Bruges

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For other uses, see Bruges (disambiguation).
Bruges
Region: Flanders
Province: West Flanders
Arrondissement: Bruges
Area: 138.40 km²
Population: 117,224 (2006)
Population density: 847 / km²
Bruges municipality and arrondissement [district] in the Flemish province of West Flanders
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Bruges municipality and arrondissement [district] in the Flemish province of West Flanders

Bruges by its French name, or at present also in English often called Brugge by its native Dutch language name which assumedly used to signify landing stage, is the capital of the province of West Flanders in present-day Flanders, the Flemish Region of Belgium.

The municipality comprises the historic city of Bruges proper, considered one of the most beautiful in Europe, and the towns of Assebroek, Dudzele, Koolkerke, Lissewege, Sint-Andries, Sint-Jozef, Sint-Kruis, Sint-Michiels, Sint-Pieters, Zeebrugge, and Zwankendamme.

Also referred to as the "Venice of the North", Bruges has many waterways across the city.
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Also referred to as the "Venice of the North", Bruges has many waterways across the city.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Origins

Very few traces of human activity date from the Pre-Roman Gaul era. The first fortifications were built after Julius Caesar's conquest of the Menapii in the 1st century BC to protect the coastal area against pirates. The Franks took over the whole region from the Romans around the 4th century and administered it as the Pagus Flandrensis. The Viking incursions of the 9th century prompted Baldwin I, Count of Flanders to reinforce the Roman fortifications; trade soon resumed with England and Scandinavia. It is at around this time that coins appeared bearing for the first time the name Bryggia, a name that may have the same origin as Norway’s Bryggen.

[edit] Golden Age (12th to 15th century)

Bruges got its city charter on July 27, 1128 and built itself new walls and canals. Since about 1050, gradual silting had caused the city to lose its direct access to the sea. A storm in 1134, however, re-established this access, through the creation of a natural channel at the Zwin. The new sea arm stretched all the way to Damme, a city that became the commercial outpost for Bruges.

With the reawakening of town life in the twelfth century, a wool market, a woollens weaving industry, and the market for cloth all profited from the shelter of city walls, where surpluses could be safely accumulated under the patronage of the counts of Flanders. Bruges was already included in the circuit of the Flemish cloth fairs at the beginning of the thirteenth century. The city's entrepreneurs reached out to make economic colonies of England and Scotland's wool-producing districts. English contacts brought Normandy grain and Gascon wines. Hanseatic ships filled the harbor, which had to be expanded beyond Damme to Sluys to accommodate the new cog-ships. In 1277, the first merchant fleet from Genoa appeared in the port of Bruges, first of the merchant colony that made Bruges the main link to the trade of the Mediterranean. This development opened not only the trade in spices from the Levant, but also advanced commercial and financial techniques and a flood of capital that soon took over the banking of Bruges. The Bourse opened in 1309 and developed into the most sophisticated money market of the Low Countries in the fourteenth century. By the time Venetian galleys first appeared, in 1314, they were latecomers.[1]

Such wealth gave rise to social upheavals, which were for the most part harshly contained. In 1302, however, the population joined forces with the Count of Flanders against the French, culminating in the victory at the Battle of the Golden Spurs, fought near Kortrijk on July 11. The statue of Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninc, the leaders of the uprising, can still be seen on the central market.

In the 15th century, Philip the Good, duke of Burgundy set up court in Bruges, as well as Brussels and Lille, attracting a number of artists, bankers, and other prominent personalities from all over Europe. The new Flemish-school, oil-painting techniques gained world renown. The first book in English ever printed was published in Bruges by William Caxton. This is also the time when Edward IV and Richard III of England spent time in exile here. The population swelled to more than 40,000 inhabitants.

[edit] 16th century until now

Starting around 1500, the Zwin channel, which had given the city its prosperity, also started silting. The city soon fell behind Antwerp as the economic flagship of the Low Countries. During the 17th century, the lace industry took off and various efforts to bring back the glorious past were taken. The maritime infrastructure was modernized, and new connections with the sea were built, but without much success. Bruges became impoverished and gradually disappeared from the picture. George Rodenbach even named the sleepy city Bruges-la-Morte meaning Bruges-the-dead. Only in the second half of the twentieth century has the city started to reclaim some of its past glory. The port of Zeebrugge, originally built by the Germans for their U-boats in World War I, was greatly expanded in the 1970s and early 1980s. International tourism has boomed and new efforts have resulted in Bruges being designated 'cultural capital of Europe' in 2002.

[edit] Sights

The Belfry - situated on the south side of the Markt
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The Belfry - situated on the south side of the Markt

Like Ghent, but on a more concentrated scale, it has most of its medieval architecture intact. There are many beautiful medieval buildings, including the Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk (Church of Our Lady), whose brick spire - at 122m - is Europe's highest brick tower/building.

Bruges is also famous for its 13th-century Belfort, housing a municipal Carillion comprising 47 bells. The city still employs a full-time bell ringer, who puts on regular free concerts.

Other famous buildings in Bruges include the Beguinage, the Heilig Bloed Basiliek (the Basilica of the Holy Blood), the modern Concert Hall and the St-John Hospital. The historic centre of Bruges is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.[2]

Bruges also has a very fine collection of medieval and early modern art, including the world-famous collection of Flemish Primitives. Various masters, such as Hans Memling and Jan van Eyck, lived and worked in Bruges.

  • Sint-Salvator Cathedral
  • Groeningemuseum
  • Heilig Bloed Basiliek (the Basilica of the Holy Blood). The relic of the Holy Blood, which was brought to the city during the First Crusade, is paraded every year through the streets of the city. More than 1,500 inhabitants take part in this mile-long religious procession, many dressed as medieval knights or crusaders.
  • Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk (Church of Our Lady). The sculpture Madonna and Child, which can be seen in the transept, is believed to be Michelangelo's only sculpture to have left Italy within his lifetime.

[edit] Famous inhabitants

See also: Notable people from Bruges

The following people were born in Bruges:

In the 15th century, the city became the magnet for a number of prominent personalities:

The fictional supervillain, Doctor Evil, from the Austin Powers movie series, is also supposed to be from Bruges.

[edit] Miscellaneous

City Hall
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City Hall
Beguinage
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Beguinage
  • Bruges is known for its lace
  • Several beers are named for Bruges, such as Brugse Tripel, Brugs Blond, Brugs Witbier and Straffe Hendrik. However, only Brugse Zot is brewed in the city itself in the Halve Maan Brewery (a blonde ale was launched in 2005 and a brown ale in 2006).

[edit] Transport

[edit] Train

Tourists are encouraged to reach Bruges by train, Bruges' railway station provides at least hourly trains to all other major cities of Belgium. It takes about one hour to get to Brussels-Central Station.

[edit] Air

Although the nearest regional Airport is Ostend, it's recommended to fly to Brussels Airport and take a train from there.

[edit] Driving

Driving within the 'egg', the historical center enclosed by the main circle of canals in Bruges, is discouraged by traffic management schemes, including a confusing network of one way streets. The system encourages the use of set routes leading to central car parks and direct exit routes. The car parks are convenient for the central commercial and tourist areas; they are inexpensive.

Users of the large carpark next to the station receive free bus tickets to the town centre, which is only a short walk (5-10 minutes) from the station.

All car drivers are required by law to yield to pedestrians and bicyclists.

[edit] Cycling

Although a few streets are restricted, no part of Bruges is truly carfree.

Even though cars are required to yield to pedestrians and cyclists, some drivers are aggressive towards cyclists. Plans have long been under way to ban cars altogether from the center of Bruges or to restrict traffic much more than it currently is, but these plans have yet to come to fruition. In 2005, signs were changed for the convenience of cyclists, allowing two-way cycle traffic on more streets, however car traffic has not decreased. Recent cycle fatalities have increased pressure to close bridges and further calm inner Bruges, but laws have not yet passed. Due to heavily populated suburbs, bus traffic is high on the narrow streets. This makes cycling even trickier.

Nethertheless, in common with many cities in the region, there are thousands of cyclists in Bruges.

[edit] Sports

[edit] External links

Wikisource has an original article from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica about:

[edit] References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
  1. ^ Braudel, Fernand, The Perspective of the World, in Vol.III Civilization and Capitalism, 1984
  2. ^ Historic centre of Bruges becomes a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Preceded by:
Porto and
Rotterdam		 European Capital of Culture
2002
with Salamanca		 Succeeded by:
Graz


Flag of West Flanders
 Municipalities in the province of West Flanders, Flanders, Belgium
Flag of Belgium
Bruges: Beernem | Blankenberge | Bruges/Brugge | Damme | Jabbeke | Knokke-Heist | Oostkamp | Torhout | Zedelgem | Zuienkerke
Diksmuide: Diksmuide | Houthulst | Koekelare | Kortemark | Lo-Reninge
Kortrijk: Anzegem | Avelgem | Deerlijk | Harelbeke | Kortrijk/Courtrai | Kuurne | Lendelede | Menen | Spiere-Helkijn | Waregem | Wevelgem | Zwevegem
Ostend: Bredene | De Haan | Gistel | Ichtegem | Middelkerke | Oostende/Ostend | Oudenburg
Roeselare: Hooglede | Ingelmunster | Izegem | Ledegem | Lichtervelde | Moorslede | Roeselare | Staden
Tielt: Ardooie | Dentergem | Meulebeke | Oostrozebeke | Pittem | Ruiselede | Tielt | Wielsbeke | Wingene
Veurne: Alveringem | De Panne | Koksijde | Nieuwpoort | Veurne
Ypres: Heuvelland | Ieper/Ypres | Langemark-Poelkapelle | Mesen | Poperinge | Vleteren | Wervik | Zonnebeke



Flag of Belgium
World Heritage Sites in Belgium

Belfries of Belgium and France (w/ France) | Brugge | Flemish Béguinages | Four Lifts on the Canal du Centre and their Environs, La Louvière and Le Roeulx (Hainault) | Grand-Place, Brussels | Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta (Brussels) | Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes (Mons) | Notre-Dame Cathedral, Tournai | Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum Complex

Coordinates: 51°13′N 3°14′E

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