Attractions guide & Sightseeing in Bruges Belgium

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Bruges Attractions
Canal Boat Trips A genuine adventure, the visit to this unique town with its age-old houses and picturesque bridges by guided boat trip. Landing stage : G. Stael Location Georges STAEL - Katelijnestraat 4 8000 Brugge Opening times Every day (except in November) from 10am till 5.30 pm Departures are every 30 minutes Closed from November 16th till half March
The Brewery "De Halve Maan The 'De halve Maan' family brewery (=The Half Moon) has been active since 1856. The cooking- and brewing cauldron, the cooler and the malt store were the authentic working instruments for the brewing of the 'Straffe Hendrik' beer. On your tour, you can enjoy a panoramic view of Bruges.After your visit, you can taste the homemade beer. Opening hours April - September : daily visits from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. October - March : daily visits at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Through the year : by arrangement (minimum 15 persons) Location & Additional information Brewery De Halve Maan Walplein 26 8000 Brugge Phone : 32 50 332697 Fax : 32 50 345935
City Tour Bruges The sightseeing line would like to take you to the most picturesque sites of the city in one of our mini-buses with panoramic view, while you enjoy comments and explanations in English. The sightseeing tour lasts 50 minutes. Starting point : Market place every hour (Tickets on the bus) Location Sightseeing Line Paul Gilsonstraat 5 8200 Bruges Fax : 32 50 311550
Bruges Diamond House The technique of diamond polishing is attributed to Bruges goldsmith Lodewijk van Berquen in the middle of the 15th century. As early as 1370, however, diamonds were traded in Bruges - long before their introduction into Antwerp or Amsterdam - and Bruges undisputedly was Europe's first diamond city. Bruges Diamond House, situated in an elegantly restored listed building, "De Steur" (The Sturgeon), built 1518, right in the heart of Bruges, only 80 meters from the Market Place, offers a large choice of diamonds and quality diamond jewelry in classical as well as modern designs. During your stay in beautiful Bruges, do not miss the occasion to make a purchase of diamond jewelry at our favorable prices. To find Brugs Diamanthuis : Coming from the Market Place : Enter Philip Stockstraat (Near Provincial Government Palace), and take first street left. Coming from Burg : Pass sculpture under trees, continue and turn left into Philip Stockstraat, take first street right. Location Brugs Diamanthuis Diamond- and Jewelry Manufacturers Cordoeaniersstraat 5 8000 Brugge Phone : 32 50 344160 Fax : 32 50 345061 Opening Hours (Outside above hours by appointment only) Monday to Friday : 10-12 & 13-17 Saturday : 10-15
Sightseeing in Bruges
The Beguinage Just behind the Minnewater lies the Beguinage 'De Wijngaard' (= the Vineyard). It is one of those typical areas in Bruges where one can find more peace and quiet than in the sometimes busy and overcrowded streets of the town center. The Beguinage is a group of houses around a little garden covered with large poplar trees. It was here that during the last seven centuries lived the beguines of Bruges. In 1937 the beguinage became a monastery for the Benedictine sisters who still live here now. The Beguinage of Bruges was founded in 1245 by the Countess of Flanders, Margaretha of Constantinopel, daughter of Count Baldwin who conquered Constantinopel (now Istambul) during the crusades. In 1299, Philip the beautiful of France, placed the Beguinage under his own rule, thereby withdrawing it from the influence of the town magistrate.Visitors enter the place via a bridge over the canal. The entrance gate bears the date 1776. A lot of houses, however, are much older than that. Most date from the 17th and 18th century. Some houses were built in the 19th century in neo-gothic style. In the southern part is a little dead end street where still some houses of the 15th-16th century can be found. The largest and most impressive house is situated in the left corner behind the garden. It was here that the 'grootjuffrouw', or 'grand-dame' lived. It was she who ruled over the beguinage. The original church of the 13th century was destroyed by a fire in 1584. It was rebuild in 1609 and later again renovated in late baroque style.
The Canals and the old harbour Because of its canals Bruges is often called 'The Venice of the North'. The water situation in both cities was, however, very different. Venice was founded on islands in a lagoon of the Adriatic sea. Bruges lies deeper inland ; at least now, because in the five centuries B.C the Flemish coastline must have been flooded several times by the North Sea. When the waters retreated they left behind different sea-arms via which ships could reach the area where now Bruges is situated. Bruges was probably already visited by the Vikings. The Flemish name 'Brugge' is probably derived from the Latin word 'Rogia' (which was the Latin name of the 'Reie' the river which flowed through Bruges), and the Scandinavian word 'Bryggia', which meant 'mooring place'. In the Middle-Ages, the waterways to Bruges had to be regularly adapted and enlarged to allow large trade ships to reach the city. Already in the 12th century the cargo was mostly brought to the outports of Damme and Sluis, two small medieval cities that still exist today, and are certainly worth a visit. All through the golden era of Bruges the rivers and canals were constantly dredged. Inside the city the 'Reie' river had been turned into a network of canals that enabled the traders to bring their products to the large Water Halls at the Market. Inside the Water Halls the goods were stored or sold directly. The Water Halls do not exist anymore now. In their place is now the neo-gothic Provincial Court at the Market. After they had passed Damme, the ships entered Bruges on the site where now the Dampoort-complex is situated. The 'Dampoort' was one of the city gates that allowed entrance to the city. On the way to the center the sailors followed the canals which are now called 'Langerei', 'Potterierei' (where the shipyards were located), 'Spiegelrei', and "Spinolarei'. From the Spinolarei one can see the 'Poortersloge' which was the meeting place for the richer and more important members of the Bruges society. Very often concerts, festivities and banquets were organized in this building. In front of it is the 'Jan van Eyck' square with the statue of the greatest Flemish painter of all times who lived and died in Bruges (+ 1444). Finally, on their way to the Market, the ships passed the great 'Crane', a medieval crane that was used to unload the goods from the ships. Nowadays no commercial ships sail on the Bruges 'reien' (=canals) anymore. The canals are now exclusively used for tourist boats. There are five families that are allowed to organize tourist excursions by open boats on the canals. Each family has 4 boats.
The Minnewater For most visitors the Minnewater and its lovely park are the entrance to the beautiful city of Bruges. The Minnewater is a canalized lake. From the bridge (1740) one can already enjoy a nice panoramic view over the town. Because of the idyllic surroundings it is mostly referred to as 'the lake of Love', the Dutch word 'Minne' meaning 'love'. Actually, the origins of the lake are less romantic. It was here that the coastal river 'Reie' entered the city. The river was later canalized and made to continue until the center of town. It is not sure where the name 'Minnewater' comes from. An explanation could be 'water van het gemeen', which could be translated as the 'common water'. The lake was used as a water reservoir, to keep the water of the canals at a constant level. Next to the lake is the Minnewater park, where sometimes in the summertime (rock) concerts are organized. One of the symbols of Bruges is the swan. There are always plenty of them on the 'Minnewater'. There exists a nice legend about the swans of Bruges. In 1488 the people of Bruges had executed one of the town administrators belonging to the court of Maximilian of Austria, husband and successor of duchess Mary of Burgundy. The town administrator was called 'Pieter Lanchals', a name which means ' long neck'. The Lanchals family coat of arms featured a white swan. Legend has it that Maximilian punished Bruges by obliging the population to keep swans on their lakes and canals till eternity. Most of these legends and romantic interpretations come from the 19th century. Believe them or not : the beautiful 'Minnewater' deserves them.
Our Lady's Church (O.L.V-Kerk) When approaching Bruges, one can already see from afar the highest tower in the city, the tower of Our Lady's Church. Although this church is not the most important one on the religious level (St Salvator's church is) it certainly attracts most visitors because of its medieval character and the important works of art that can be admired here. Architecturally Our Lady does not present a uniform style. The construction has to be situated between the second half of the 13th century and the late 15th century. The style varies from late Romanesque style over Scheldt-Gothic to French Gothic. Furthermore, in the 18th century Our Lady was transformed into a more contemporary style. Around 1900, however, the church was renovated whereby the renovators tried to re-establish the original medieval styles. The most important and eye-catching part of the church is certainly the tower. The building started in the middle of the 13th century. The tower reaches a heigth of 122 meters, which makes it the second highest church tower in Belgium (The cathedral of Antwerp has the highest tower: 123 m !). A really enormous mass of bricks was used for the tower. It is impossible to imagine that this mighty edifice could one day collapse or that some authority would decide to demolish it. The tower looks like it was built for eternity. The reason why so many tourists visit Our Lady is, of course, the presence of the Madonna by Michelangelo and the splendid tombstones of Mary of Burgundy and her father Charles the Bold. *Michelangelo's Madonna* In the sacrament chappel in the right wing of the church is the famous Madonna by Michelangelo. This beautiful marble sculpture is the only sculpture by the great Italian artist that can be seen in the Low Countries. It was made for the cathedral of Sienna, but two merchands from Bruges (Jan and Alexander Moscroen) brought it to Bruges after one of their business trips to Italy in 1506. *The tombs of the Dukes of Burgundy* In the choir of the church are the splendid tombstones of Mary of Burgundy and her father Charles the Bold. Duchess Mary reigned over the Low Countries in the last part of the 15th century and died in Bruges in 1482 after she fell from her horse during a hunting trip in the surroundings of Bruges. Her father had died in 1477 in Nancy, France. In 1550 the remains of Charles the Bold were brought to Bruges and buried next to those of his daughter Mary. The tombs of both dukes were decorated in late gothic style (Mary's) and early renaissance style (Charles'). In front of both tombs is a triptych by Barend van Orley.
The House of GRUUTHUSE The Gruuthuse house and museum is situated behind the Our Lady's church. This impressive city mansion belonged to one of the richest families of the medieval city. It has now been transformed into the archeological city museum of Bruges. The name already explains why the Gruuthuse family was so important. The old Flemish word 'gruut' means : peeled barley or wheat. This was the main ingredient for beer-brewing in the Middle Ages. The lords of Bruges had the monopoly for the sale of this very important product. Because of their monopoly position they became very wealthy and powerful and they soon became known as the 'lords of Gruuthuse' (huse= house). The most famous member of this family is Lodewijk van Gruuthuse (= Louis of Gruuthuse), diplomat and art lover. His equestrian statue can be seen above the lower front facade of the Gruuthuse palace. Under the statue is his personal motto 'Plus est en Vous' (= there is more in you. The motto is in French, the language of European medieval nobility). This part was built during the lifetime of Lodewijk, namely in 1465. In 1628 the former palace of Gruuthuse became a pawn shop. After a complete renovation (partially in neo-gothic style) in 1883 to 1898 the entire house became the archeological city museum 'Gruuthusemuseum' with a very large collection of works of art from different domains (lace, tapestries, paintings, furniture, etc...)
The Market The central location of the Market square indicates that this was the medieval heart of the city. At least, the commercial medieval heart, because the center of the city administration was found on the nearby 'Burg' square. The market place (Grote Markt) is free from traffic since October 1996. It has been completely refurbished and is now one of the most attractive parts of the city. The main monument is of course the belfry tower and the cloth hall. On the Northern side of the Market is the Provincial Court. It stands on the site were the medieval 'water halls' used to stand. This was a covered hall where the ships could unload their products for storage in the halls or for direct sale on the adjacent market. Right in the middle of the square the statue of Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck can be seen. The other sides of the market are occupied by restaurants and shops located in former private houses as well as in guild houses. The Provincial court is the best example of how Bruges was renovated in neo-gothic style during the second half of the 19th century. After the destruction of the water halls in 1787 a new complex of houses was built there in classicist style. This style was considered very modern in a town that was basically built in late-gothic style. In 1850 the provincial government bought the complex, enlarged it and made it the seat of the provincial institutions. The members of the catholic and traditionalist political parties rejected the building as 'unfit for the beautiful gothic Bruges'. In 1878 a fire destroyed most of the building. Different groups took their chance to have it reconstructed in neo-gothic style, the 'house'-style of the catholic party. On the left side of the complex is now the house of the Governor of the Province of West-Flanders. The red brick building on the right side is the Post Office of Bruges. In the center of the Market stands the statue of Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck. The statue not only honors these two leaders of the 'Battle of the Golden Spurs' which took place on the 11th of July 1302, it is perhaps more so a clear statement of the political leaders of the 1880's that the cause for Flemish emancipation was something that the Belgian government had to take notice of. Both Breydel and de Coninck participated in the 1302 uprising of the Flemish against the occupation by the French king, known as the Battle of the Golden Spurs'. This battle was also the central theme of the book 'De Leeuw van Vlaanderen' (the lion of Flanders) written by Hendrik Conscience in 1838. He romanticized the Flemish uprising and it became a symbol of the Flemish movement which fought for recognition of the Dutch language and Flemish culture in the French-language dominated Belgium of the 19th century. Finally, on the Southern side of the Market several medieval-looking houses can be seen. They are not really medieval because a lot of them are modern reconstructions of the medieval styles. Some critics use these and other reconstructions (like the Provincial Government house or the Holy Blood Chapel) to bring down the image of Bruges as a fake. It is absolutely true that Bruges is as much a medieval city as a neo-gothic reconstruction from the 19th century. It is not difficult, however, to understand that buildings which are several centuries old always have to be renovated at certain times just for the sole purpose of keeping them in existence. Will the Empire State building, if it still exists in 500 years, look exactly the same as today, with no single stone changed ?

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