Bruges, Belgium
At this time of the year, one would expect colder and more humid weather—this being already fall or autumn. But beautiful weather awaited us as we entered the port of Oostend on Belgium’s western shores. After an interesting talk about the origin of these western European lowland countries, we took a bus to the very old city of Bruges, which has now been restored extensively and kept that way with stringent laws about building or modifying the existing structures.
The origin of Bruges began as a settlement in the year 851, and in 852 construction started on its first castle. From the beginning it became a trade center, when the city grew wealthy from a healthy and high-quality cloth trade (1200-1400). During the 14th century it boasted a population of 40,000, as large as London, and the most important cloth market in northern Europe. The Duke of Burgundy favored the city, starting the Burgundian period (1384-1524), and Jan van Eyck and Hans Memling painted favorites here. But disaster struck, and by the 16th century the inland harbor had silted up, closing the city off from the ocean. The economy died and Bruges became the “Dead City,” ceding its importance to Antwerp.
There are few places in the world, outside Italy, where one can see a Michelangelo, and in this case, the Church of Our Lady has the “Madonna and Child.” A 40-minute guided boat canal-tour of this “Venice of the North,” allowed us to enjoy the scenic waterways of this beautiful medieval city. Our picture captures the view of one of the canals as well as part of the old city from the Belfry, the city’s main tower.
At this time of the year, one would expect colder and more humid weather—this being already fall or autumn. But beautiful weather awaited us as we entered the port of Oostend on Belgium’s western shores. After an interesting talk about the origin of these western European lowland countries, we took a bus to the very old city of Bruges, which has now been restored extensively and kept that way with stringent laws about building or modifying the existing structures.
The origin of Bruges began as a settlement in the year 851, and in 852 construction started on its first castle. From the beginning it became a trade center, when the city grew wealthy from a healthy and high-quality cloth trade (1200-1400). During the 14th century it boasted a population of 40,000, as large as London, and the most important cloth market in northern Europe. The Duke of Burgundy favored the city, starting the Burgundian period (1384-1524), and Jan van Eyck and Hans Memling painted favorites here. But disaster struck, and by the 16th century the inland harbor had silted up, closing the city off from the ocean. The economy died and Bruges became the “Dead City,” ceding its importance to Antwerp.
There are few places in the world, outside Italy, where one can see a Michelangelo, and in this case, the Church of Our Lady has the “Madonna and Child.” A 40-minute guided boat canal-tour of this “Venice of the North,” allowed us to enjoy the scenic waterways of this beautiful medieval city. Our picture captures the view of one of the canals as well as part of the old city from the Belfry, the city’s main tower.
