 19th century in Gothic Revival style.
Bourgogne des Flandres
Bourgogne des Flandres has existed since 1911. It was then brewed by the Van Houtryve Family. In 1957, it was produced by the Verhaeghe Brewery which would later produce the Duchesse de Bourgogne. Since the early 1990s, Bourgogne des Flandres has been brewed by the Timmermans Brewery which is a part of John Martin Brewery group.
Minnewater Lake
In the south part of Bruges, surrounded by trees and the adjacent Minnewaterpark, exists a small rectangular lake called Minnewater or the Lake of Love. The tragic romance of Minna and her warrior love Stromberg has evolved into local legend that says you will experience eternal love if you walk over the lake bridge with your partner.
Burg Square
Burg Square is a square and former fortress in Bruges. It is one of the main squares of the city. The Burg was originally surrounded by walls and had entrance gates. It is one of the oldest parts of the city centre. The castle church—which was dedicated to Our Lady and Saint Donatian—was built to the north, within the fortifications, and a chapter of canons was later established. This gave the fortress a dual purpose: the southern part served a civil purpose and the northern part was religious.
Torture Museum Oude Steen
The Torture Museum Oude Steen is located in the historic heart of Bruges. In the early Middle Ages it served as the city's oldest prison. The old cellar has recently been transformed into this historical museum. The museum retraces the history of one of the darkest pages of humanity. Lifelike wax statues with authentic torture instruments will piercingly demonstrate what mankind has been able to do, how much we have evolved in the meantime and where there are still pitfalls in the contemporary legal system.
Groeningemuseum
The Groeningemuseum is a municipal museum in Bruges, Belgium, built on the site of the medieval Eekhout Abbey. It houses a comprehensive survey of six centuries of Flemish and Belgian painting, from Jan van Eyck to Marcel Broodthaers. The museum's many highlights include its collection of Early Netherlandish paintings, works by a wide range of Renaissance and Baroque masters, as well as a selection of paintings from the 18th and 19th century neoclassical and realist periods, milestones of Belgian symbolism and modernism, masterpieces of Flemish Expressionism and many items from the city's collection of post-war modern art.