Bruges

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Coordinates: 51°13′N, 03°14′E

Bruges Brugge (Dutch)
Geography
Country	Belgium
Community	Flemish Community
Region	Flemish Region
Province	West Flanders
Arrondissement	Bruges
Coordinates	51°13′N, 03°14′E
Area	138.40 km²
Population (Source: NIS)
Population – Males – Females - Density	117,224 (01/01/2006) 48.43% 51.57% 847 inhab./km²
Age distribution 0–19 years 20–64 years 65+ years	(01/01/2006) 20.57% 59.34% 20.09%
Foreigners	2.62% (01/07/2005)
Economy
Unemployment rate	7.40% (01/01/2006)
Mean annual income	13,617 €/pers. (2003)
Government
Mayor	Patrick Moenaert (CD&V)
Governing parties	CD&V, SP.A-Spirit, VLD
Other information
Postal codes	8000, 8200, 8310, 8380
Area codes	050
Web address	www.brugge.be

Bruges (called Brugge by its native Dutch language name which assumedly used to signify landing stage or port) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is one of Europe's most important landmarks as the city centre has hardly changed since the Middle Ages.

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.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Origins 1.2 Golden Age (12th to 15th century) 1.3 16th century until now 2 Sights 3 Culture and art 3.1 Theatres and concert halls 3.2 Cinemas 3.3 Festivals 3.4 Museums 4 Transport 4.1 Train 4.2 Air 4.3 Driving 4.4 Public city transport 4.5 Cycling 5 Port 6 Sports 7 Famous inhabitants 8 Miscellaneous 9 External links 10 References

[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.

Historic Centre of Bruges^a
UNESCO World Heritage Site

State Party	Belgium
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iv, vi
Identification	#996
Regionb	Europe and North America
Inscription History
Formal Inscription:	2000 24th Session
a Name as officially inscribed on the WH List b As classified officially by UNESCO

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. In the last half of the 19th century Bruges became one of the world's first tourist destinations attracting wealthy British and French tourists. 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 and has became one of Europe's most important and modern ports. International tourism has boomed and new efforts have resulted in Bruges being designated 'European Capital of Culture' in 2002.

[edit] Sights

Bruges 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 Belfry, housing a municipal Carillon comprising 47 bells. The city still employs a full-time bell ringer, Aimé Lombaért,[1] 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] Culture and art

[edit] Theatres and concert halls

• Biekorf
• Bogardenkapel
• De Bond
• Concertgebouw

• De Dijk
• The English Theatre of Bruges
• Het Entrepot
• Jan Garemijnzaal
• Magdalenazaal
• Stadsschouwburg
• De Werf

[edit] Cinemas

• Cinema Lumière (alternative movies)
• Cinema Liberty
• Kinepolis Bruges

[edit] Festivals

• Cactusfestival
• Klinkers
• Filmfestival Cinema Novo
• Festival van Vlaanderen Musica Antiqua
• Dudstock
• Thoprock

[edit] Museums

Bruges has a lot of museums. From the Flemish Primitives to contemporary art, from classic ‘fine arts’ to archaeological finds, furniture, silver, folklore…

• Municipal museums
  • Artistic works from the 15th to 21st century are grouped in the Groeninge Museum and the Arents House. In Forum + [Concertgebouw], which is linked to the Groeninge Museum, exhibitions of contemporary art are held every three months.
  • The Bruggemuseum (Bruges Museum) is a general title encompassing all the different historical museums: Gruuthuse, the Welcome Church of Our Lady, the Archaeological Museum, the Gentpoort, the Belfry, the City Hall and of the Liberty of Bruges. Here you can find a veritable treasure trove of art works.
  • This is also true of the Hospitaalmuseum, in the St John’s Hospital and in Our Lady of the Potteries. The St John’s Hospital is famous for its collection of paintings by the great master of the Flemish Primitives, Hans Memling, while Our Lady of the Potteries is better known for its Baroque church and its outstanding silverwork.
  • The picturesque St. Anna Quarter of the city features both the charming Museum of Folklore and the two medieval windmills of the Kruisvest: the Koelewei (Cool Meadow) Mill and the Sint-Janshuis (St. John’s House) Mill. The Guido Gezelle Museum is one of the most important literary museums in all Flanders.

• Non-municipal museums
  • Beguine's House
  • Hof Bladelin
  • Basilica of the Holy Blood
  • Choco-Story
  • Diamond Museum
  • Ter Doest
  • English Convent
  • Jerusalem Church
  • Lace centre
  • St. George’s Archers Guild
  • St. Saviour’s Cathedral
  • St. Sebastian’s Archers’ Guild
  • St. Trudo Abbey Male
  • Public Observatory Beisbroek

[edit] Transport

[edit] Train

Because of its narrow medieval streets, tourists are encouraged to reach Bruges by train, Bruges' main railway station provides at least hourly trains to all other major cities of Belgium. Bus links to the centre are frequent, though the railway station is just a 20 minute walk from the market square. It takes about one hour to get to Brussels-Central Station.

[edit] Air

Although the nearest airport is Ostend-Bruges International Airport in Ostend (±20km from Bruges), it's recommended to fly to Brussels Airport and take a train from there.

[edit] Driving

Bruges has excellent road connections from all directions (E40, A10, E403/N31, E34).

Driving within the 'egg', the historical centre 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 main station receive free bus tickets to the town centre.

[edit] Public city transport

Bruges has an extensive web of bus lines, operated by De Lijn, providing acces to the city centre and the suburbs (city lines, Dutch: stadslijnen) and to many towns and villages in the region around the city (regional lines, Dutch: streeklijnen).

Plans for a north-south light rail connection, that would join up with the Belgian Coast Tram in Zeebrugge, are under construction.

[edit] Cycling

Although a few streets are restricted, no part of Bruges is car free.

Cars are required to yield to pedestrians and 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 the city of Bruges.

[edit] Port

The port of Bruges is Zeebrugge. It's the most modern and the second biggest port of Belgium and one of the biggest and most important of Europe.

See Port of Zeebrugge.

[edit] Sports

• Bruges is traditionally the starting town for the annual Ronde van Vlaanderen cycle race, held in April and one of the biggest sporting events in Belgium.
• Bruges is also a football town represented by two teams at the top level (Jupiler League): Club Brugge and Cercle Brugge K.S.V., both playing in the Jan Breydel Stadium.

[edit] Famous inhabitants

See also: Notable people from Bruges

The following people were born in Bruges:

• Philip I of Castile, first Habsburg ruler in Spain (1478-1506)
• Adrian Willaert, composer of the Renaissance, (birth in Bruges uncertain, c. 1490-1562)
• Simon Stevin, mathematician and engineer (1548-1620)
• Franciscus Gomarus, Calvinist theologian (1563-1641)
• Guido Gezelle, poet and priest (1830-1899)

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

• Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy set up court in Bruges, Brussels, and Lille in the 15th century
• William Caxton, English merchant, diplomat, writer, and printer
• Petrus Christus, Flemish painter
• Gerard David, Flemish painter
• Hans Memling, Flemish painter
• Jan van Eyck, Flemish painter
• Juan Luís Vives, Spanish scholar and humanist
• Simon Bennic and Levina Bennic Teerlinc, Limners

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

[edit] Miscellaneous

• 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).

• Bruges is home to the College of Europe, a prestigious institution of postgraduate studies in European Economics, Law and Politics.

[edit] External links

• Official Website Information available in Dutch, French, English, and German
• the Commercial website of Bruges - BruggeBusiness.com
• Use-it.be - USE-IT, city info for young travellers
• VisitBruges.tv : online video of Bruges
• Concise Tourist Information Guide to Bruges
• The Cathedral of Saint Saviour
• Photos of Bruges - Terra Galleria
• Photos of Bruges - Sonbaski
• Virtual Panorama Tour of Bruges
• Photos of Bruges in 3d (Anaglyphs)
• Old Postcard Views of Bruges
• International Airport Ostend-Bruges
• Port of Zeebrugge
• http://www.helium.com/tm/211672/bruges-beautiful-places-belgium

[edit] References

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

	Municipalities in the Province of West Flanders, Flanders, 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