Bruges
Bruges is one of the most perfectly preserved
medieval cities in Europe, and consequently it
has become the most popular tourist destination in
Belgium. During the height of summer the number of
visitors can tend to overwhelm the town's charms,
but you would still be mad to come to Belgium and
miss the place. Autumn is a great time to visit.
Overlaid on a network of canals, Bruges' winding
streets were once the arteries of an international
commercial power. Hard as it is to believe now, sleepy
Bruges was amongst the richest towns in the Western
world, acting as a centre of the European wool trade
for two centuries. The legacy is evident in the monumental
Belfry, the broad expanse of the town square, the
ornate ancient buildings, and the wealth of
the city's museums.
By the end of the fifteenth century Bruges was in
terminal decline, with the city's vital river link
to the North Sea silting up. Bruges simply ceased
to be a commercial centre of any importance, and effectively
became 'frozen in time'. Escaping any significant
damage in the world wars, Bruges has re-emerged
in this century as a major tourist attraction.
The older sections of Bruges border the two central
squares - Markt and Burg. Markt, edged on three
sides by gabled buildings that contain a number of
cafes and restaurants, is a hugely impressive open
space, overlooked by the mighty Belfry. Built
in the thirteenth century when the town was at its
richest, the Belfry towers over the square and the
cloth hall below.
The nearby Burg is fringed by the city's finest
group of buildings. One of the best is the Heilig
Bloed Basiliek (Basilica of the Holy Blood), named
after a phial of Christ's dried blood that was brought
here in 1150 and then reputedly liquefied every Friday
for the next 175 years. The Holy Blood is still carried
through the town in a solemn procession on Ascension
Day (mid-May). Next to the basilica is the Stadhuis,
with its sandstone façade dating from 1376,
interspersed with the statues of the counts and countesses
of Flanders. Inside, the magnificent Gothic Hall
is well worth a look.
Heading south from the Burg, through the archway
next to the Stadhuis, it's a brief walk to both the
eighteenth-century Vismarkt, and the huddle of
picturesque houses that make up Huidenvettersplein.
Close by, the Groeninge Museum houses a superb
sample of Flemish paintings from the fourteenth to
the twentieth centuries.
Getting There
Eurostar
train services leave London Waterloo for Brussels
several times per day. Connecting trains can be caught
to Bruges, where the station is a 20 minute walk from
the historic centre.
Numerous ferry services operate between the
UK and ports in France and the Low Countries, where
connections to Bruges can be organised.
More Information
Check out the simple but useful tourist information
website at www.brugge.be.
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