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Bruges ( French and English : Bruges ; German : Brügge ) is the capital and largest city by population of the Belgian province of West Flanders and of the district of Bruges . The central city , located in the northwest of the country, is also the capital of the electoral canton of Bruges , itself has four judicial cantons and is the seat of the diocese of Bruges and of an assize court .

The historic center is included as a medieval city on the UNESCO World Heritage List . It is egg-shaped and approximately 430 hectares in size. The entire municipality has an area of ​​over 14,099 hectares, including approximately 1,075 hectares reclaimed from the sea, near Zeebrugge . The city has approximately 120,000 inhabitants; approximately 20,000 of them live in the city center. The inhabitants of Bruges are called Bruges residents.

Bruges' economic significance stems mainly from its seaport, Zeebrugge , but also from industry, services and schools at all levels. The city is also a world-famous tourist attraction.

Naming
See also: History of Bruges: Etymology .
The oldest written source using the city's name is the "Breviarium de thesauro sancti Bavonis, quod invenerunt fratres remansisse post Nordmannicam infestationem". This inventory of a church treasure of the Ghent St. Bavo's Abbey was drawn up after the plundering of the abbey by Normans , probably between 851 and 864. It mentions a golden cross that had been sent to Bruges for protection, but had not been returned: " crux illa aurea, que Bruggis fuit ad servandum missa nec postea reversa". The earliest copy of this inventory only dates from the 12th century. [2]

The oldest tangible source on which the name of the city is used for the first time are some coins dated according to the most recent insights between 864 and 898. They contain the entries Bruggas , Bruccas , Briuggas and Briuccas . [2]

It is not exactly known where the name Bruges comes from. It may be a corruption of the Celtic name for the now canalized river Reie , which flowed through Bruges and emptied into the North Sea . Reie itself comes from the Celtic word Rogia , meaning "Holy Water". The Celts regarded rivers and springs as divine beings, and it is likely that the Celtic name has stuck to the Bruges watercourse. Through evolution, the name of the water, Rogia or Ryggia , would also have become the name of the city, Bryggia .

It is possible that contamination also occurred in later centuries with the Old Norse word bryggja , meaning "landing bridge" or "mooring wharf". For example, from 800 onwards there were many contacts with Scandinavia through trade across the North Sea and through the raids of the Normans . The name Bruges therefore shows similarities with Bryggen , the historic port of Bergen , which, like Bruges, was an important city of the Hanseatic League from the 14th century .


The Langerei , part of the canalised river De Reie.
Bruges is regularly referred to as the " Venice of the North ", referring to its many waterways and bridges . Most of these canals are called " reien ", after the river Reie. Another theory is that the nickname has to do with the fact that the medieval trading cities of Bruges and Venice fulfilled somewhat similar economic functions as main distribution centers, each in its own region.

Bruges is also often called the "Breydel City", after the Bruges folk hero from the 14th century, Jan Breydel .

The nickname of the people of Bruges is "(Brugse) fools". They owe this nickname to an unlikely legend: after they had imprisoned Maximilian I of Austria for a time in their struggle for autonomy , he forbade the holding of an annual fair and other festivities. In an attempt to appease him, Bruges held a big party for him and then asked permission to hold another annual fair, collect taxes and ... build a new "fool's house". He replied: " Close all the gates of Bruges and you have a fool's house! ".

History
See history of Bruges for the main article on this subject.
The first signs of life on the current Bruges territory date from the 2nd century AD, when a Gallo-Roman settlement was located there. The name of Bruges was mentioned for the first time between 850 and 875. Between the 9th and 12th centuries, the city grew into an international trade center thanks to its important port. The port was briefly in danger of being compromised by the silting up of the area between Bruges and the current coastal strip. However , the creation of the Zwin , the navigation channel between Bruges and the sea, in 1134 ensured that the connection survived.

In 1089, Bruges was declared the 'capital' of the county of Flanders and from the 13th to the 15th century, Bruges could safely be regarded as the economic capital of Northwestern Europe . Due to its importance as a trading center, the first stock exchange building in the world was built in Bruges. In addition, the Waterhalle on the Grote Markt was also built as a meeting place for traders.

The period between ca. 1280 and 1480 can be called the golden age of Bruges. At that time the city had 46,000 inhabitants. The city center received a second city wall, some of whose gates have stood the test of time to this day. The Burgundian royal family had made Bruges its city of residence and attracted many excellent artists, including painters and architects. This resulted in an enormous enrichment of the city on an architectural, artistic and cultural level. The monumental town hall is a good example of this, but many impressive churches and houses also date from that period.

However, the death of Mary of Burgundy in 1482 marked a turning point and the royal family soon withdrew from the city. The end of Bruges as an international trade metropolis was in sight. Antwerp took over this role for a century and Bruges fell into complete decline. The Spanish king was also Count of Flanders from 1592 to 1713; this Spanish rule , coupled with several religious wars , dragged the city further and further into the depths.

This was followed by Austrian rule , a French annexation , a reunited Netherlands and Belgian independence . According to some, Bruges was one of the poorest cities in the Netherlands from 1600 to 1885. This usually involves citing the figures of the needy population. Others argue from this that the city, on the contrary, remained rich, since it could support so many poor people. The building of large city houses throughout the seventeenth to eighteenth centuries shows that there was at least a wealthy upper layer. The industrial revolution in the nineteenth century did not affect Bruges to any significant extent. The struggle for a new seaport was the major action point in Bruges.

From the beginning of the nineteenth century, Bruges was mainly praised as a place of residence and historical place by English authors. Towards the end of the century , Georges Rodenbach 's novel Bruges-la-Morte was one of the elements that brought additional attention to the city. The book presented Bruges as impoverished but mysterious and this generated additional international interest. The historical heritage was rediscovered and the construction of the seaport in Zeebrugge in 1896 also promised to bring about an economic revival. The exhibition of the Flemish Primitives in 1902 was the starting signal for the strong cultural and tourist development that has characterized the city since then.

During the two world wars, Bruges was almost completely spared from destruction. In 1971, the city's territory was significantly expanded through a merger with the surrounding peripheral municipalities and in 2000 the city center was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. During the year 2002, Bruges was the cultural capital of Europe .

Geography
The area in which Bruges grew is located on the border of a sandy loam area and the sea polders , approximately 15 km from the North Sea . Most of the city can be considered part of the Zandstreek.

Bruges has eight sub-municipalities , six of which – Brugge, Sint-Andries, Sint-Michiels, Assebroek, Sint-Kruis and Koolkerke – have an urban character and two – Dudzele and Lissewege – are characterized by a rural and port-related landscape on the one hand. The city center – the historic part of the city within the fortifications – has the highest population density on average. Neighborhoods adjacent to the city center also often have a high population density, sometimes higher than some neighborhoods in the city center. In general, with the exception of certain neighborhoods, population density decreases slightly the further one moves from the city center.

Bruges is best known as a historic city with a lot of cultural heritage. The historic center is well preserved, especially the medieval street pattern and heritage. The current appearance of the city center has also been influenced by the interest in Gothic Revival in the 19th century, which resulted in the 'neo-Bruges style', ranging from Gothic Revival to eclecticism . Many buildings were then embellished, restored, rebuilt or newly built in this style. [6] The canals , the history, the archaeological finds, but also the shopping streets attract many people to this city every day. The city center of Bruges can be explored largely on foot, but also by bicycle (carriage), horse-drawn carriage or tram, with City Tour buses or with boats on the canals.

For residential tourism, the city has more than 90 hotels, good for more than 7,800 beds. The youth accommodation and guest rooms each provide more than 1,000 beds. In 2015, there were approximately 1.13 million arrivals in Bruges, including approximately 27,100 in Zeebrugge, and more than 2.03 million overnight stays, including approximately 52,300 in Zeebrugge. [8] Compared to other large Flemish cities, a smaller share of these has a business character, although this share appears to have increased in recent years.

Car traffic is kept out of the city center as much as possible. The speed limits (30 km per hour), a loop plan with a lot of one-way traffic (two directions for cyclists) and peripheral car parks should make Bruges a pleasant walking and shopping city.

However, the presence of catering establishments and shops partly displaces the residential function in the core of the city center.

Every year on Ascension Day, the Holy Blood Procession takes place in Bruges. The relic of the Holy Blood , which Diederik van Alsace is said to have brought from Jerusalem to Bruges, is venerated by the city. The procession consists of three parts: the Bible, the history of the Precious Blood and the prelature procession with the relics. Another major procession held in Bruges is the Golden Tree Procession . This five-yearly parade was created in 1958 with the central element being the "Coat of Arms of the Golden Tree", which was held in 1468 on the Bruges Market on the occasion of the wedding of Charles the Bold and Margaret of York .

In 2002, Bruges was the cultural capital of Europe . As a result, a new multifunctional concert building was built, with the ambition to give it an international appearance.

From 1968 to 1974 and again since 2015, the Bruges Triennial takes place every three years, originally starting as a traditional retrospective of current Belgian art and after the long interruption evolved into an open-air exhibition with monumental installations by international artists and architects, each around a central theme.

Bruges is also the center of one of the Flemish tourist regions : the Bruges Ommeland .

Architectural heritage
See also the list of immovable heritage in Bruges .
Civil
The Grote Markt , with the Belfry with City Halls , and several (neo)Gothic buildings, such as the Provincial Court (until the end of the 18th century the Waterhalle ).
De Burg , with the town hall , the buildings of the Brugse Vrije , the Proosdij and the Basilica of the Holy Blood.
The Jan van Eyckplein , with the Poortersloge and the Tolhuis .
The Hof van Gruuthuse (including museum ) and the Groeninge Museum on the Dijver , and the Rozenhoedkaai , with one of the most famous cityscapes of Bruges.
The Vismarkt and the Huidenvettersplein .
The Sint-Janshospitaal , which houses the municipal museum ' Memling in Sint-Jan ', and the nineteenth-century Sint-Jan, operated by a Spanish company and which exhibits paintings by Pablo Picasso .
The Gezelle House , in the birthplace of the poet Guido Gezelle .
The old city gates , namely the Smedenpoort , the Ezelpoort , the Kruispoort and the Gentpoort (the Dampoort , the Katelijnepoort and the Boeveriepoort have disappeared), and the four (partially) historic mills on the Kruisvest, namely the Sint-Janshuismolen , the Bonne- Chièremolen , the Koeleweimolen and De Nieuwe Papegaai .
The old almshouses .
Religious
The Begijnhof Ten Wijngaerde , with the Monasterium De Wijngaard .
The Basilica of the Holy Blood , the former St. Donas Cathedral and - under the Crowne Plaza Burghotel - the foundations of St. Donas Cathedral (where Charles the Good was murdered) on the Burg.
The Church of Our Lady (115.6 meter high brick tower) containing the tombs of Charles the Bold and his daughter Mary of Burgundy .
St. Salvator's Cathedral , founded in the 9th century .
The Jerusalem Church , including the mausoleum for Anselmus Adornes and his wife, Margaretha van der Banck .
The Sint-Walburga Church (Baroque Church), originally the church of a Jesuit monastery , now of the Sint-Walburga parish.
The English Monastery .
Other churches or chapels, such as St. Anne's Church , St. Giles' Church , St. James' Church , St. Magdalene Church , Carmelite Church , Our Lady of the Pottery Church , Our Lady of the Blind Chapel , the church of the Godelieve Abbey and the former Theresian Church (nowadays the Joseph Ryelandt Hall ).

Museums
Municipal museums
Since 2019, the umbrella organization of the city museums has been recognized as a Cultural Heritage Institution under the name Musea Brugge . The previous division into three museum groups (Groeninge Museum, Hospital Museum and Brugge Museum) has therefore been abolished. Musea Brugge is the umbrella organization of the fourteen museums of the City of Bruges. The collections contain visual and applied art from the 15th to the 21st century and are housed in protected monuments in the historic city center of Bruges.

Arentshuis
Belfry
Bruges Free
Companion house
Groeninge Museum
Gruuthuse Museum
Church of Our Lady
Museum Onze-Lieve-Vrouw ter Potterie
Burgher's lodge
St. John's Hospital
Sint-Janshuismolen
City Hall
Folklore Museum
Religious buildings with a museum secondary function
English Monastery
Holy Blood Basilica
Court Bladelin
Jerusalem Church
St. Salvator's Cathedral with treasury
St. Trudo Abbey Male
Our Lady of the Visitation Church , Lissewege

Bruges ( French and English : Bruges ; German : Brügge ) is the capital and largest city by population of the Belgian province of West Flanders and of the district of Bruges . The central city , located in the northwest of the country, is also the capital of the electoral canton of Bruges , itself has four judicial cantons and is the seat of the diocese of Bruges and of an assize court .

The historic center is included as a medieval city on the UNESCO World Heritage List . It is egg-shaped and approximately 430 hectares in size. The entire municipality has an area of ​​over 14,099 hectares, including approximately 1,075 hectares reclaimed from the sea, near Zeebrugge . The city has approximately 120,000 inhabitants; approximately 20,000 of them live in the city center. The inhabitants of Bruges are called Bruges residents.

Bruges' economic significance stems mainly from its seaport, Zeebrugge , but also from industry, services and schools at all levels. The city is also a world-famous tourist attraction.

Naming
See also: History of Bruges: Etymology .
The oldest written source using the city's name is the "Breviarium de thesauro sancti Bavonis, quod invenerunt fratres remansisse post Nordmannicam infestationem". This inventory of a church treasure of the Ghent St. Bavo's Abbey was drawn up after the plundering of the abbey by Normans , probably between 851 and 864. It mentions a golden cross that had been sent to Bruges for protection, but had not been returned: " crux illa aurea, que Bruggis fuit ad servandum missa nec postea reversa". The earliest copy of this inventory only dates from the 12th century. [2]

The oldest tangible source on which the name of the city is used for the first time are some coins dated according to the most recent insights between 864 and 898. They contain the entries Bruggas , Bruccas , Briuggas and Briuccas . [2]

It is not exactly known where the name Bruges comes from. It may be a corruption of the Celtic name for the now canalized river Reie , which flowed through Bruges and emptied into the North Sea . Reie itself comes from the Celtic word Rogia , meaning "Holy Water". The Celts regarded rivers and springs as divine beings, and it is likely that the Celtic name has stuck to the Bruges watercourse. Through evolution, the name of the water, Rogia or Ryggia , would also have become the name of the city, Bryggia .

It is possible that contamination also occurred in later centuries with the Old Norse word bryggja , meaning "landing bridge" or "mooring wharf". For example, from 800 onwards there were many contacts with Scandinavia through trade across the North Sea and through the raids of the Normans . The name Bruges therefore shows similarities with Bryggen , the historic port of Bergen , which, like Bruges, was an important city of the Hanseatic League from the 14th century .


The Langerei , part of the canalised river De Reie.
Bruges is regularly referred to as the " Venice of the North ", referring to its many waterways and bridges . Most of these canals are called " reien ", after the river Reie. Another theory is that the nickname has to do with the fact that the medieval trading cities of Bruges and Venice fulfilled somewhat similar economic functions as main distribution centers, each in its own region.

Bruges is also often called the "Breydel City", after the Bruges folk hero from the 14th century, Jan Breydel .

The nickname of the people of Bruges is "(Brugse) fools". They owe this nickname to an unlikely legend: after they had imprisoned Maximilian I of Austria for a time in their struggle for autonomy , he forbade the holding of an annual fair and other festivities. In an attempt to appease him, Bruges held a big party for him and then asked permission to hold another annual fair, collect taxes and ... build a new "fool's house". He replied: " Close all the gates of Bruges and you have a fool's house! ".

History
See history of Bruges for the main article on this subject.
The first signs of life on the current Bruges territory date from the 2nd century AD, when a Gallo-Roman settlement was located there. The name of Bruges was mentioned for the first time between 850 and 875. Between the 9th and 12th centuries, the city grew into an international trade center thanks to its important port. The port was briefly in danger of being compromised by the silting up of the area between Bruges and the current coastal strip. However , the creation of the Zwin , the navigation channel between Bruges and the sea, in 1134 ensured that the connection survived.

In 1089, Bruges was declared the 'capital' of the county of Flanders and from the 13th to the 15th century, Bruges could safely be regarded as the economic capital of Northwestern Europe . Due to its importance as a trading center, the first stock exchange building in the world was built in Bruges. In addition, the Waterhalle on the Grote Markt was also built as a meeting place for traders.

The period between ca. 1280 and 1480 can be called the golden age of Bruges. At that time the city had 46,000 inhabitants. The city center received a second city wall, some of whose gates have stood the test of time to this day. The Burgundian royal family had made Bruges its city of residence and attracted many excellent artists, including painters and architects. This resulted in an enormous enrichment of the city on an architectural, artistic and cultural level. The monumental town hall is a good example of this, but many impressive churches and houses also date from that period.

However, the death of Mary of Burgundy in 1482 marked a turning point and the royal family soon withdrew from the city. The end of Bruges as an international trade metropolis was in sight. Antwerp took over this role for a century and Bruges fell into complete decline. The Spanish king was also Count of Flanders from 1592 to 1713; this Spanish rule , coupled with several religious wars , dragged the city further and further into the depths.

This was followed by Austrian rule , a French annexation , a reunited Netherlands and Belgian independence . According to some, Bruges was one of the poorest cities in the Netherlands from 1600 to 1885. This usually involves citing the figures of the needy population. Others argue from this that the city, on the contrary, remained rich, since it could support so many poor people. The building of large city houses throughout the seventeenth to eighteenth centuries shows that there was at least a wealthy upper layer. The industrial revolution in the nineteenth century did not affect Bruges to any significant extent. The struggle for a new seaport was the major action point in Bruges.

From the beginning of the nineteenth century, Bruges was mainly praised as a place of residence and historical place by English authors. Towards the end of the century , Georges Rodenbach 's novel Bruges-la-Morte was one of the elements that brought additional attention to the city. The book presented Bruges as impoverished but mysterious and this generated additional international interest. The historical heritage was rediscovered and the construction of the seaport in Zeebrugge in 1896 also promised to bring about an economic revival. The exhibition of the Flemish Primitives in 1902 was the starting signal for the strong cultural and tourist development that has characterized the city since then.

During the two world wars, Bruges was almost completely spared from destruction. In 1971, the city's territory was significantly expanded through a merger with the surrounding peripheral municipalities and in 2000 the city center was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. During the year 2002, Bruges was the cultural capital of Europe .

Geography
The area in which Bruges grew is located on the border of a sandy loam area and the sea polders , approximately 15 km from the North Sea . Most of the city can be considered part of the Zandstreek.

Bruges has eight sub-municipalities , six of which – Brugge, Sint-Andries, Sint-Michiels, Assebroek, Sint-Kruis and Koolkerke – have an urban character and two – Dudzele and Lissewege – are characterized by a rural and port-related landscape on the one hand. The city center – the historic part of the city within the fortifications – has the highest population density on average. Neighborhoods adjacent to the city center also often have a high population density, sometimes higher than some neighborhoods in the city center. In general, with the exception of certain neighborhoods, population density decreases slightly the further one moves from the city center.

Bruges is best known as a historic city with a lot of cultural heritage. The historic center is well preserved, especially the medieval street pattern and heritage. The current appearance of the city center has also been influenced by the interest in Gothic Revival in the 19th century, which resulted in the 'neo-Bruges style', ranging from Gothic Revival to eclecticism . Many buildings were then embellished, restored, rebuilt or newly built in this style. [6] The canals , the history, the archaeological finds, but also the shopping streets attract many people to this city every day. The city center of Bruges can be explored largely on foot, but also by bicycle (carriage), horse-drawn carriage or tram, with City Tour buses or with boats on the canals.

For residential tourism, the city has more than 90 hotels, good for more than 7,800 beds. The youth accommodation and guest rooms each provide more than 1,000 beds. In 2015, there were approximately 1.13 million arrivals in Bruges, including approximately 27,100 in Zeebrugge, and more than 2.03 million overnight stays, including approximately 52,300 in Zeebrugge. [8] Compared to other large Flemish cities, a smaller share of these has a business character, although this share appears to have increased in recent years.

Car traffic is kept out of the city center as much as possible. The speed limits (30 km per hour), a loop plan with a lot of one-way traffic (two directions for cyclists) and peripheral car parks should make Bruges a pleasant walking and shopping city.

However, the presence of catering establishments and shops partly displaces the residential function in the core of the city center.

Every year on Ascension Day, the Holy Blood Procession takes place in Bruges. The relic of the Holy Blood , which Diederik van Alsace is said to have brought from Jerusalem to Bruges, is venerated by the city. The procession consists of three parts: the Bible, the history of the Precious Blood and the prelature procession with the relics. Another major procession held in Bruges is the Golden Tree Procession . This five-yearly parade was created in 1958 with the central element being the "Coat of Arms of the Golden Tree", which was held in 1468 on the Bruges Market on the occasion of the wedding of Charles the Bold and Margaret of York .

In 2002, Bruges was the cultural capital of Europe . As a result, a new multifunctional concert building was built, with the ambition to give it an international appearance.

From 1968 to 1974 and again since 2015, the Bruges Triennial takes place every three years, originally starting as a traditional retrospective of current Belgian art and after the long interruption evolved into an open-air exhibition with monumental installations by international artists and architects, each around a central theme.

Bruges is also the center of one of the Flemish tourist regions : the Bruges Ommeland .

Architectural heritage
See also the list of immovable heritage in Bruges .
Civil
The Grote Markt , with the Belfry with City Halls , and several (neo)Gothic buildings, such as the Provincial Court (until the end of the 18th century the Waterhalle ).
De Burg , with the town hall , the buildings of the Brugse Vrije , the Proosdij and the Basilica of the Holy Blood.
The Jan van Eyckplein , with the Poortersloge and the Tolhuis .
The Hof van Gruuthuse (including museum ) and the Groeninge Museum on the Dijver , and the Rozenhoedkaai , with one of the most famous cityscapes of Bruges.
The Vismarkt and the Huidenvettersplein .
The Sint-Janshospitaal , which houses the municipal museum ' Memling in Sint-Jan ', and the nineteenth-century Sint-Jan, operated by a Spanish company and which exhibits paintings by Pablo Picasso .
The Gezelle House , in the birthplace of the poet Guido Gezelle .
The old city gates , namely the Smedenpoort , the Ezelpoort , the Kruispoort and the Gentpoort (the Dampoort , the Katelijnepoort and the Boeveriepoort have disappeared), and the four (partially) historic mills on the Kruisvest, namely the Sint-Janshuismolen , the Bonne- Chièremolen , the Koeleweimolen and De Nieuwe Papegaai .
The old almshouses .
Religious
The Begijnhof Ten Wijngaerde , with the Monasterium De Wijngaard .
The Basilica of the Holy Blood , the former St. Donas Cathedral and - under the Crowne Plaza Burghotel - the foundations of St. Donas Cathedral (where Charles the Good was murdered) on the Burg.
The Church of Our Lady (115.6 meter high brick tower) containing the tombs of Charles the Bold and his daughter Mary of Burgundy .
St. Salvator's Cathedral , founded in the 9th century .
The Jerusalem Church , including the mausoleum for Anselmus Adornes and his wife, Margaretha van der Banck .
The Sint-Walburga Church (Baroque Church), originally the church of a Jesuit monastery , now of the Sint-Walburga parish.
The English Monastery .
Other churches or chapels, such as St. Anne's Church , St. Giles' Church , St. James' Church , St. Magdalene Church , Carmelite Church , Our Lady of the Pottery Church , Our Lady of the Blind Chapel , the church of the Godelieve Abbey and the former Theresian Church (nowadays the Joseph Ryelandt Hall ).

Museums
Municipal museums
Since 2019, the umbrella organization of the city museums has been recognized as a Cultural Heritage Institution under the name Musea Brugge . The previous division into three museum groups (Groeninge Museum, Hospital Museum and Brugge Museum) has therefore been abolished. Musea Brugge is the umbrella organization of the fourteen museums of the City of Bruges. The collections contain visual and applied art from the 15th to the 21st century and are housed in protected monuments in the historic city center of Bruges.

Arentshuis
Belfry
Bruges Free
Companion house
Groeninge Museum
Gruuthuse Museum
Church of Our Lady
Museum Onze-Lieve-Vrouw ter Potterie
Burgher's lodge
St. John's Hospital
Sint-Janshuismolen
City Hall
Folklore Museum
Religious buildings with a museum secondary function
English Monastery
Holy Blood Basilica
Court Bladelin
Jerusalem Church
St. Salvator's Cathedral with treasury
St. Trudo Abbey Male
Our Lady of the Visitation Church , Lissewege

Jan van Eyck ( Diocese of Liège , Maaseik , circa 1390 – Bruges , 9 July 1441 ) was a Renaissance painter who was mainly active in Bruges . Alongside Robert Campin and Rogier van der Weyden, he is considered the most important representative of the Flemish Primitives . His best-known work includes the polyptych The Ghent Altarpiece (1432), which can be viewed in St. Bavo's Cathedral in Ghent . The Madonna with Canon Joris van der Paele , his largest single panel, also occupies an important place in his oeuvre.

General
Jan van Eyck was perhaps the most famous painter in Europe during his lifetime and was early on known as the "inventor" of oil painting . [1] The latter was dismissed as a legend in the 20th century, but it is certain that Jan van Eyck played a decisive role in the development of this technique.

Jan van Eyck introduced a never-before-seen naturalism into painting that has its roots in earlier developments in miniature art . The refined oil painting technique and the observation-based representation of visible reality were the most important elements of Eyckian art that would soon be imitated throughout Europe. Jan van Eyck's innovations are astonishingly parallel to developments in Florentine painting of the quattrocento . Art historians have already speculated a lot about the ties between Van Eyck and his Italian colleagues ( Masaccio , Domenico Veneziano and others), but there is still no tangible evidence or documents that can concretize these connections. Jan van Eyck also personifies the transition from the painter as a nameless and modest craftsman to a self-confident, learned and famous individual. Jan van Eyck signed and dated nine works on the frame or hidden in the painting. Some frames also bear his motto "If I can". These elements point to Jan van Eyck's proud and self-confident attitude, an attitude that will become typical of the artists of the Renaissance in the future .

Life and work
Place of birth and year of birth
There remains uncertainty about the birthplace of Jan van Eyck. The family name "Van Eyck" is said to refer to the Belgian city of Maaseik . It is generally believed that this city was indeed the birthplace of Jan van Eyck and his enigmatic brother Hubert van Eyck . Some writings from the 16th century, i.e. written more than a century after Van Eyck's death, confirm this assumption. The 16th-century chronicler Marcus van Vaernewijck describes it as follows: " but he was of nationality from that ruydt Kempenlant from a rejected town to the Riviere van der Mase... this town is named after the very Riviere Maseyck after which he ended his brother mentioned were van Eyck ". The Ghent painter and rhetorician Lucas d'Heere also writes: " From Maesheyc gheboren den Vlaemschen Apelles " and furthermore " Die uut dat innosel [in the then meaning of 'unsightly'] Maesheyc is experienced ". The hypothesis is further supported by some secondary elements that still lend it great credibility. For example, there are studies into the "dialect" of Jan van Eyck. These are based on two sources; the (presumably in his own hand) written indications on the drawn study (Dresden, Kupferstichkabinett) for the portrait of Cardinal Niccolò Albergati , and on the motto "Als ich can" that appears on many of the original frames of Jan's preserved works. These studies point one-sidedly to a Maasland dialect. A second element is the fact that Jan's daughter Livina entered the Agnetenklooster in Maaseik in 1448 . This indicates that the ties between the Van Eyck family and their region of origin must have remained alive, even after Jan's death.

For some time now, the Kempen municipality of Arendonk in the old Duchy of Brabant has been presenting itself as an alternative birthplace of Jan van Eyck. Elizabeth Dhanens pointed out Van Eyck's paternal coat of arms, which is often found in Brabant families. The maternal coat of arms is then common among Maasland families. It is possible that grandfather or father Van Eyck was from Brabant, married to a woman from Maasland and settled in Maaseik. [2] Arendonk local historians subsequently tried to link Van Eyck to entries in contemporary Arendonk alderman registers under the name Jan Van der Moelen. No recent art historical publication lends credence to this hypothesis.

There is also controversy about Jan van Eyck's date of birth. There are no known authentic sources and the determination therefore depends on interpretations of the documented events from Jan van Eyck's life. Karel van Mander wrote in his Schilder-boeck from 1604 that Hubert van Eyck was born around 1366 and that his brother Jan was considerably younger. Lucas d'Heere and Marcus van Vaernewijck claimed in the 16th century that Jan van Eyck had died young. This does not correspond with the year of birth around 1390 that is commonly used by art historians today and which is based on the documented elements of Jan's career, his stylistic evolution and its relationship to the general art historical evolution.

In 2021, the Flemish medievalist Hendrik Callewier discovered traces of a confession letter (littera confessionalis) requested by Jan van Eyck and his wife Margaretha in the archives of the Vatican during the time of Pope Eugene IV . [3] The request was dated March 16, 1441 and would ultimately be granted "in perpetuity". The note confirms that Margarethe was his wife and further shows that he came from the Diocese of Liège , allowing some previously suggested birthplaces to be excluded. Maaseik, Bergeijk , Maastricht and Arendonk were in the then diocese and remain possible birthplaces.

Family
Jan and Hubert van Eyck had other painting relatives: a sister Margareta and a brother Lambert (fl. 1431-1442). In 1432 or 1433 Jan married "damoiselle Marguerite". He immortalized her in the Portrait of Margaretha van Eyck (1439), with a caption that stated her age at 33 years. Together they had two children: a son Philippot (°1434) and a daughter Livina. The son was probably named after his godfather, Philip the Good. After the court painter's death, the duke paid another allowance to his widow, and in 1449 he paid to have his daughter, Lyevine van der Eecke , enter the Agnetenklooster of Maaseik .

Education and early work in The Hague (until 1425)
Probably inspired by the so-called "quatrain" (a text added to the frame of the Ghent Altarpiece, see below), De Heere and Van Vaernewijck both assumed that Jan was trained by his older brother Hubert. This statement was adopted by most other ancient writers, including Lampsonius and Karel van Mander 's Schilder-boeck . This claim can neither be confirmed nor refuted, as almost all historical data regarding Hubert van Eyck are missing or difficult to interpret. Pietro Summonte (1524) already claimed that Jan van Eyck started out as an "illuminator" of manuscripts , which is also evident from the careful and refined technique and detailed style that characterize Jan's work. According to a source that has been lost or has not yet been traced, Jan van Eyck was paid by Philip the Good in 1439 for illuminating initials in a manuscript.

The earliest documents relating to Jan van Eyck show that he was a respected painter in 1422. He is mentioned as "Master" and works with an assistant in the service of Jan van Beieren , Count of Holland in The Hague . It is generally assumed that Jan van Eyck was discovered by Jan van Beieren when the latter was still prince-bishop of Liège (1389-1418), of which Maaseik and the Maasland were then part. With its many rich chapters, churches and monasteries and the glorious prince-bishop's court, Liège was attractive to young artists and craftsmen. At the court in The Hague, Jan was appointed official court painter. In 1423 he was given a second assistant and he received a fixed salary until the count's death in January 1425.

The early works from the Dutch period are only known indirectly from drawings and copies. An Adoration of the Magi is known from a drawing in Berlin ( Kupferstichkabinett Berlin ) and also appears in several illuminated manuscripts of Dutch origin. The clothes of the figures refer to the fashion before around 1420. The extremely refined and elongated figures stand in an extensive landscape that is very remarkable for that time. A drawing in Paris ( Louvre ) is the result of a composition that was perhaps elaborated in the form of a lost monumental mural or tapestry . It shows a noble party angling around a pond or stream in a park. The figures can be identified as John of Bavaria and his wife Elisabeth of Görlitz . The composition still shows many points of contact with the courtly style of the so-called " international Gothic " and in particular with the work of the Van Lymborch brothers . The figures are tall and elongated and wear elegant clothes.

The miniatures in the famous and partly lost Turin-Milan Book of Hours (Turin, Museo Civico, Ms. 47) are highly controversial. This includes miniatures that clearly refer to an original origin at the court of the counts of Holland and that also point to the later style of Jan van Eyck. These include works that testify to the skill with which Van Eyck was able to depict landscapes, interior spaces and atmospheric effects. However, modern researchers have discovered that the miniatures were made by different "hands" and that they probably date from the 1440s (i.e. after the death of Jan van Eyck). Today it is usually assumed that Bruges followers of Jan van Eyck copied models that Jan van Eyck himself had created in his Dutch period.

In the service of Philip the Good, Bruges and Lille (1425-1430)
After the death of Jan van Beieren, Jan van Eyck moved to Bruges. On May 19, 1425 he is registered as a court painter and valet of Duke Philip the Good . The archives show that Jan must have been particularly favored by this Burgundian prince. This shows the particularly privileged status that Jan van Eyck enjoyed, which was very unusual for an artist at that time.

It is not entirely clear which works Jan van Eyck created in this period. No work from this period has survived in the original and one can only surmise that two copies of a Calvary ( Venice , Ca' d'Oro and a miniature [fol. 48v°] from the Turin-Milanese Book of Hours) are a lost work by Jan van Eyck from this time. This missing work by Jan van Eyck was groundbreaking in the development of landscape painting . Van Eyck placed the cross and the figures around it in the foreground, in a kind of natural elevation in the landscape. This hill in the foreground hides the central plan, which is suggested by a depth between foreground and background. The background consists of a view of the heavenly Jerusalem, behind which a vast mountain landscape extends into the depths. Jan van Eyck applied here the "atmospheric perspective" that had already been introduced into miniature art by the Boucicaut master and which Jan would take to unprecedented heights on panel. This technique for depicting depth in a landscape consists of fading the colors the further away a place is from the viewer. The green of the landscape becomes bluer and eventually pale as it approaches the horizon. The color of the sky also fades and eventually dissolves at the horizon into the color of the landscape.

Why Jan van Eyck was less active during this period was probably because he regularly had to undertake long journeys on behalf of Philip the Good. The archives show that Jan was paid large sums for making trips, although it is usually not clearly stated what the trips were for and where they led. Jan made a pilgrimage on behalf of the Duke, and it is sometimes assumed that he took him to the Holy Land. Jan was also paid for making "secret" trips. These may have been diplomatic missions, during which Jan would have been tasked, among other things, with making drawings and notes along the way that could be used for future military campaigns by the duke. It should not be forgotten that Europe was not yet mapped at that time. Knowledge about the location of roads, rivers, passes, mountain ranges, springs, cities and fortifications was very valuable for planning military operations. Jan's geometric and cartographic knowledge is also evident from the lost Mappemonde (world map) that he would make for the duke (see below). It is likely that Jan also visited Italy during these trips. Here he may have come into contact with the latest developments in Quattrocento painting , which also clearly influenced his own work. The Alpine landscapes, including in the Crucifixion mentioned above , but also in the Rolin Madonna , may bear witness to his journey through the Alps.

In 1426 and 1427 Jan van Eyck worked in Lille . He may have worked on the decoration of the walls of the ducal residence, the so-called Hôtel de la Salle . Perhaps Jan van Eyck was the " Johannes Peintre " who was received by the city council in Tournai on the feast of Saint Luke (patron of painters) in 1427 and was offered wine of honor. This could also confirm the early contacts between him and the Tournai painters ( Robert Campin , Jacques Daret , Rogier van der Weyden ).

In Bruges (1430-1441)
From 1431, Van Eyck settled permanently in Bruges. In 1432 he lived in a grand house in Nieuwstraat, Sint-Gillis parish (now Gouden-Handstraat) In the same year he received the Bruges counselors in his studio. The rent amounted to thirty shillings and was continued to be paid after his death by his widow Margaretha (until 1444). He painted on behalf of Italian merchants, members of the higher clergy and noblemen. For the city council he painted the statues that were placed on the facade of the city hall.

He also continued to belong to the circles of the Burgundian duke and continued to carry out assignments for him and for the court. The trust he enjoyed also had a downside: when a struggle arose between Philip the Good and the Bruges municipal residents and this degenerated into a real uprising in 1436-1438, the ground became too hot under the court painter's feet. Like many others who supported the duke, Van Eyck fled. Only towards the end of 1438, when peace returned, did he return to Bruges.

Towards the end of his life, on March 26, 1441, he and his wife Margaret asked for a large letter of confession from the Pope. Such requests were expensive and only made by the upper class. It shows how much Van Eyck felt at home in higher circles and had left art creation as a craft behind for a higher status. His request was therefore granted, undoubtedly through the intercession of Cardinal Albergati.

The request shows that Van Eyck felt his death approaching. He died several months later and was buried in the cemetery of the prestigious St. Donaas Church . The compensation for the funeral and the ringing of the bells was registered on June 23 (July 9 NS ). Nine months later, his brother Lambert received notice from the chapter that Jan's body was being transferred to the choir (note dated March 21, 1442). The gravestone read: Here lies Mr. Joannes de Eijcke is the most constitutive master of painting who ever lived in the Netherlands . The grave disappeared when the church was demolished in 1799, but the inscription was preserved thanks to a note shortly before 1603.

His fame reached as far as Italy. Ciriaco de' Pizzicolli praised him in 1449 and for the humanist Bartolomeo Fazio, Van Eyck was simply the greatest painter of his time. He also called him "not undeveloped, certainly not in the field of geometry".

Work
Van Eyck's most famous work is the altarpiece The Ghent Altarpiece , which originally hung in the Vijd Chapel of St. Bavo's Cathedral in Ghent , and since 1987 in the Villa Chapel there. The work was started by his brother Hubert, on the order of Joos Vijd . Jan finished it, after which it was inaugurated on May 6, 1432. The work became even more famous due to the theft in 1934 of two panels, the panel with St. John the Baptist , which was returned quite quickly, and the panel of The righteous judges , which has still not been found to date.

On October 1, 2012, it was announced that a drawing by Van Eyck had been discovered, which was exhibited from October 13, 2012 to February 10, 2013 in the Rotterdam Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in the exhibition The Road to Van Eyck .

Preserved and exhibited works
Only a relatively small number of Jan van Eyck's works have been preserved and are exhibited in various famous museums. Other works are sometimes documented, but have been lost to history. Today, the works in the list below are generally accepted as authentic works by Jan van Eyck. Works that are considered copies or works of imitators are not included here. Authentic works by Jan van Eyck are therefore extremely rare and no longer appear on the art market. Some works consist of multiple panels. The largest surviving work by Jan van Eyck is The Ghent Altarpiece (24 panels), which is still kept in the church for which it was painted:

Ghent , St. Bavo's Cathedral : The Mystic Lamb
Antwerp , Royal Museum of Fine Arts :
Madonna at the Fountain ;
Saint Barbara of Nicomedia
Berlin , Gemäldegalerie :
the Madonna in the church ;
the Portrait of Baldwin of Lannoy ;
the Portrait of Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini .
Bruges , Groeninge Museum :
the Madonna with Canon Joris van der Paele ;
Portrait of Margareta van Eyck
Detroit , Detroit Institute of Arts : St. Jerome in his study (disputed attribution) [13]
Dresden , Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister : Dresden travel altar
Dresden, Kupferstichkabinett Dresden : Portrait of Cardinal Albergati (silverpoint on paper)
Frankfurt am Main , Städel Museum : the Lucca Madonna
London , National Gallery :
Tymotheos ;
Portrait of a man with a red turban (presumably the self-portrait of Jan van Eyck);
Arnolfini Wedding Portrait
Madrid , Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza : the Annunciation Diptych
New York , Frick Collection : Madonna by Jan Vos
Paris , Musée du Louvre : The Virgin of Chancellor Rolin
Philadelphia , Philadelphia Museum of Art : the Stigmatization of Saint Francis
Rotterdam , Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen : The three Marys at the grave
Sibiu , Brukenthal Museum : the Man with the Blue Chaperon
Turin , Galleria Sabauda : the Stigmatization of Saint Francis
Washington DC , National Gallery of Art : The Message to Mary ;
Vienna , Kunsthistorisches Museum :
Portrait of Jan de Leeuw ;
Portrait of Cardinal Albergati .
From October 31, 2012 to February 19, 2013 there was an exhibition about Van Eyck and his contemporaries at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam: The Road to Van Eyck . The explanations of 21 works of art can be viewed online.

New insights into Van Eyck's work
On the occasion of the Van Eyck Year (2020) and linked to it a major exhibition with the Mystic Lamb as the main theme - Van Eyck. An optical revolution - in the Ghent Museum of Fine Arts, new insights into his work emerge and prejudices are refuted. It is said that the clichés surrounding Van Eyck's work are particularly persistent, such as the title primitive , his invention of oil paint , that he was the first individual artist, and that he could only develop thanks to the luxury of the Burgundian court. Van Eyck was a craftsman and scholar in the service of the then current aristocracy, which could hardly be called a primitive. His mastery could flourish through the biotope and his network in the flourishing region between Maasland , Paris and the Southern Netherlands , with Bruges as the cultural capital of Europe between 1420 and 1470.

The Bakkersrei is a watercourse in the center of Bruges . The route , which runs through the south of the city center in a northerly direction, is in fact twofold. The main part of the Bakkersrei is part of the course of the original Reie river . This part starts at the Sashuis north of the Minnewater , from which it continues, and ends at the Gruuthusebrug , where it continues as Dijver . A second part starts as an eastern branch at the Katelijnevest and flows at the Wijngaardplein together with the aforementioned part of the Bakkersrei.

However , the official name Bakkersrei for this entire watercourse described above has only been in use relatively recently. Historically, this name for the largest part of this route has no support. In older standard works on Bruges ( Gilliodts-van Severen , Duclos ) the Bakkersrei is not mentioned. In his article The old hydrography of the City of Bruges (Handelingen Genootschap voor Onderzoek, 1949, p. 17), historian Jos De Smet says : "The Bakkersreitje, which runs from the Katelijnevest to the Wijngaardplaats,...". This therefore only refers to the eastern branch mentioned above. The entire watercourse between the Sashuis and the Gruuthusebrug used to have no specific name, except Reie .

Unlike most other canals, there is no (eponymous) street on the bank of the Bakkersrei. Bridges that span the main part of the Bakkersrei include the Sashuisbrug , the Begijnhofbrug (Wijngaardbrug), the Walbrug , the Mariabrug , the Bonifaciusbrug and the Gruuthusebrug . The eastern branch is spanned by the Colettijne Bridge , the Fontein Bridge and the Wijngaardplein Bridge .

The Bakkersrei runs past various sights and monuments. She passes the Begijnhof Ten Wijngaerde , the Oud Sint-Janshospitaal , the Church of Our Lady and the Gruuthuse Museum .

Bruges ( French and English : Bruges ; German : Brügge ) is the capital and largest city by population of the Belgian province of West Flanders and of the district of Bruges . The central city , located in the northwest of the country, is also the capital of the electoral canton of Bruges , itself has four judicial cantons and is the seat of the diocese of Bruges and of an assize court .

The historic center is included as a medieval city on the UNESCO World Heritage List . It is egg-shaped and approximately 430 hectares in size. The entire municipality has an area of ​​over 14,099 hectares, including approximately 1,075 hectares reclaimed from the sea, near Zeebrugge . The city has approximately 120,000 inhabitants; approximately 20,000 of them live in the city center. The inhabitants of Bruges are called Bruges residents.

Bruges' economic significance stems mainly from its seaport, Zeebrugge , but also from industry, services and schools at all levels. The city is also a world-famous tourist attraction.

The first signs of life on the current Bruges territory date from the 2nd century AD, when a Gallo-Roman settlement was located there. The name of Bruges was mentioned for the first time between 850 and 875. Between the 9th and 12th centuries, the city grew into an international trade center thanks to its important port. The port was briefly in danger of being compromised by the silting up of the area between Bruges and the current coastal strip. However , the creation of the Zwin , the navigation channel between Bruges and the sea, in 1134 ensured that the connection survived.

In 1089, Bruges was declared the 'capital' of the county of Flanders and from the 13th to the 15th century, Bruges could safely be regarded as the economic capital of Northwestern Europe . Due to its importance as a trading center, the first stock exchange building in the world was built in Bruges. In addition, the Waterhalle on the Grote Markt was also built as a meeting place for traders.

The period between ca. 1280 and 1480 can be called the golden age of Bruges. At that time the city had 46,000 inhabitants. The city center received a second city wall, some of whose gates have stood the test of time to this day. The Burgundian royal family had made Bruges its city of residence and attracted many excellent artists, including painters and architects. This resulted in an enormous enrichment of the city on an architectural, artistic and cultural level. The monumental town hall is a good example of this, but many impressive churches and houses also date from that period.

However, the death of Mary of Burgundy in 1482 marked a turning point and the royal family soon withdrew from the city. The end of Bruges as an international trade metropolis was in sight. Antwerp took over this role for a century and Bruges fell into complete decline. The Spanish king was also Count of Flanders from 1592 to 1713; this Spanish rule , coupled with several religious wars , dragged the city further and further into the depths.

This was followed by Austrian rule , a French annexation , a reunited Netherlands and Belgian independence . According to some, Bruges was one of the poorest cities in the Netherlands from 1600 to 1885. This usually involves citing the figures of the needy population. Others argue from this that the city, on the contrary, remained rich, since it could support so many poor people. The building of large city houses throughout the seventeenth to eighteenth centuries shows that there was at least a wealthy upper layer. The industrial revolution in the nineteenth century did not affect Bruges to any significant extent. The struggle for a new seaport was the major action point in Bruges.

From the beginning of the nineteenth century, Bruges was mainly praised as a place of residence and historical place by English authors. Towards the end of the century , Georges Rodenbach 's novel Bruges-la-Morte was one of the elements that brought additional attention to the city. The book presented Bruges as impoverished but mysterious and this generated additional international interest. The historical heritage was rediscovered and the construction of the seaport in Zeebrugge in 1896 also promised to bring about an economic revival. The exhibition of the Flemish Primitives in 1902 was the starting signal for the strong cultural and tourist development that has characterized the city since then.

During the two world wars, Bruges was almost completely spared from destruction. In 1971, the city's territory was significantly expanded through a merger with the surrounding peripheral municipalities and in 2000 the city center was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. During the year 2002, Bruges was the cultural capital of Europe .

The Dijver is a watercourse and a street in the historic center of Bruges . The canal runs from the Gruuthusebrug to the Rozenhoedkaai and the Huidenvettersplein . The street of the same name is located on the southern bank of the canal and runs from the Gruuthusebrug to the Wollestraat and the Rozenhoedkaai. The Dijver is part of the course of the original river Reie and is spanned by the Gruuthuse Bridge and the Johannes Nepomucenus Bridge .

This name is one of the oldest in Bruges. The earliest mentions are:

1292: supra diveram;
1302: up die diverse;
1369: caye up den divere.
The name dates back to Celtic times and comes from the Indo-Germanic deiwo , god or divine. It is a toponym that, like "Reie" ( Rogia ), means "holy water".

The Dijver then formed the northern border of an island covered with oak trees , trees sacred to the Celts. Traditionally it has been a place of gathering and a place of worship was established on the island. After the Christianization of this cult place, the hermit Everelmus is said to have settled there a few centuries later, around 1050, from which the Eekhout Abbey would later have developed. From at least 1127, the Dijver was part of the first city walls of Bruges.

Today the street has a varied function, including commercial and educational activities ( College of Europe ), catering and to a lesser extent housing. Flea and folklore markets also often take place there. Furthermore, the Dijver has an important museum function with the presence of the Groeninge Museum , the Arentshuis and the Gruuthuse Museum .

Bruges ( French and English : Bruges ; German : Brügge ) is the capital and largest city by population of the Belgian province of West Flanders and of the district of Bruges . The central city , located in the northwest of the country, is also the capital of the electoral canton of Bruges , itself has four judicial cantons and is the seat of the diocese of Bruges and of an assize court .

The historic center is included as a medieval city on the UNESCO World Heritage List . It is egg-shaped and approximately 430 hectares in size. The entire municipality has an area of ​​over 14,099 hectares, including approximately 1,075 hectares reclaimed from the sea, near Zeebrugge . The city has approximately 120,000 inhabitants; approximately 20,000 of them live in the city center. The inhabitants of Bruges are called Bruges residents.

Bruges' economic significance stems mainly from its seaport, Zeebrugge , but also from industry, services and schools at all levels. The city is also a world-famous tourist attraction.

Naming
See also: History of Bruges: Etymology .
The oldest written source using the city's name is the "Breviarium de thesauro sancti Bavonis, quod invenerunt fratres remansisse post Nordmannicam infestationem". This inventory of a church treasure of the Ghent St. Bavo's Abbey was drawn up after the plundering of the abbey by Normans , probably between 851 and 864. It mentions a golden cross that had been sent to Bruges for protection, but had not been returned: " crux illa aurea, que Bruggis fuit ad servandum missa nec postea reversa". The earliest copy of this inventory only dates from the 12th century. [2]

The oldest tangible source on which the name of the city is used for the first time are some coins dated according to the most recent insights between 864 and 898. They contain the entries Bruggas , Bruccas , Briuggas and Briuccas . [2]

It is not exactly known where the name Bruges comes from. It may be a corruption of the Celtic name for the now canalized river Reie , which flowed through Bruges and emptied into the North Sea . Reie itself comes from the Celtic word Rogia , meaning "Holy Water". The Celts regarded rivers and springs as divine beings, and it is likely that the Celtic name has stuck to the Bruges watercourse. Through evolution, the name of the water, Rogia or Ryggia , would also have become the name of the city, Bryggia .

It is possible that contamination also occurred in later centuries with the Old Norse word bryggja , meaning "landing bridge" or "mooring wharf". For example, from 800 onwards there were many contacts with Scandinavia through trade across the North Sea and through the raids of the Normans . The name Bruges therefore shows similarities with Bryggen , the historic port of Bergen , which, like Bruges, was an important city of the Hanseatic League from the 14th century .


The Langerei , part of the canalised river De Reie.
Bruges is regularly referred to as the " Venice of the North ", referring to its many waterways and bridges . Most of these canals are called " reien ", after the river Reie. Another theory is that the nickname has to do with the fact that the medieval trading cities of Bruges and Venice fulfilled somewhat similar economic functions as main distribution centers, each in its own region.

Bruges is also often called the "Breydel City", after the Bruges folk hero from the 14th century, Jan Breydel .

The nickname of the people of Bruges is "(Brugse) fools". They owe this nickname to an unlikely legend: after they had imprisoned Maximilian I of Austria for a time in their struggle for autonomy , he forbade the holding of an annual fair and other festivities. In an attempt to appease him, Bruges held a big party for him and then asked permission to hold another annual fair, collect taxes and ... build a new "fool's house". He replied: " Close all the gates of Bruges and you have a fool's house! ".

History
See history of Bruges for the main article on this subject.
The first signs of life on the current Bruges territory date from the 2nd century AD, when a Gallo-Roman settlement was located there. The name of Bruges was mentioned for the first time between 850 and 875. Between the 9th and 12th centuries, the city grew into an international trade center thanks to its important port. The port was briefly in danger of being compromised by the silting up of the area between Bruges and the current coastal strip. However , the creation of the Zwin , the navigation channel between Bruges and the sea, in 1134 ensured that the connection survived.

In 1089, Bruges was declared the 'capital' of the county of Flanders and from the 13th to the 15th century, Bruges could safely be regarded as the economic capital of Northwestern Europe . Due to its importance as a trading center, the first stock exchange building in the world was built in Bruges. In addition, the Waterhalle on the Grote Markt was also built as a meeting place for traders.

The period between ca. 1280 and 1480 can be called the golden age of Bruges. At that time the city had 46,000 inhabitants. The city center received a second city wall, some of whose gates have stood the test of time to this day. The Burgundian royal family had made Bruges its city of residence and attracted many excellent artists, including painters and architects. This resulted in an enormous enrichment of the city on an architectural, artistic and cultural level. The monumental town hall is a good example of this, but many impressive churches and houses also date from that period.

However, the death of Mary of Burgundy in 1482 marked a turning point and the royal family soon withdrew from the city. The end of Bruges as an international trade metropolis was in sight. Antwerp took over this role for a century and Bruges fell into complete decline. The Spanish king was also Count of Flanders from 1592 to 1713; this Spanish rule , coupled with several religious wars , dragged the city further and further into the depths.

This was followed by Austrian rule , a French annexation , a reunited Netherlands and Belgian independence . According to some, Bruges was one of the poorest cities in the Netherlands from 1600 to 1885. This usually involves citing the figures of the needy population. Others argue from this that the city, on the contrary, remained rich, since it could support so many poor people. The building of large city houses throughout the seventeenth to eighteenth centuries shows that there was at least a wealthy upper layer. The industrial revolution in the nineteenth century did not affect Bruges to any significant extent. The struggle for a new seaport was the major action point in Bruges.

From the beginning of the nineteenth century, Bruges was mainly praised as a place of residence and historical place by English authors. Towards the end of the century , Georges Rodenbach 's novel Bruges-la-Morte was one of the elements that brought additional attention to the city. The book presented Bruges as impoverished but mysterious and this generated additional international interest. The historical heritage was rediscovered and the construction of the seaport in Zeebrugge in 1896 also promised to bring about an economic revival. The exhibition of the Flemish Primitives in 1902 was the starting signal for the strong cultural and tourist development that has characterized the city since then.

During the two world wars, Bruges was almost completely spared from destruction. In 1971, the city's territory was significantly expanded through a merger with the surrounding peripheral municipalities and in 2000 the city center was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. During the year 2002, Bruges was the cultural capital of Europe .

Geography
The area in which Bruges grew is located on the border of a sandy loam area and the sea polders , approximately 15 km from the North Sea . Most of the city can be considered part of the Zandstreek.

Bruges has eight sub-municipalities , six of which – Brugge, Sint-Andries, Sint-Michiels, Assebroek, Sint-Kruis and Koolkerke – have an urban character and two – Dudzele and Lissewege – are characterized by a rural and port-related landscape on the one hand. The city center – the historic part of the city within the fortifications – has the highest population density on average. Neighborhoods adjacent to the city center also often have a high population density, sometimes higher than some neighborhoods in the city center. In general, with the exception of certain neighborhoods, population density decreases slightly the further one moves from the city center.

Bruges is best known as a historic city with a lot of cultural heritage. The historic center is well preserved, especially the medieval street pattern and heritage. The current appearance of the city center has also been influenced by the interest in Gothic Revival in the 19th century, which resulted in the 'neo-Bruges style', ranging from Gothic Revival to eclecticism . Many buildings were then embellished, restored, rebuilt or newly built in this style. [6] The canals , the history, the archaeological finds, but also the shopping streets attract many people to this city every day. The city center of Bruges can be explored largely on foot, but also by bicycle (carriage), horse-drawn carriage or tram, with City Tour buses or with boats on the canals.

For residential tourism, the city has more than 90 hotels, good for more than 7,800 beds. The youth accommodation and guest rooms each provide more than 1,000 beds. In 2015, there were approximately 1.13 million arrivals in Bruges, including approximately 27,100 in Zeebrugge, and more than 2.03 million overnight stays, including approximately 52,300 in Zeebrugge. [8] Compared to other large Flemish cities, a smaller share of these has a business character, although this share appears to have increased in recent years.

Car traffic is kept out of the city center as much as possible. The speed limits (30 km per hour), a loop plan with a lot of one-way traffic (two directions for cyclists) and peripheral car parks should make Bruges a pleasant walking and shopping city.

However, the presence of catering establishments and shops partly displaces the residential function in the core of the city center.

Every year on Ascension Day, the Holy Blood Procession takes place in Bruges. The relic of the Holy Blood , which Diederik van Alsace is said to have brought from Jerusalem to Bruges, is venerated by the city. The procession consists of three parts: the Bible, the history of the Precious Blood and the prelature procession with the relics. Another major procession held in Bruges is the Golden Tree Procession . This five-yearly parade was created in 1958 with the central element being the "Coat of Arms of the Golden Tree", which was held in 1468 on the Bruges Market on the occasion of the wedding of Charles the Bold and Margaret of York .

In 2002, Bruges was the cultural capital of Europe . As a result, a new multifunctional concert building was built, with the ambition to give it an international appearance.

From 1968 to 1974 and again since 2015, the Bruges Triennial takes place every three years, originally starting as a traditional retrospective of current Belgian art and after the long interruption evolved into an open-air exhibition with monumental installations by international artists and architects, each around a central theme.

Bruges is also the center of one of the Flemish tourist regions : the Bruges Ommeland .

Architectural heritage
See also the list of immovable heritage in Bruges .
Civil
The Grote Markt , with the Belfry with City Halls , and several (neo)Gothic buildings, such as the Provincial Court (until the end of the 18th century the Waterhalle ).
De Burg , with the town hall , the buildings of the Brugse Vrije , the Proosdij and the Basilica of the Holy Blood.
The Jan van Eyckplein , with the Poortersloge and the Tolhuis .
The Hof van Gruuthuse (including museum ) and the Groeninge Museum on the Dijver , and the Rozenhoedkaai , with one of the most famous cityscapes of Bruges.
The Vismarkt and the Huidenvettersplein .
The Sint-Janshospitaal , which houses the municipal museum ' Memling in Sint-Jan ', and the nineteenth-century Sint-Jan, operated by a Spanish company and which exhibits paintings by Pablo Picasso .
The Gezelle House , in the birthplace of the poet Guido Gezelle .
The old city gates , namely the Smedenpoort , the Ezelpoort , the Kruispoort and the Gentpoort (the Dampoort , the Katelijnepoort and the Boeveriepoort have disappeared), and the four (partially) historic mills on the Kruisvest, namely the Sint-Janshuismolen , the Bonne- Chièremolen , the Koeleweimolen and De Nieuwe Papegaai .
The old almshouses .
Religious
The Begijnhof Ten Wijngaerde , with the Monasterium De Wijngaard .
The Basilica of the Holy Blood , the former St. Donas Cathedral and - under the Crowne Plaza Burghotel - the foundations of St. Donas Cathedral (where Charles the Good was murdered) on the Burg.
The Church of Our Lady (115.6 meter high brick tower) containing the tombs of Charles the Bold and his daughter Mary of Burgundy .
St. Salvator's Cathedral , founded in the 9th century .
The Jerusalem Church , including the mausoleum for Anselmus Adornes and his wife, Margaretha van der Banck .
The Sint-Walburga Church (Baroque Church), originally the church of a Jesuit monastery , now of the Sint-Walburga parish.
The English Monastery .
Other churches or chapels, such as St. Anne's Church , St. Giles' Church , St. James' Church , St. Magdalene Church , Carmelite Church , Our Lady of the Pottery Church , Our Lady of the Blind Chapel , the church of the Godelieve Abbey and the former Theresian Church (nowadays the Joseph Ryelandt Hall ).

Museums
Municipal museums
Since 2019, the umbrella organization of the city museums has been recognized as a Cultural Heritage Institution under the name Musea Brugge . The previous division into three museum groups (Groeninge Museum, Hospital Museum and Brugge Museum) has therefore been abolished. Musea Brugge is the umbrella organization of the fourteen museums of the City of Bruges. The collections contain visual and applied art from the 15th to the 21st century and are housed in protected monuments in the historic city center of Bruges.

Arentshuis
Belfry
Bruges Free
Companion house
Groeninge Museum
Gruuthuse Museum
Church of Our Lady
Museum Onze-Lieve-Vrouw ter Potterie
Burgher's lodge
St. John's Hospital
Sint-Janshuismolen
City Hall
Folklore Museum
Religious buildings with a museum secondary function
English Monastery
Holy Blood Basilica
Court Bladelin
Jerusalem Church
St. Salvator's Cathedral with treasury
St. Trudo Abbey Male
Our Lady of the Visitation Church , Lissewege

Bruges ( French and English : Bruges ; German : Brügge ) is the capital and largest city by population of the Belgian province of West Flanders and of the district of Bruges . The central city , located in the northwest of the country, is also the capital of the electoral canton of Bruges , itself has four judicial cantons and is the seat of the diocese of Bruges and of an assize court .

The historic center is included as a medieval city on the UNESCO World Heritage List . It is egg-shaped and approximately 430 hectares in size. The entire municipality has an area of ​​over 14,099 hectares, including approximately 1,075 hectares reclaimed from the sea, near Zeebrugge . The city has approximately 120,000 inhabitants; approximately 20,000 of them live in the city center. The inhabitants of Bruges are called Bruges residents.

Bruges' economic significance stems mainly from its seaport, Zeebrugge , but also from industry, services and schools at all levels. The city is also a world-famous tourist attraction.

Naming
See also: History of Bruges: Etymology .
The oldest written source using the city's name is the "Breviarium de thesauro sancti Bavonis, quod invenerunt fratres remansisse post Nordmannicam infestationem". This inventory of a church treasure of the Ghent St. Bavo's Abbey was drawn up after the plundering of the abbey by Normans , probably between 851 and 864. It mentions a golden cross that had been sent to Bruges for protection, but had not been returned: " crux illa aurea, que Bruggis fuit ad servandum missa nec postea reversa". The earliest copy of this inventory only dates from the 12th century. [2]

The oldest tangible source on which the name of the city is used for the first time are some coins dated according to the most recent insights between 864 and 898. They contain the entries Bruggas , Bruccas , Briuggas and Briuccas . [2]

It is not exactly known where the name Bruges comes from. It may be a corruption of the Celtic name for the now canalized river Reie , which flowed through Bruges and emptied into the North Sea . Reie itself comes from the Celtic word Rogia , meaning "Holy Water". The Celts regarded rivers and springs as divine beings, and it is likely that the Celtic name has stuck to the Bruges watercourse. Through evolution, the name of the water, Rogia or Ryggia , would also have become the name of the city, Bryggia .

It is possible that contamination also occurred in later centuries with the Old Norse word bryggja , meaning "landing bridge" or "mooring wharf". For example, from 800 onwards there were many contacts with Scandinavia through trade across the North Sea and through the raids of the Normans . The name Bruges therefore shows similarities with Bryggen , the historic port of Bergen , which, like Bruges, was an important city of the Hanseatic League from the 14th century .


The Langerei , part of the canalised river De Reie.
Bruges is regularly referred to as the " Venice of the North ", referring to its many waterways and bridges . Most of these canals are called " reien ", after the river Reie. Another theory is that the nickname has to do with the fact that the medieval trading cities of Bruges and Venice fulfilled somewhat similar economic functions as main distribution centers, each in its own region.

Bruges is also often called the "Breydel City", after the Bruges folk hero from the 14th century, Jan Breydel .

The nickname of the people of Bruges is "(Brugse) fools". They owe this nickname to an unlikely legend: after they had imprisoned Maximilian I of Austria for a time in their struggle for autonomy , he forbade the holding of an annual fair and other festivities. In an attempt to appease him, Bruges held a big party for him and then asked permission to hold another annual fair, collect taxes and ... build a new "fool's house". He replied: " Close all the gates of Bruges and you have a fool's house! ".

History
See history of Bruges for the main article on this subject.
The first signs of life on the current Bruges territory date from the 2nd century AD, when a Gallo-Roman settlement was located there. The name of Bruges was mentioned for the first time between 850 and 875. Between the 9th and 12th centuries, the city grew into an international trade center thanks to its important port. The port was briefly in danger of being compromised by the silting up of the area between Bruges and the current coastal strip. However , the creation of the Zwin , the navigation channel between Bruges and the sea, in 1134 ensured that the connection survived.

In 1089, Bruges was declared the 'capital' of the county of Flanders and from the 13th to the 15th century, Bruges could safely be regarded as the economic capital of Northwestern Europe . Due to its importance as a trading center, the first stock exchange building in the world was built in Bruges. In addition, the Waterhalle on the Grote Markt was also built as a meeting place for traders.

The period between ca. 1280 and 1480 can be called the golden age of Bruges. At that time the city had 46,000 inhabitants. The city center received a second city wall, some of whose gates have stood the test of time to this day. The Burgundian royal family had made Bruges its city of residence and attracted many excellent artists, including painters and architects. This resulted in an enormous enrichment of the city on an architectural, artistic and cultural level. The monumental town hall is a good example of this, but many impressive churches and houses also date from that period.

However, the death of Mary of Burgundy in 1482 marked a turning point and the royal family soon withdrew from the city. The end of Bruges as an international trade metropolis was in sight. Antwerp took over this role for a century and Bruges fell into complete decline. The Spanish king was also Count of Flanders from 1592 to 1713; this Spanish rule , coupled with several religious wars , dragged the city further and further into the depths.

This was followed by Austrian rule , a French annexation , a reunited Netherlands and Belgian independence . According to some, Bruges was one of the poorest cities in the Netherlands from 1600 to 1885. This usually involves citing the figures of the needy population. Others argue from this that the city, on the contrary, remained rich, since it could support so many poor people. The building of large city houses throughout the seventeenth to eighteenth centuries shows that there was at least a wealthy upper layer. The industrial revolution in the nineteenth century did not affect Bruges to any significant extent. The struggle for a new seaport was the major action point in Bruges.

From the beginning of the nineteenth century, Bruges was mainly praised as a place of residence and historical place by English authors. Towards the end of the century , Georges Rodenbach 's novel Bruges-la-Morte was one of the elements that brought additional attention to the city. The book presented Bruges as impoverished but mysterious and this generated additional international interest. The historical heritage was rediscovered and the construction of the seaport in Zeebrugge in 1896 also promised to bring about an economic revival. The exhibition of the Flemish Primitives in 1902 was the starting signal for the strong cultural and tourist development that has characterized the city since then.

During the two world wars, Bruges was almost completely spared from destruction. In 1971, the city's territory was significantly expanded through a merger with the surrounding peripheral municipalities and in 2000 the city center was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. During the year 2002, Bruges was the cultural capital of Europe .

Geography
The area in which Bruges grew is located on the border of a sandy loam area and the sea polders , approximately 15 km from the North Sea . Most of the city can be considered part of the Zandstreek.

Bruges has eight sub-municipalities , six of which – Brugge, Sint-Andries, Sint-Michiels, Assebroek, Sint-Kruis and Koolkerke – have an urban character and two – Dudzele and Lissewege – are characterized by a rural and port-related landscape on the one hand. The city center – the historic part of the city within the fortifications – has the highest population density on average. Neighborhoods adjacent to the city center also often have a high population density, sometimes higher than some neighborhoods in the city center. In general, with the exception of certain neighborhoods, population density decreases slightly the further one moves from the city center.

Bruges is best known as a historic city with a lot of cultural heritage. The historic center is well preserved, especially the medieval street pattern and heritage. The current appearance of the city center has also been influenced by the interest in Gothic Revival in the 19th century, which resulted in the 'neo-Bruges style', ranging from Gothic Revival to eclecticism . Many buildings were then embellished, restored, rebuilt or newly built in this style. [6] The canals , the history, the archaeological finds, but also the shopping streets attract many people to this city every day. The city center of Bruges can be explored largely on foot, but also by bicycle (carriage), horse-drawn carriage or tram, with City Tour buses or with boats on the canals.

For residential tourism, the city has more than 90 hotels, good for more than 7,800 beds. The youth accommodation and guest rooms each provide more than 1,000 beds. In 2015, there were approximately 1.13 million arrivals in Bruges, including approximately 27,100 in Zeebrugge, and more than 2.03 million overnight stays, including approximately 52,300 in Zeebrugge. [8] Compared to other large Flemish cities, a smaller share of these has a business character, although this share appears to have increased in recent years.

Car traffic is kept out of the city center as much as possible. The speed limits (30 km per hour), a loop plan with a lot of one-way traffic (two directions for cyclists) and peripheral car parks should make Bruges a pleasant walking and shopping city.

However, the presence of catering establishments and shops partly displaces the residential function in the core of the city center.

Every year on Ascension Day, the Holy Blood Procession takes place in Bruges. The relic of the Holy Blood , which Diederik van Alsace is said to have brought from Jerusalem to Bruges, is venerated by the city. The procession consists of three parts: the Bible, the history of the Precious Blood and the prelature procession with the relics. Another major procession held in Bruges is the Golden Tree Procession . This five-yearly parade was created in 1958 with the central element being the "Coat of Arms of the Golden Tree", which was held in 1468 on the Bruges Market on the occasion of the wedding of Charles the Bold and Margaret of York .

In 2002, Bruges was the cultural capital of Europe . As a result, a new multifunctional concert building was built, with the ambition to give it an international appearance.

From 1968 to 1974 and again since 2015, the Bruges Triennial takes place every three years, originally starting as a traditional retrospective of current Belgian art and after the long interruption evolved into an open-air exhibition with monumental installations by international artists and architects, each around a central theme.

Bruges is also the center of one of the Flemish tourist regions : the Bruges Ommeland .

Architectural heritage
See also the list of immovable heritage in Bruges .
Civil
The Grote Markt , with the Belfry with City Halls , and several (neo)Gothic buildings, such as the Provincial Court (until the end of the 18th century the Waterhalle ).
De Burg , with the town hall , the buildings of the Brugse Vrije , the Proosdij and the Basilica of the Holy Blood.
The Jan van Eyckplein , with the Poortersloge and the Tolhuis .
The Hof van Gruuthuse (including museum ) and the Groeninge Museum on the Dijver , and the Rozenhoedkaai , with one of the most famous cityscapes of Bruges.
The Vismarkt and the Huidenvettersplein .
The Sint-Janshospitaal , which houses the municipal museum ' Memling in Sint-Jan ', and the nineteenth-century Sint-Jan, operated by a Spanish company and which exhibits paintings by Pablo Picasso .
The Gezelle House , in the birthplace of the poet Guido Gezelle .
The old city gates , namely the Smedenpoort , the Ezelpoort , the Kruispoort and the Gentpoort (the Dampoort , the Katelijnepoort and the Boeveriepoort have disappeared), and the four (partially) historic mills on the Kruisvest, namely the Sint-Janshuismolen , the Bonne- Chièremolen , the Koeleweimolen and De Nieuwe Papegaai .
The old almshouses .
Religious
The Begijnhof Ten Wijngaerde , with the Monasterium De Wijngaard .
The Basilica of the Holy Blood , the former St. Donas Cathedral and - under the Crowne Plaza Burghotel - the foundations of St. Donas Cathedral (where Charles the Good was murdered) on the Burg.
The Church of Our Lady (115.6 meter high brick tower) containing the tombs of Charles the Bold and his daughter Mary of Burgundy .
St. Salvator's Cathedral , founded in the 9th century .
The Jerusalem Church , including the mausoleum for Anselmus Adornes and his wife, Margaretha van der Banck .
The Sint-Walburga Church (Baroque Church), originally the church of a Jesuit monastery , now of the Sint-Walburga parish.
The English Monastery .
Other churches or chapels, such as St. Anne's Church , St. Giles' Church , St. James' Church , St. Magdalene Church , Carmelite Church , Our Lady of the Pottery Church , Our Lady of the Blind Chapel , the church of the Godelieve Abbey and the former Theresian Church (nowadays the Joseph Ryelandt Hall ).

Museums
Municipal museums
Since 2019, the umbrella organization of the city museums has been recognized as a Cultural Heritage Institution under the name Musea Brugge . The previous division into three museum groups (Groeninge Museum, Hospital Museum and Brugge Museum) has therefore been abolished. Musea Brugge is the umbrella organization of the fourteen museums of the City of Bruges. The collections contain visual and applied art from the 15th to the 21st century and are housed in protected monuments in the historic city center of Bruges.

Arentshuis
Belfry
Bruges Free
Companion house
Groeninge Museum
Gruuthuse Museum
Church of Our Lady
Museum Onze-Lieve-Vrouw ter Potterie
Burgher's lodge
St. John's Hospital
Sint-Janshuismolen
City Hall
Folklore Museum
Religious buildings with a museum secondary function
English Monastery
Holy Blood Basilica
Court Bladelin
Jerusalem Church
St. Salvator's Cathedral with treasury
St. Trudo Abbey Male
Our Lady of the Visitation Church , Lissewege

The Dijver is a watercourse and a street in the historic center of Bruges . The canal runs from the Gruuthusebrug to the Rozenhoedkaai and the Huidenvettersplein . The street of the same name is located on the southern bank of the canal and runs from the Gruuthusebrug to the Wollestraat and the Rozenhoedkaai. The Dijver is part of the course of the original river Reie and is spanned by the Gruuthuse Bridge and the Johannes Nepomucenus Bridge .

This name is one of the oldest in Bruges. The earliest mentions are:

1292: supra diveram;
1302: up die diverse;
1369: caye up den divere.
The name dates back to Celtic times and comes from the Indo-Germanic deiwo , god or divine. It is a toponym that, like "Reie" ( Rogia ), means "holy water".

The Dijver then formed the northern border of an island covered with oak trees , trees sacred to the Celts. Traditionally it has been a place of gathering and a place of worship was established on the island. After the Christianization of this cult place, the hermit Everelmus is said to have settled there a few centuries later, around 1050, from which the Eekhout Abbey would later have developed. From at least 1127, the Dijver was part of the first city walls of Bruges.

Today the street has a varied function, including commercial and educational activities ( College of Europe ), catering and to a lesser extent housing. Flea and folklore markets also often take place there. Furthermore, the Dijver has an important museum function with the presence of the Groeninge Museum , the Arentshuis and the Gruuthuse Museum .

Bruges ( French and English : Bruges ; German : Brügge ) is the capital and largest city by population of the Belgian province of West Flanders and of the district of Bruges . The central city , located in the northwest of the country, is also the capital of the electoral canton of Bruges , itself has four judicial cantons and is the seat of the diocese of Bruges and of an assize court .

The historic center is included as a medieval city on the UNESCO World Heritage List . It is egg-shaped and approximately 430 hectares in size. The entire municipality has an area of ​​over 14,099 hectares, including approximately 1,075 hectares reclaimed from the sea, near Zeebrugge . The city has approximately 120,000 inhabitants; approximately 20,000 of them live in the city center. The inhabitants of Bruges are called Bruges residents.

Bruges' economic significance stems mainly from its seaport, Zeebrugge , but also from industry, services and schools at all levels. The city is also a world-famous tourist attraction.

Naming
See also: History of Bruges: Etymology .
The oldest written source using the city's name is the "Breviarium de thesauro sancti Bavonis, quod invenerunt fratres remansisse post Nordmannicam infestationem". This inventory of a church treasure of the Ghent St. Bavo's Abbey was drawn up after the plundering of the abbey by Normans , probably between 851 and 864. It mentions a golden cross that had been sent to Bruges for protection, but had not been returned: " crux illa aurea, que Bruggis fuit ad servandum missa nec postea reversa". The earliest copy of this inventory only dates from the 12th century. [2]

The oldest tangible source on which the name of the city is used for the first time are some coins dated according to the most recent insights between 864 and 898. They contain the entries Bruggas , Bruccas , Briuggas and Briuccas . [2]

It is not exactly known where the name Bruges comes from. It may be a corruption of the Celtic name for the now canalized river Reie , which flowed through Bruges and emptied into the North Sea . Reie itself comes from the Celtic word Rogia , meaning "Holy Water". The Celts regarded rivers and springs as divine beings, and it is likely that the Celtic name has stuck to the Bruges watercourse. Through evolution, the name of the water, Rogia or Ryggia , would also have become the name of the city, Bryggia .

It is possible that contamination also occurred in later centuries with the Old Norse word bryggja , meaning "landing bridge" or "mooring wharf". For example, from 800 onwards there were many contacts with Scandinavia through trade across the North Sea and through the raids of the Normans . The name Bruges therefore shows similarities with Bryggen , the historic port of Bergen , which, like Bruges, was an important city of the Hanseatic League from the 14th century .


The Langerei , part of the canalised river De Reie.
Bruges is regularly referred to as the " Venice of the North ", referring to its many waterways and bridges . Most of these canals are called " reien ", after the river Reie. Another theory is that the nickname has to do with the fact that the medieval trading cities of Bruges and Venice fulfilled somewhat similar economic functions as main distribution centers, each in its own region.

Bruges is also often called the "Breydel City", after the Bruges folk hero from the 14th century, Jan Breydel .

The nickname of the people of Bruges is "(Brugse) fools". They owe this nickname to an unlikely legend: after they had imprisoned Maximilian I of Austria for a time in their struggle for autonomy , he forbade the holding of an annual fair and other festivities. In an attempt to appease him, Bruges held a big party for him and then asked permission to hold another annual fair, collect taxes and ... build a new "fool's house". He replied: " Close all the gates of Bruges and you have a fool's house! ".

History
See history of Bruges for the main article on this subject.
The first signs of life on the current Bruges territory date from the 2nd century AD, when a Gallo-Roman settlement was located there. The name of Bruges was mentioned for the first time between 850 and 875. Between the 9th and 12th centuries, the city grew into an international trade center thanks to its important port. The port was briefly in danger of being compromised by the silting up of the area between Bruges and the current coastal strip. However , the creation of the Zwin , the navigation channel between Bruges and the sea, in 1134 ensured that the connection survived.

In 1089, Bruges was declared the 'capital' of the county of Flanders and from the 13th to the 15th century, Bruges could safely be regarded as the economic capital of Northwestern Europe . Due to its importance as a trading center, the first stock exchange building in the world was built in Bruges. In addition, the Waterhalle on the Grote Markt was also built as a meeting place for traders.

The period between ca. 1280 and 1480 can be called the golden age of Bruges. At that time the city had 46,000 inhabitants. The city center received a second city wall, some of whose gates have stood the test of time to this day. The Burgundian royal family had made Bruges its city of residence and attracted many excellent artists, including painters and architects. This resulted in an enormous enrichment of the city on an architectural, artistic and cultural level. The monumental town hall is a good example of this, but many impressive churches and houses also date from that period.

However, the death of Mary of Burgundy in 1482 marked a turning point and the royal family soon withdrew from the city. The end of Bruges as an international trade metropolis was in sight. Antwerp took over this role for a century and Bruges fell into complete decline. The Spanish king was also Count of Flanders from 1592 to 1713; this Spanish rule , coupled with several religious wars , dragged the city further and further into the depths.

This was followed by Austrian rule , a French annexation , a reunited Netherlands and Belgian independence . According to some, Bruges was one of the poorest cities in the Netherlands from 1600 to 1885. This usually involves citing the figures of the needy population. Others argue from this that the city, on the contrary, remained rich, since it could support so many poor people. The building of large city houses throughout the seventeenth to eighteenth centuries shows that there was at least a wealthy upper layer. The industrial revolution in the nineteenth century did not affect Bruges to any significant extent. The struggle for a new seaport was the major action point in Bruges.

From the beginning of the nineteenth century, Bruges was mainly praised as a place of residence and historical place by English authors. Towards the end of the century , Georges Rodenbach 's novel Bruges-la-Morte was one of the elements that brought additional attention to the city. The book presented Bruges as impoverished but mysterious and this generated additional international interest. The historical heritage was rediscovered and the construction of the seaport in Zeebrugge in 1896 also promised to bring about an economic revival. The exhibition of the Flemish Primitives in 1902 was the starting signal for the strong cultural and tourist development that has characterized the city since then.

During the two world wars, Bruges was almost completely spared from destruction. In 1971, the city's territory was significantly expanded through a merger with the surrounding peripheral municipalities and in 2000 the city center was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. During the year 2002, Bruges was the cultural capital of Europe .

Geography
The area in which Bruges grew is located on the border of a sandy loam area and the sea polders , approximately 15 km from the North Sea . Most of the city can be considered part of the Zandstreek.

Bruges has eight sub-municipalities , six of which – Brugge, Sint-Andries, Sint-Michiels, Assebroek, Sint-Kruis and Koolkerke – have an urban character and two – Dudzele and Lissewege – are characterized by a rural and port-related landscape on the one hand. The city center – the historic part of the city within the fortifications – has the highest population density on average. Neighborhoods adjacent to the city center also often have a high population density, sometimes higher than some neighborhoods in the city center. In general, with the exception of certain neighborhoods, population density decreases slightly the further one moves from the city center.

Bruges is best known as a historic city with a lot of cultural heritage. The historic center is well preserved, especially the medieval street pattern and heritage. The current appearance of the city center has also been influenced by the interest in Gothic Revival in the 19th century, which resulted in the 'neo-Bruges style', ranging from Gothic Revival to eclecticism . Many buildings were then embellished, restored, rebuilt or newly built in this style. [6] The canals , the history, the archaeological finds, but also the shopping streets attract many people to this city every day. The city center of Bruges can be explored largely on foot, but also by bicycle (carriage), horse-drawn carriage or tram, with City Tour buses or with boats on the canals.

For residential tourism, the city has more than 90 hotels, good for more than 7,800 beds. The youth accommodation and guest rooms each provide more than 1,000 beds. In 2015, there were approximately 1.13 million arrivals in Bruges, including approximately 27,100 in Zeebrugge, and more than 2.03 million overnight stays, including approximately 52,300 in Zeebrugge. [8] Compared to other large Flemish cities, a smaller share of these has a business character, although this share appears to have increased in recent years.

Car traffic is kept out of the city center as much as possible. The speed limits (30 km per hour), a loop plan with a lot of one-way traffic (two directions for cyclists) and peripheral car parks should make Bruges a pleasant walking and shopping city.

However, the presence of catering establishments and shops partly displaces the residential function in the core of the city center.

Every year on Ascension Day, the Holy Blood Procession takes place in Bruges. The relic of the Holy Blood , which Diederik van Alsace is said to have brought from Jerusalem to Bruges, is venerated by the city. The procession consists of three parts: the Bible, the history of the Precious Blood and the prelature procession with the relics. Another major procession held in Bruges is the Golden Tree Procession . This five-yearly parade was created in 1958 with the central element being the "Coat of Arms of the Golden Tree", which was held in 1468 on the Bruges Market on the occasion of the wedding of Charles the Bold and Margaret of York .

In 2002, Bruges was the cultural capital of Europe . As a result, a new multifunctional concert building was built, with the ambition to give it an international appearance.

From 1968 to 1974 and again since 2015, the Bruges Triennial takes place every three years, originally starting as a traditional retrospective of current Belgian art and after the long interruption evolved into an open-air exhibition with monumental installations by international artists and architects, each around a central theme.

Bruges is also the center of one of the Flemish tourist regions : the Bruges Ommeland .

Architectural heritage
See also the list of immovable heritage in Bruges .
Civil
The Grote Markt , with the Belfry with City Halls , and several (neo)Gothic buildings, such as the Provincial Court (until the end of the 18th century the Waterhalle ).
De Burg , with the town hall , the buildings of the Brugse Vrije , the Proosdij and the Basilica of the Holy Blood.
The Jan van Eyckplein , with the Poortersloge and the Tolhuis .
The Hof van Gruuthuse (including museum ) and the Groeninge Museum on the Dijver , and the Rozenhoedkaai , with one of the most famous cityscapes of Bruges.
The Vismarkt and the Huidenvettersplein .
The Sint-Janshospitaal , which houses the municipal museum ' Memling in Sint-Jan ', and the nineteenth-century Sint-Jan, operated by a Spanish company and which exhibits paintings by Pablo Picasso .
The Gezelle House , in the birthplace of the poet Guido Gezelle .
The old city gates , namely the Smedenpoort , the Ezelpoort , the Kruispoort and the Gentpoort (the Dampoort , the Katelijnepoort and the Boeveriepoort have disappeared), and the four (partially) historic mills on the Kruisvest, namely the Sint-Janshuismolen , the Bonne- Chièremolen , the Koeleweimolen and De Nieuwe Papegaai .
The old almshouses .
Religious
The Begijnhof Ten Wijngaerde , with the Monasterium De Wijngaard .
The Basilica of the Holy Blood , the former St. Donas Cathedral and - under the Crowne Plaza Burghotel - the foundations of St. Donas Cathedral (where Charles the Good was murdered) on the Burg.
The Church of Our Lady (115.6 meter high brick tower) containing the tombs of Charles the Bold and his daughter Mary of Burgundy .
St. Salvator's Cathedral , founded in the 9th century .
The Jerusalem Church , including the mausoleum for Anselmus Adornes and his wife, Margaretha van der Banck .
The Sint-Walburga Church (Baroque Church), originally the church of a Jesuit monastery , now of the Sint-Walburga parish.
The English Monastery .
Other churches or chapels, such as St. Anne's Church , St. Giles' Church , St. James' Church , St. Magdalene Church , Carmelite Church , Our Lady of the Pottery Church , Our Lady of the Blind Chapel , the church of the Godelieve Abbey and the former Theresian Church (nowadays the Joseph Ryelandt Hall ).

Museums
Municipal museums
Since 2019, the umbrella organization of the city museums has been recognized as a Cultural Heritage Institution under the name Musea Brugge . The previous division into three museum groups (Groeninge Museum, Hospital Museum and Brugge Museum) has therefore been abolished. Musea Brugge is the umbrella organization of the fourteen museums of the City of Bruges. The collections contain visual and applied art from the 15th to the 21st century and are housed in protected monuments in the historic city center of Bruges.

Arentshuis
Belfry
Bruges Free
Companion house
Groeninge Museum
Gruuthuse Museum
Church of Our Lady
Museum Onze-Lieve-Vrouw ter Potterie
Burgher's lodge
St. John's Hospital
Sint-Janshuismolen
City Hall
Folklore Museum
Religious buildings with a museum secondary function
English Monastery
Holy Blood Basilica
Court Bladelin
Jerusalem Church
St. Salvator's Cathedral with treasury
St. Trudo Abbey Male
Our Lady of the Visitation Church , Lissewege

The Church of Our Lady is one of the oldest places of worship in Bruges , and a tourist attraction. Until the end of the ancien régime, it was a collegiate church with a provost and a chapter of canons, afterwards a decanal church .

The 115.6 meter high, completely brick tower dominates the Bruges cityscape. The Church of Our Lady, one of the tallest buildings in Belgium, is the second tallest brick building in the world (after the 130.6-metre-high St. Martin's Church in Landshut , Germany).

It is a recognized parish church within Bruges and has been part of the parish federation Sint-Donatianus since the beginning of the 21st century . Since the 1980s it has also functioned as a tourist 'welcome church'. Since 2019, the church has been included within the umbrella organization Musea Brugge .

Construction history
The first church on this site, a Carolingian chapel, dated from around 875. In the church archives the foundation is dated to the year 741 and attributed to Boniface , but this claim is doubtful, as the oldest patronymic goes back to his companion Hilary . According to the current thesis, the chapel was founded as a daughter church [1] of the St. Martin's Church in Sijsele , which in turn was owned by the Utrecht Cathedral . In 1116 the chapel separated from Sijsele and became the main church of an independent parish . Presumably the structure was therefore rebuilt and expanded under Charles the Good .

Construction of the current church started around 1230. The oldest part, the nave , was built in Tournai stone , in the typical Scheldt Gothic style . The influence of the Scheldt Gothic can also be recognized on the front and west facades, with the two typical stair turrets and the use of bluestone. The choir section and the apse , built between 1270 and 1280, radiate classical French Gothic , but completely in brick. The northern aisle was built in 1370 and the southern one in 1450. The Paradise Portal was built in Brabant Gothic around 1465 .

The tower of the Church of Our Lady is the tallest building in the city of Bruges. The first tower collapsed in 1163 and was rebuilt between about 1270 and 1340; the spire was only added in the 15th century and rebuilt in the 19th century . The use of brick is typical of coastal Gothic. The church has five naves. In the middle of the nave, the rood screen , which consists of three parts, divides the church into two parts: the high choir and the nave. The apostle statues are from the 17th century .

Tombs and choir
The church is known, among other things, because Mary of Burgundy is buried there. Her remains were identified during archaeological investigations in 1979. Only the mausoleum of her father, Charles the Bold, is present here. His remains were transferred from France to Bruges by Emperor Charles V , a grandson of Mary. He was probably buried in the now disappeared St. Donaas Cathedral on the Burg. His corpse was never found. The mausoleums are located in the high choir of the church.

Above the high altar hangs a triptych by the court painter of Margaret of Austria , Bernard van Orley . It is a passion story with the death on the cross in the middle. At the foot of the altar, under the mausoleum, three richly painted tombs were uncovered.

The lead coffin in one of the graves (visibly placed) contains the bones of Mary, who died in Bruges in 1482. An inscription indicates that the heart of her son Philip the Fair , father of Charles V, is stored in a separate lead box.

Mary's mausoleum, which is also the oldest, was designed by Jan Borman . Both monarchs are depicted in a lying position with their hands folded, according to medieval custom. With open eyes they contemplate eternal life. At their feet, the lion and dog function as symbols of male strength and female loyalty.

The face of Mary of Burgundy is depicted in delicate detail, modeled after the death mask. Her crown adorned with gems, her hands and her lavishly flowing cloak are a miniature work of art. The grave monument is still completely Gothic in concept and spirit.

The mausoleum of Charles the Bold is half a century younger. The elaboration is partly Gothic, partly Renaissance . The lines are much tighter, but the armor is artfully and detailed. Both black sarcophagi have memorial plaques on the front and on the side walls you can see the enamelled family shields of the ancestors.

Photos of the mausoleums can be found in the articles devoted to Mary of Burgundy and Charles the Bold.

Thirty coats of arms of knights of the Golden Fleece hang above the choir stalls . The first shield on the left is that of Charles the Bold, directly opposite that of his brother-in-law Edward IV of England . The coats of arms recall the chapter of the Order of the Golden Fleece that was held in this church in 1468.

Mary and Child by Michelangelo
Michelangelo 's world-famous work , Madonna and Child , intended for the Piccolomini Altar of the Siena Cathedral , is one of the most important works of art preserved in the Church of Our Lady. It was purchased in Italy by the Bruges merchant Jan van Mouscron (Giovanni di Moscerone) and donated to the church in 1514. The donor's family grave is at the foot of the altar, in front of the statue.

The statue was removed in 1794 by the French occupiers and in 1944 by the German occupiers, but could always be returned to Bruges.

Lanchal Chapel
Pieter Lanchals (1440-1488) was the Bruges sheriff who was beheaded by the people of Bruges for his loyalty to Burgundy and Maximilian of Austria. His head was exhibited at the Ghent Gate . His grave monument was partially preserved in the Church of Our Lady.

According to a legend that originated in the 19th century, Emperor Maximilian I , husband of Mary of Burgundy , ordered the city to maintain 52 long-necked swans and allow them to swim in the canals forever.

Celestial Hole
A sky hole with an intact hoist mechanism has been preserved above the crossing . Through this, ascensions were depicted for the faithful by hoisting statues. The last restorer has mentioned his work on the painted hatch: This vaute was made by Eugenius Goddyn in the year 1762 .

The Church of Our Lady is one of the oldest places of worship in Bruges , and a tourist attraction. Until the end of the ancien régime, it was a collegiate church with a provost and a chapter of canons, afterwards a decanal church .

The 115.6 meter high, completely brick tower dominates the Bruges cityscape. The Church of Our Lady, one of the tallest buildings in Belgium, is the second tallest brick building in the world (after the 130.6-metre-high St. Martin's Church in Landshut , Germany).

It is a recognized parish church within Bruges and has been part of the parish federation Sint-Donatianus since the beginning of the 21st century . Since the 1980s it has also functioned as a tourist 'welcome church'. Since 2019, the church has been included within the umbrella organization Musea Brugge .

Construction history
The first church on this site, a Carolingian chapel, dated from around 875. In the church archives the foundation is dated to the year 741 and attributed to Boniface , but this claim is doubtful, as the oldest patronymic goes back to his companion Hilary . According to the current thesis, the chapel was founded as a daughter church [1] of the St. Martin's Church in Sijsele , which in turn was owned by the Utrecht Cathedral . In 1116 the chapel separated from Sijsele and became the main church of an independent parish . Presumably the structure was therefore rebuilt and expanded under Charles the Good .

Construction of the current church started around 1230. The oldest part, the nave , was built in Tournai stone , in the typical Scheldt Gothic style . The influence of the Scheldt Gothic can also be recognized on the front and west facades, with the two typical stair turrets and the use of bluestone. The choir section and the apse , built between 1270 and 1280, radiate classical French Gothic , but completely in brick. The northern aisle was built in 1370 and the southern one in 1450. The Paradise Portal was built in Brabant Gothic around 1465 .

The tower of the Church of Our Lady is the tallest building in the city of Bruges. The first tower collapsed in 1163 and was rebuilt between about 1270 and 1340; the spire was only added in the 15th century and rebuilt in the 19th century . The use of brick is typical of coastal Gothic. The church has five naves. In the middle of the nave, the rood screen , which consists of three parts, divides the church into two parts: the high choir and the nave. The apostle statues are from the 17th century .

Tombs and choir
The church is known, among other things, because Mary of Burgundy is buried there. Her remains were identified during archaeological investigations in 1979. Only the mausoleum of her father, Charles the Bold, is present here. His remains were transferred from France to Bruges by Emperor Charles V , a grandson of Mary. He was probably buried in the now disappeared St. Donaas Cathedral on the Burg. His corpse was never found. The mausoleums are located in the high choir of the church.

Above the high altar hangs a triptych by the court painter of Margaret of Austria , Bernard van Orley . It is a passion story with the death on the cross in the middle. At the foot of the altar, under the mausoleum, three richly painted tombs were uncovered.

The lead coffin in one of the graves (visibly placed) contains the bones of Mary, who died in Bruges in 1482. An inscription indicates that the heart of her son Philip the Fair , father of Charles V, is stored in a separate lead box.

Mary's mausoleum, which is also the oldest, was designed by Jan Borman . Both monarchs are depicted in a lying position with their hands folded, according to medieval custom. With open eyes they contemplate eternal life. At their feet, the lion and dog function as symbols of male strength and female loyalty.

The face of Mary of Burgundy is depicted in delicate detail, modeled after the death mask. Her crown adorned with gems, her hands and her lavishly flowing cloak are a miniature work of art. The grave monument is still completely Gothic in concept and spirit.

The mausoleum of Charles the Bold is half a century younger. The elaboration is partly Gothic, partly Renaissance . The lines are much tighter, but the armor is artfully and detailed. Both black sarcophagi have memorial plaques on the front and on the side walls you can see the enamelled family shields of the ancestors.

Photos of the mausoleums can be found in the articles devoted to Mary of Burgundy and Charles the Bold.

Thirty coats of arms of knights of the Golden Fleece hang above the choir stalls . The first shield on the left is that of Charles the Bold, directly opposite that of his brother-in-law Edward IV of England . The coats of arms recall the chapter of the Order of the Golden Fleece that was held in this church in 1468.

Mary and Child by Michelangelo
Michelangelo 's world-famous work , Madonna and Child , intended for the Piccolomini Altar of the Siena Cathedral , is one of the most important works of art preserved in the Church of Our Lady. It was purchased in Italy by the Bruges merchant Jan van Mouscron (Giovanni di Moscerone) and donated to the church in 1514. The donor's family grave is at the foot of the altar, in front of the statue.

The statue was removed in 1794 by the French occupiers and in 1944 by the German occupiers, but could always be returned to Bruges.

Lanchal Chapel
Pieter Lanchals (1440-1488) was the Bruges sheriff who was beheaded by the people of Bruges for his loyalty to Burgundy and Maximilian of Austria. His head was exhibited at the Ghent Gate . His grave monument was partially preserved in the Church of Our Lady.

According to a legend that originated in the 19th century, Emperor Maximilian I , husband of Mary of Burgundy , ordered the city to maintain 52 long-necked swans and allow them to swim in the canals forever.

Celestial Hole
A sky hole with an intact hoist mechanism has been preserved above the crossing . Through this, ascensions were depicted for the faithful by hoisting statues. The last restorer has mentioned his work on the painted hatch: This vaute was made by Eugenius Goddyn in the year 1762 .

The Church of Our Lady is one of the oldest places of worship in Bruges , and a tourist attraction. Until the end of the ancien régime, it was a collegiate church with a provost and a chapter of canons, afterwards a decanal church .

The 115.6 meter high, completely brick tower dominates the Bruges cityscape. The Church of Our Lady, one of the tallest buildings in Belgium, is the second tallest brick building in the world (after the 130.6-metre-high St. Martin's Church in Landshut , Germany).

It is a recognized parish church within Bruges and has been part of the parish federation Sint-Donatianus since the beginning of the 21st century . Since the 1980s it has also functioned as a tourist 'welcome church'. Since 2019, the church has been included within the umbrella organization Musea Brugge .

Construction history
The first church on this site, a Carolingian chapel, dated from around 875. In the church archives the foundation is dated to the year 741 and attributed to Boniface , but this claim is doubtful, as the oldest patronymic goes back to his companion Hilary . According to the current thesis, the chapel was founded as a daughter church [1] of the St. Martin's Church in Sijsele , which in turn was owned by the Utrecht Cathedral . In 1116 the chapel separated from Sijsele and became the main church of an independent parish . Presumably the structure was therefore rebuilt and expanded under Charles the Good .

Construction of the current church started around 1230. The oldest part, the nave , was built in Tournai stone , in the typical Scheldt Gothic style . The influence of the Scheldt Gothic can also be recognized on the front and west facades, with the two typical stair turrets and the use of bluestone. The choir section and the apse , built between 1270 and 1280, radiate classical French Gothic , but completely in brick. The northern aisle was built in 1370 and the southern one in 1450. The Paradise Portal was built in Brabant Gothic around 1465 .

The tower of the Church of Our Lady is the tallest building in the city of Bruges. The first tower collapsed in 1163 and was rebuilt between about 1270 and 1340; the spire was only added in the 15th century and rebuilt in the 19th century . The use of brick is typical of coastal Gothic. The church has five naves. In the middle of the nave, the rood screen , which consists of three parts, divides the church into two parts: the high choir and the nave. The apostle statues are from the 17th century .

Tombs and choir
The church is known, among other things, because Mary of Burgundy is buried there. Her remains were identified during archaeological investigations in 1979. Only the mausoleum of her father, Charles the Bold, is present here. His remains were transferred from France to Bruges by Emperor Charles V , a grandson of Mary. He was probably buried in the now disappeared St. Donaas Cathedral on the Burg. His corpse was never found. The mausoleums are located in the high choir of the church.

Above the high altar hangs a triptych by the court painter of Margaret of Austria , Bernard van Orley . It is a passion story with the death on the cross in the middle. At the foot of the altar, under the mausoleum, three richly painted tombs were uncovered.

The lead coffin in one of the graves (visibly placed) contains the bones of Mary, who died in Bruges in 1482. An inscription indicates that the heart of her son Philip the Fair , father of Charles V, is stored in a separate lead box.

Mary's mausoleum, which is also the oldest, was designed by Jan Borman . Both monarchs are depicted in a lying position with their hands folded, according to medieval custom. With open eyes they contemplate eternal life. At their feet, the lion and dog function as symbols of male strength and female loyalty.

The face of Mary of Burgundy is depicted in delicate detail, modeled after the death mask. Her crown adorned with gems, her hands and her lavishly flowing cloak are a miniature work of art. The grave monument is still completely Gothic in concept and spirit.

The mausoleum of Charles the Bold is half a century younger. The elaboration is partly Gothic, partly Renaissance . The lines are much tighter, but the armor is artfully and detailed. Both black sarcophagi have memorial plaques on the front and on the side walls you can see the enamelled family shields of the ancestors.

Photos of the mausoleums can be found in the articles devoted to Mary of Burgundy and Charles the Bold.

Thirty coats of arms of knights of the Golden Fleece hang above the choir stalls . The first shield on the left is that of Charles the Bold, directly opposite that of his brother-in-law Edward IV of England . The coats of arms recall the chapter of the Order of the Golden Fleece that was held in this church in 1468.

Mary and Child by Michelangelo
Michelangelo 's world-famous work , Madonna and Child , intended for the Piccolomini Altar of the Siena Cathedral , is one of the most important works of art preserved in the Church of Our Lady. It was purchased in Italy by the Bruges merchant Jan van Mouscron (Giovanni di Moscerone) and donated to the church in 1514. The donor's family grave is at the foot of the altar, in front of the statue.

The statue was removed in 1794 by the French occupiers and in 1944 by the German occupiers, but could always be returned to Bruges.

Lanchal Chapel
Pieter Lanchals (1440-1488) was the Bruges sheriff who was beheaded by the people of Bruges for his loyalty to Burgundy and Maximilian of Austria. His head was exhibited at the Ghent Gate . His grave monument was partially preserved in the Church of Our Lady.

According to a legend that originated in the 19th century, Emperor Maximilian I , husband of Mary of Burgundy , ordered the city to maintain 52 long-necked swans and allow them to swim in the canals forever.

Celestial Hole
A sky hole with an intact hoist mechanism has been preserved above the crossing . Through this, ascensions were depicted for the faithful by hoisting statues. The last restorer has mentioned his work on the painted hatch: This vaute was made by Eugenius Goddyn in the year 1762 .

The Church of Our Lady is one of the oldest places of worship in Bruges , and a tourist attraction. Until the end of the ancien régime, it was a collegiate church with a provost and a chapter of canons, afterwards a decanal church .

The 115.6 meter high, completely brick tower dominates the Bruges cityscape. The Church of Our Lady, one of the tallest buildings in Belgium, is the second tallest brick building in the world (after the 130.6-metre-high St. Martin's Church in Landshut , Germany).

It is a recognized parish church within Bruges and has been part of the parish federation Sint-Donatianus since the beginning of the 21st century . Since the 1980s it has also functioned as a tourist 'welcome church'. Since 2019, the church has been included within the umbrella organization Musea Brugge .

Construction history
The first church on this site, a Carolingian chapel, dated from around 875. In the church archives the foundation is dated to the year 741 and attributed to Boniface , but this claim is doubtful, as the oldest patronymic goes back to his companion Hilary . According to the current thesis, the chapel was founded as a daughter church [1] of the St. Martin's Church in Sijsele , which in turn was owned by the Utrecht Cathedral . In 1116 the chapel separated from Sijsele and became the main church of an independent parish . Presumably the structure was therefore rebuilt and expanded under Charles the Good .

Construction of the current church started around 1230. The oldest part, the nave , was built in Tournai stone , in the typical Scheldt Gothic style . The influence of the Scheldt Gothic can also be recognized on the front and west facades, with the two typical stair turrets and the use of bluestone. The choir section and the apse , built between 1270 and 1280, radiate classical French Gothic , but completely in brick. The northern aisle was built in 1370 and the southern one in 1450. The Paradise Portal was built in Brabant Gothic around 1465 .

The tower of the Church of Our Lady is the tallest building in the city of Bruges. The first tower collapsed in 1163 and was rebuilt between about 1270 and 1340; the spire was only added in the 15th century and rebuilt in the 19th century . The use of brick is typical of coastal Gothic. The church has five naves. In the middle of the nave, the rood screen , which consists of three parts, divides the church into two parts: the high choir and the nave. The apostle statues are from the 17th century .

Tombs and choir
The church is known, among other things, because Mary of Burgundy is buried there. Her remains were identified during archaeological investigations in 1979. Only the mausoleum of her father, Charles the Bold, is present here. His remains were transferred from France to Bruges by Emperor Charles V , a grandson of Mary. He was probably buried in the now disappeared St. Donaas Cathedral on the Burg. His corpse was never found. The mausoleums are located in the high choir of the church.

Above the high altar hangs a triptych by the court painter of Margaret of Austria , Bernard van Orley . It is a passion story with the death on the cross in the middle. At the foot of the altar, under the mausoleum, three richly painted tombs were uncovered.

The lead coffin in one of the graves (visibly placed) contains the bones of Mary, who died in Bruges in 1482. An inscription indicates that the heart of her son Philip the Fair , father of Charles V, is stored in a separate lead box.

Mary's mausoleum, which is also the oldest, was designed by Jan Borman . Both monarchs are depicted in a lying position with their hands folded, according to medieval custom. With open eyes they contemplate eternal life. At their feet, the lion and dog function as symbols of male strength and female loyalty.

The face of Mary of Burgundy is depicted in delicate detail, modeled after the death mask. Her crown adorned with gems, her hands and her lavishly flowing cloak are a miniature work of art. The grave monument is still completely Gothic in concept and spirit.

The mausoleum of Charles the Bold is half a century younger. The elaboration is partly Gothic, partly Renaissance . The lines are much tighter, but the armor is artfully and detailed. Both black sarcophagi have memorial plaques on the front and on the side walls you can see the enamelled family shields of the ancestors.

Photos of the mausoleums can be found in the articles devoted to Mary of Burgundy and Charles the Bold.

Thirty coats of arms of knights of the Golden Fleece hang above the choir stalls . The first shield on the left is that of Charles the Bold, directly opposite that of his brother-in-law Edward IV of England . The coats of arms recall the chapter of the Order of the Golden Fleece that was held in this church in 1468.

Mary and Child by Michelangelo
Michelangelo 's world-famous work , Madonna and Child , intended for the Piccolomini Altar of the Siena Cathedral , is one of the most important works of art preserved in the Church of Our Lady. It was purchased in Italy by the Bruges merchant Jan van Mouscron (Giovanni di Moscerone) and donated to the church in 1514. The donor's family grave is at the foot of the altar, in front of the statue.

The statue was removed in 1794 by the French occupiers and in 1944 by the German occupiers, but could always be returned to Bruges.

Lanchal Chapel
Pieter Lanchals (1440-1488) was the Bruges sheriff who was beheaded by the people of Bruges for his loyalty to Burgundy and Maximilian of Austria. His head was exhibited at the Ghent Gate . His grave monument was partially preserved in the Church of Our Lady.

According to a legend that originated in the 19th century, Emperor Maximilian I , husband of Mary of Burgundy , ordered the city to maintain 52 long-necked swans and allow them to swim in the canals forever.

Celestial Hole
A sky hole with an intact hoist mechanism has been preserved above the crossing . Through this, ascensions were depicted for the faithful by hoisting statues. The last restorer has mentioned his work on the painted hatch: This vaute was made by Eugenius Goddyn in the year 1762 .

The Church of Our Lady is one of the oldest places of worship in Bruges , and a tourist attraction. Until the end of the ancien régime, it was a collegiate church with a provost and a chapter of canons, afterwards a decanal church .

The 115.6 meter high, completely brick tower dominates the Bruges cityscape. The Church of Our Lady, one of the tallest buildings in Belgium, is the second tallest brick building in the world (after the 130.6-metre-high St. Martin's Church in Landshut , Germany).

It is a recognized parish church within Bruges and has been part of the parish federation Sint-Donatianus since the beginning of the 21st century . Since the 1980s it has also functioned as a tourist 'welcome church'. Since 2019, the church has been included within the umbrella organization Musea Brugge .

Construction history
The first church on this site, a Carolingian chapel, dated from around 875. In the church archives the foundation is dated to the year 741 and attributed to Boniface , but this claim is doubtful, as the oldest patronymic goes back to his companion Hilary . According to the current thesis, the chapel was founded as a daughter church [1] of the St. Martin's Church in Sijsele , which in turn was owned by the Utrecht Cathedral . In 1116 the chapel separated from Sijsele and became the main church of an independent parish . Presumably the structure was therefore rebuilt and expanded under Charles the Good .

Construction of the current church started around 1230. The oldest part, the nave , was built in Tournai stone , in the typical Scheldt Gothic style . The influence of the Scheldt Gothic can also be recognized on the front and west facades, with the two typical stair turrets and the use of bluestone. The choir section and the apse , built between 1270 and 1280, radiate classical French Gothic , but completely in brick. The northern aisle was built in 1370 and the southern one in 1450. The Paradise Portal was built in Brabant Gothic around 1465 .

The tower of the Church of Our Lady is the tallest building in the city of Bruges. The first tower collapsed in 1163 and was rebuilt between about 1270 and 1340; the spire was only added in the 15th century and rebuilt in the 19th century . The use of brick is typical of coastal Gothic. The church has five naves. In the middle of the nave, the rood screen , which consists of three parts, divides the church into two parts: the high choir and the nave. The apostle statues are from the 17th century .

Tombs and choir
The church is known, among other things, because Mary of Burgundy is buried there. Her remains were identified during archaeological investigations in 1979. Only the mausoleum of her father, Charles the Bold, is present here. His remains were transferred from France to Bruges by Emperor Charles V , a grandson of Mary. He was probably buried in the now disappeared St. Donaas Cathedral on the Burg. His corpse was never found. The mausoleums are located in the high choir of the church.

Above the high altar hangs a triptych by the court painter of Margaret of Austria , Bernard van Orley . It is a passion story with the death on the cross in the middle. At the foot of the altar, under the mausoleum, three richly painted tombs were uncovered.

The lead coffin in one of the graves (visibly placed) contains the bones of Mary, who died in Bruges in 1482. An inscription indicates that the heart of her son Philip the Fair , father of Charles V, is stored in a separate lead box.

Mary's mausoleum, which is also the oldest, was designed by Jan Borman . Both monarchs are depicted in a lying position with their hands folded, according to medieval custom. With open eyes they contemplate eternal life. At their feet, the lion and dog function as symbols of male strength and female loyalty.

The face of Mary of Burgundy is depicted in delicate detail, modeled after the death mask. Her crown adorned with gems, her hands and her lavishly flowing cloak are a miniature work of art. The grave monument is still completely Gothic in concept and spirit.

The mausoleum of Charles the Bold is half a century younger. The elaboration is partly Gothic, partly Renaissance . The lines are much tighter, but the armor is artfully and detailed. Both black sarcophagi have memorial plaques on the front and on the side walls you can see the enamelled family shields of the ancestors.

Photos of the mausoleums can be found in the articles devoted to Mary of Burgundy and Charles the Bold.

Thirty coats of arms of knights of the Golden Fleece hang above the choir stalls . The first shield on the left is that of Charles the Bold, directly opposite that of his brother-in-law Edward IV of England . The coats of arms recall the chapter of the Order of the Golden Fleece that was held in this church in 1468.

Mary and Child by Michelangelo
Michelangelo 's world-famous work , Madonna and Child , intended for the Piccolomini Altar of the Siena Cathedral , is one of the most important works of art preserved in the Church of Our Lady. It was purchased in Italy by the Bruges merchant Jan van Mouscron (Giovanni di Moscerone) and donated to the church in 1514. The donor's family grave is at the foot of the altar, in front of the statue.

The statue was removed in 1794 by the French occupiers and in 1944 by the German occupiers, but could always be returned to Bruges.

Lanchal Chapel
Pieter Lanchals (1440-1488) was the Bruges sheriff who was beheaded by the people of Bruges for his loyalty to Burgundy and Maximilian of Austria. His head was exhibited at the Ghent Gate . His grave monument was partially preserved in the Church of Our Lady.

According to a legend that originated in the 19th century, Emperor Maximilian I , husband of Mary of Burgundy , ordered the city to maintain 52 long-necked swans and allow them to swim in the canals forever.

Celestial Hole
A sky hole with an intact hoist mechanism has been preserved above the crossing . Through this, ascensions were depicted for the faithful by hoisting statues. The last restorer has mentioned his work on the painted hatch: This vaute was made by Eugenius Goddyn in the year 1762 .

The Church of Our Lady is one of the oldest places of worship in Bruges , and a tourist attraction. Until the end of the ancien régime, it was a collegiate church with a provost and a chapter of canons, afterwards a decanal church .

The 115.6 meter high, completely brick tower dominates the Bruges cityscape. The Church of Our Lady, one of the tallest buildings in Belgium, is the second tallest brick building in the world (after the 130.6-metre-high St. Martin's Church in Landshut , Germany).

It is a recognized parish church within Bruges and has been part of the parish federation Sint-Donatianus since the beginning of the 21st century . Since the 1980s it has also functioned as a tourist 'welcome church'. Since 2019, the church has been included within the umbrella organization Musea Brugge .

Construction history
The first church on this site, a Carolingian chapel, dated from around 875. In the church archives the foundation is dated to the year 741 and attributed to Boniface , but this claim is doubtful, as the oldest patronymic goes back to his companion Hilary . According to the current thesis, the chapel was founded as a daughter church [1] of the St. Martin's Church in Sijsele , which in turn was owned by the Utrecht Cathedral . In 1116 the chapel separated from Sijsele and became the main church of an independent parish . Presumably the structure was therefore rebuilt and expanded under Charles the Good .

Construction of the current church started around 1230. The oldest part, the nave , was built in Tournai stone , in the typical Scheldt Gothic style . The influence of the Scheldt Gothic can also be recognized on the front and west facades, with the two typical stair turrets and the use of bluestone. The choir section and the apse , built between 1270 and 1280, radiate classical French Gothic , but completely in brick. The northern aisle was built in 1370 and the southern one in 1450. The Paradise Portal was built in Brabant Gothic around 1465 .

The tower of the Church of Our Lady is the tallest building in the city of Bruges. The first tower collapsed in 1163 and was rebuilt between about 1270 and 1340; the spire was only added in the 15th century and rebuilt in the 19th century . The use of brick is typical of coastal Gothic. The church has five naves. In the middle of the nave, the rood screen , which consists of three parts, divides the church into two parts: the high choir and the nave. The apostle statues are from the 17th century .

Tombs and choir
The church is known, among other things, because Mary of Burgundy is buried there. Her remains were identified during archaeological investigations in 1979. Only the mausoleum of her father, Charles the Bold, is present here. His remains were transferred from France to Bruges by Emperor Charles V , a grandson of Mary. He was probably buried in the now disappeared St. Donaas Cathedral on the Burg. His corpse was never found. The mausoleums are located in the high choir of the church.

Above the high altar hangs a triptych by the court painter of Margaret of Austria , Bernard van Orley . It is a passion story with the death on the cross in the middle. At the foot of the altar, under the mausoleum, three richly painted tombs were uncovered.

The lead coffin in one of the graves (visibly placed) contains the bones of Mary, who died in Bruges in 1482. An inscription indicates that the heart of her son Philip the Fair , father of Charles V, is stored in a separate lead box.

Mary's mausoleum, which is also the oldest, was designed by Jan Borman . Both monarchs are depicted in a lying position with their hands folded, according to medieval custom. With open eyes they contemplate eternal life. At their feet, the lion and dog function as symbols of male strength and female loyalty.

The face of Mary of Burgundy is depicted in delicate detail, modeled after the death mask. Her crown adorned with gems, her hands and her lavishly flowing cloak are a miniature work of art. The grave monument is still completely Gothic in concept and spirit.

The mausoleum of Charles the Bold is half a century younger. The elaboration is partly Gothic, partly Renaissance . The lines are much tighter, but the armor is artfully and detailed. Both black sarcophagi have memorial plaques on the front and on the side walls you can see the enamelled family shields of the ancestors.

Photos of the mausoleums can be found in the articles devoted to Mary of Burgundy and Charles the Bold.

Thirty coats of arms of knights of the Golden Fleece hang above the choir stalls . The first shield on the left is that of Charles the Bold, directly opposite that of his brother-in-law Edward IV of England . The coats of arms recall the chapter of the Order of the Golden Fleece that was held in this church in 1468.

Mary and Child by Michelangelo
Michelangelo 's world-famous work , Madonna and Child , intended for the Piccolomini Altar of the Siena Cathedral , is one of the most important works of art preserved in the Church of Our Lady. It was purchased in Italy by the Bruges merchant Jan van Mouscron (Giovanni di Moscerone) and donated to the church in 1514. The donor's family grave is at the foot of the altar, in front of the statue.

The statue was removed in 1794 by the French occupiers and in 1944 by the German occupiers, but could always be returned to Bruges.

Lanchal Chapel
Pieter Lanchals (1440-1488) was the Bruges sheriff who was beheaded by the people of Bruges for his loyalty to Burgundy and Maximilian of Austria. His head was exhibited at the Ghent Gate . His grave monument was partially preserved in the Church of Our Lady.

According to a legend that originated in the 19th century, Emperor Maximilian I , husband of Mary of Burgundy , ordered the city to maintain 52 long-necked swans and allow them to swim in the canals forever.

Celestial Hole
A sky hole with an intact hoist mechanism has been preserved above the crossing . Through this, ascensions were depicted for the faithful by hoisting statues. The last restorer has mentioned his work on the painted hatch: This vaute was made by Eugenius Goddyn in the year 1762 .

The Church of Our Lady is one of the oldest places of worship in Bruges , and a tourist attraction. Until the end of the ancien régime, it was a collegiate church with a provost and a chapter of canons, afterwards a decanal church .

The 115.6 meter high, completely brick tower dominates the Bruges cityscape. The Church of Our Lady, one of the tallest buildings in Belgium, is the second tallest brick building in the world (after the 130.6-metre-high St. Martin's Church in Landshut , Germany).

It is a recognized parish church within Bruges and has been part of the parish federation Sint-Donatianus since the beginning of the 21st century . Since the 1980s it has also functioned as a tourist 'welcome church'. Since 2019, the church has been included within the umbrella organization Musea Brugge .

Construction history
The first church on this site, a Carolingian chapel, dated from around 875. In the church archives the foundation is dated to the year 741 and attributed to Boniface , but this claim is doubtful, as the oldest patronymic goes back to his companion Hilary . According to the current thesis, the chapel was founded as a daughter church [1] of the St. Martin's Church in Sijsele , which in turn was owned by the Utrecht Cathedral . In 1116 the chapel separated from Sijsele and became the main church of an independent parish . Presumably the structure was therefore rebuilt and expanded under Charles the Good .

Construction of the current church started around 1230. The oldest part, the nave , was built in Tournai stone , in the typical Scheldt Gothic style . The influence of the Scheldt Gothic can also be recognized on the front and west facades, with the two typical stair turrets and the use of bluestone. The choir section and the apse , built between 1270 and 1280, radiate classical French Gothic , but completely in brick. The northern aisle was built in 1370 and the southern one in 1450. The Paradise Portal was built in Brabant Gothic around 1465 .

The tower of the Church of Our Lady is the tallest building in the city of Bruges. The first tower collapsed in 1163 and was rebuilt between about 1270 and 1340; the spire was only added in the 15th century and rebuilt in the 19th century . The use of brick is typical of coastal Gothic. The church has five naves. In the middle of the nave, the rood screen , which consists of three parts, divides the church into two parts: the high choir and the nave. The apostle statues are from the 17th century .

Tombs and choir
The church is known, among other things, because Mary of Burgundy is buried there. Her remains were identified during archaeological investigations in 1979. Only the mausoleum of her father, Charles the Bold, is present here. His remains were transferred from France to Bruges by Emperor Charles V , a grandson of Mary. He was probably buried in the now disappeared St. Donaas Cathedral on the Burg. His corpse was never found. The mausoleums are located in the high choir of the church.

Above the high altar hangs a triptych by the court painter of Margaret of Austria , Bernard van Orley . It is a passion story with the death on the cross in the middle. At the foot of the altar, under the mausoleum, three richly painted tombs were uncovered.

The lead coffin in one of the graves (visibly placed) contains the bones of Mary, who died in Bruges in 1482. An inscription indicates that the heart of her son Philip the Fair , father of Charles V, is stored in a separate lead box.

Mary's mausoleum, which is also the oldest, was designed by Jan Borman . Both monarchs are depicted in a lying position with their hands folded, according to medieval custom. With open eyes they contemplate eternal life. At their feet, the lion and dog function as symbols of male strength and female loyalty.

The face of Mary of Burgundy is depicted in delicate detail, modeled after the death mask. Her crown adorned with gems, her hands and her lavishly flowing cloak are a miniature work of art. The grave monument is still completely Gothic in concept and spirit.

The mausoleum of Charles the Bold is half a century younger. The elaboration is partly Gothic, partly Renaissance . The lines are much tighter, but the armor is artfully and detailed. Both black sarcophagi have memorial plaques on the front and on the side walls you can see the enamelled family shields of the ancestors.

Photos of the mausoleums can be found in the articles devoted to Mary of Burgundy and Charles the Bold.

Thirty coats of arms of knights of the Golden Fleece hang above the choir stalls . The first shield on the left is that of Charles the Bold, directly opposite that of his brother-in-law Edward IV of England . The coats of arms recall the chapter of the Order of the Golden Fleece that was held in this church in 1468.

Mary and Child by Michelangelo
Michelangelo 's world-famous work , Madonna and Child , intended for the Piccolomini Altar of the Siena Cathedral , is one of the most important works of art preserved in the Church of Our Lady. It was purchased in Italy by the Bruges merchant Jan van Mouscron (Giovanni di Moscerone) and donated to the church in 1514. The donor's family grave is at the foot of the altar, in front of the statue.

The statue was removed in 1794 by the French occupiers and in 1944 by the German occupiers, but could always be returned to Bruges.

Lanchal Chapel
Pieter Lanchals (1440-1488) was the Bruges sheriff who was beheaded by the people of Bruges for his loyalty to Burgundy and Maximilian of Austria. His head was exhibited at the Ghent Gate . His grave monument was partially preserved in the Church of Our Lady.

According to a legend that originated in the 19th century, Emperor Maximilian I , husband of Mary of Burgundy , ordered the city to maintain 52 long-necked swans and allow them to swim in the canals forever.

Celestial Hole
A sky hole with an intact hoist mechanism has been preserved above the crossing . Through this, ascensions were depicted for the faithful by hoisting statues. The last restorer has mentioned his work on the painted hatch: This vaute was made by Eugenius Goddyn in the year 1762 .

The Church of Our Lady is one of the oldest places of worship in Bruges , and a tourist attraction. Until the end of the ancien régime, it was a collegiate church with a provost and a chapter of canons, afterwards a decanal church .

The 115.6 meter high, completely brick tower dominates the Bruges cityscape. The Church of Our Lady, one of the tallest buildings in Belgium, is the second tallest brick building in the world (after the 130.6-metre-high St. Martin's Church in Landshut , Germany).

It is a recognized parish church within Bruges and has been part of the parish federation Sint-Donatianus since the beginning of the 21st century . Since the 1980s it has also functioned as a tourist 'welcome church'. Since 2019, the church has been included within the umbrella organization Musea Brugge .

Construction history
The first church on this site, a Carolingian chapel, dated from around 875. In the church archives the foundation is dated to the year 741 and attributed to Boniface , but this claim is doubtful, as the oldest patronymic goes back to his companion Hilary . According to the current thesis, the chapel was founded as a daughter church [1] of the St. Martin's Church in Sijsele , which in turn was owned by the Utrecht Cathedral . In 1116 the chapel separated from Sijsele and became the main church of an independent parish . Presumably the structure was therefore rebuilt and expanded under Charles the Good .

Construction of the current church started around 1230. The oldest part, the nave , was built in Tournai stone , in the typical Scheldt Gothic style . The influence of the Scheldt Gothic can also be recognized on the front and west facades, with the two typical stair turrets and the use of bluestone. The choir section and the apse , built between 1270 and 1280, radiate classical French Gothic , but completely in brick. The northern aisle was built in 1370 and the southern one in 1450. The Paradise Portal was built in Brabant Gothic around 1465 .

The tower of the Church of Our Lady is the tallest building in the city of Bruges. The first tower collapsed in 1163 and was rebuilt between about 1270 and 1340; the spire was only added in the 15th century and rebuilt in the 19th century . The use of brick is typical of coastal Gothic. The church has five naves. In the middle of the nave, the rood screen , which consists of three parts, divides the church into two parts: the high choir and the nave. The apostle statues are from the 17th century .

Tombs and choir
The church is known, among other things, because Mary of Burgundy is buried there. Her remains were identified during archaeological investigations in 1979. Only the mausoleum of her father, Charles the Bold, is present here. His remains were transferred from France to Bruges by Emperor Charles V , a grandson of Mary. He was probably buried in the now disappeared St. Donaas Cathedral on the Burg. His corpse was never found. The mausoleums are located in the high choir of the church.

Above the high altar hangs a triptych by the court painter of Margaret of Austria , Bernard van Orley . It is a passion story with the death on the cross in the middle. At the foot of the altar, under the mausoleum, three richly painted tombs were uncovered.

The lead coffin in one of the graves (visibly placed) contains the bones of Mary, who died in Bruges in 1482. An inscription indicates that the heart of her son Philip the Fair , father of Charles V, is stored in a separate lead box.

Mary's mausoleum, which is also the oldest, was designed by Jan Borman . Both monarchs are depicted in a lying position with their hands folded, according to medieval custom. With open eyes they contemplate eternal life. At their feet, the lion and dog function as symbols of male strength and female loyalty.

The face of Mary of Burgundy is depicted in delicate detail, modeled after the death mask. Her crown adorned with gems, her hands and her lavishly flowing cloak are a miniature work of art. The grave monument is still completely Gothic in concept and spirit.

The mausoleum of Charles the Bold is half a century younger. The elaboration is partly Gothic, partly Renaissance . The lines are much tighter, but the armor is artfully and detailed. Both black sarcophagi have memorial plaques on the front and on the side walls you can see the enamelled family shields of the ancestors.

Photos of the mausoleums can be found in the articles devoted to Mary of Burgundy and Charles the Bold.

Thirty coats of arms of knights of the Golden Fleece hang above the choir stalls . The first shield on the left is that of Charles the Bold, directly opposite that of his brother-in-law Edward IV of England . The coats of arms recall the chapter of the Order of the Golden Fleece that was held in this church in 1468.

Mary and Child by Michelangelo
Michelangelo 's world-famous work , Madonna and Child , intended for the Piccolomini Altar of the Siena Cathedral , is one of the most important works of art preserved in the Church of Our Lady. It was purchased in Italy by the Bruges merchant Jan van Mouscron (Giovanni di Moscerone) and donated to the church in 1514. The donor's family grave is at the foot of the altar, in front of the statue.

The statue was removed in 1794 by the French occupiers and in 1944 by the German occupiers, but could always be returned to Bruges.

Lanchal Chapel
Pieter Lanchals (1440-1488) was the Bruges sheriff who was beheaded by the people of Bruges for his loyalty to Burgundy and Maximilian of Austria. His head was exhibited at the Ghent Gate . His grave monument was partially preserved in the Church of Our Lady.

According to a legend that originated in the 19th century, Emperor Maximilian I , husband of Mary of Burgundy , ordered the city to maintain 52 long-necked swans and allow them to swim in the canals forever.

Celestial Hole
A sky hole with an intact hoist mechanism has been preserved above the crossing . Through this, ascensions were depicted for the faithful by hoisting statues. The last restorer has mentioned his work on the painted hatch: This vaute was made by Eugenius Goddyn in the year 1762 .

The Church of Our Lady is one of the oldest places of worship in Bruges , and a tourist attraction. Until the end of the ancien régime, it was a collegiate church with a provost and a chapter of canons, afterwards a decanal church .

The 115.6 meter high, completely brick tower dominates the Bruges cityscape. The Church of Our Lady, one of the tallest buildings in Belgium, is the second tallest brick building in the world (after the 130.6-metre-high St. Martin's Church in Landshut , Germany).

It is a recognized parish church within Bruges and has been part of the parish federation Sint-Donatianus since the beginning of the 21st century . Since the 1980s it has also functioned as a tourist 'welcome church'. Since 2019, the church has been included within the umbrella organization Musea Brugge .

Construction history
The first church on this site, a Carolingian chapel, dated from around 875. In the church archives the foundation is dated to the year 741 and attributed to Boniface , but this claim is doubtful, as the oldest patronymic goes back to his companion Hilary . According to the current thesis, the chapel was founded as a daughter church [1] of the St. Martin's Church in Sijsele , which in turn was owned by the Utrecht Cathedral . In 1116 the chapel separated from Sijsele and became the main church of an independent parish . Presumably the structure was therefore rebuilt and expanded under Charles the Good .

Construction of the current church started around 1230. The oldest part, the nave , was built in Tournai stone , in the typical Scheldt Gothic style . The influence of the Scheldt Gothic can also be recognized on the front and west facades, with the two typical stair turrets and the use of bluestone. The choir section and the apse , built between 1270 and 1280, radiate classical French Gothic , but completely in brick. The northern aisle was built in 1370 and the southern one in 1450. The Paradise Portal was built in Brabant Gothic around 1465 .

The tower of the Church of Our Lady is the tallest building in the city of Bruges. The first tower collapsed in 1163 and was rebuilt between about 1270 and 1340; the spire was only added in the 15th century and rebuilt in the 19th century . The use of brick is typical of coastal Gothic. The church has five naves. In the middle of the nave, the rood screen , which consists of three parts, divides the church into two parts: the high choir and the nave. The apostle statues are from the 17th century .

Tombs and choir
The church is known, among other things, because Mary of Burgundy is buried there. Her remains were identified during archaeological investigations in 1979. Only the mausoleum of her father, Charles the Bold, is present here. His remains were transferred from France to Bruges by Emperor Charles V , a grandson of Mary. He was probably buried in the now disappeared St. Donaas Cathedral on the Burg. His corpse was never found. The mausoleums are located in the high choir of the church.

Above the high altar hangs a triptych by the court painter of Margaret of Austria , Bernard van Orley . It is a passion story with the death on the cross in the middle. At the foot of the altar, under the mausoleum, three richly painted tombs were uncovered.

The lead coffin in one of the graves (visibly placed) contains the bones of Mary, who died in Bruges in 1482. An inscription indicates that the heart of her son Philip the Fair , father of Charles V, is stored in a separate lead box.

Mary's mausoleum, which is also the oldest, was designed by Jan Borman . Both monarchs are depicted in a lying position with their hands folded, according to medieval custom. With open eyes they contemplate eternal life. At their feet, the lion and dog function as symbols of male strength and female loyalty.

The face of Mary of Burgundy is depicted in delicate detail, modeled after the death mask. Her crown adorned with gems, her hands and her lavishly flowing cloak are a miniature work of art. The grave monument is still completely Gothic in concept and spirit.

The mausoleum of Charles the Bold is half a century younger. The elaboration is partly Gothic, partly Renaissance . The lines are much tighter, but the armor is artfully and detailed. Both black sarcophagi have memorial plaques on the front and on the side walls you can see the enamelled family shields of the ancestors.

Photos of the mausoleums can be found in the articles devoted to Mary of Burgundy and Charles the Bold.

Thirty coats of arms of knights of the Golden Fleece hang above the choir stalls . The first shield on the left is that of Charles the Bold, directly opposite that of his brother-in-law Edward IV of England . The coats of arms recall the chapter of the Order of the Golden Fleece that was held in this church in 1468.

Mary and Child by Michelangelo
Michelangelo 's world-famous work , Madonna and Child , intended for the Piccolomini Altar of the Siena Cathedral , is one of the most important works of art preserved in the Church of Our Lady. It was purchased in Italy by the Bruges merchant Jan van Mouscron (Giovanni di Moscerone) and donated to the church in 1514. The donor's family grave is at the foot of the altar, in front of the statue.

The statue was removed in 1794 by the French occupiers and in 1944 by the German occupiers, but could always be returned to Bruges.

Lanchal Chapel
Pieter Lanchals (1440-1488) was the Bruges sheriff who was beheaded by the people of Bruges for his loyalty to Burgundy and Maximilian of Austria. His head was exhibited at the Ghent Gate . His grave monument was partially preserved in the Church of Our Lady.

According to a legend that originated in the 19th century, Emperor Maximilian I , husband of Mary of Burgundy , ordered the city to maintain 52 long-necked swans and allow them to swim in the canals forever.

Celestial Hole
A sky hole with an intact hoist mechanism has been preserved above the crossing . Through this, ascensions were depicted for the faithful by hoisting statues. The last restorer has mentioned his work on the painted hatch: This vaute was made by Eugenius Goddyn in the year 1762 .

The Church of Our Lady is one of the oldest places of worship in Bruges , and a tourist attraction. Until the end of the ancien régime, it was a collegiate church with a provost and a chapter of canons, afterwards a decanal church .

The 115.6 meter high, completely brick tower dominates the Bruges cityscape. The Church of Our Lady, one of the tallest buildings in Belgium, is the second tallest brick building in the world (after the 130.6-metre-high St. Martin's Church in Landshut , Germany).

It is a recognized parish church within Bruges and has been part of the parish federation Sint-Donatianus since the beginning of the 21st century . Since the 1980s it has also functioned as a tourist 'welcome church'. Since 2019, the church has been included within the umbrella organization Musea Brugge .

Construction history
The first church on this site, a Carolingian chapel, dated from around 875. In the church archives the foundation is dated to the year 741 and attributed to Boniface , but this claim is doubtful, as the oldest patronymic goes back to his companion Hilary . According to the current thesis, the chapel was founded as a daughter church [1] of the St. Martin's Church in Sijsele , which in turn was owned by the Utrecht Cathedral . In 1116 the chapel separated from Sijsele and became the main church of an independent parish . Presumably the structure was therefore rebuilt and expanded under Charles the Good .

Construction of the current church started around 1230. The oldest part, the nave , was built in Tournai stone , in the typical Scheldt Gothic style . The influence of the Scheldt Gothic can also be recognized on the front and west facades, with the two typical stair turrets and the use of bluestone. The choir section and the apse , built between 1270 and 1280, radiate classical French Gothic , but completely in brick. The northern aisle was built in 1370 and the southern one in 1450. The Paradise Portal was built in Brabant Gothic around 1465 .

The tower of the Church of Our Lady is the tallest building in the city of Bruges. The first tower collapsed in 1163 and was rebuilt between about 1270 and 1340; the spire was only added in the 15th century and rebuilt in the 19th century . The use of brick is typical of coastal Gothic. The church has five naves. In the middle of the nave, the rood screen , which consists of three parts, divides the church into two parts: the high choir and the nave. The apostle statues are from the 17th century .

Tombs and choir
The church is known, among other things, because Mary of Burgundy is buried there. Her remains were identified during archaeological investigations in 1979. Only the mausoleum of her father, Charles the Bold, is present here. His remains were transferred from France to Bruges by Emperor Charles V , a grandson of Mary. He was probably buried in the now disappeared St. Donaas Cathedral on the Burg. His corpse was never found. The mausoleums are located in the high choir of the church.

Above the high altar hangs a triptych by the court painter of Margaret of Austria , Bernard van Orley . It is a passion story with the death on the cross in the middle. At the foot of the altar, under the mausoleum, three richly painted tombs were uncovered.

The lead coffin in one of the graves (visibly placed) contains the bones of Mary, who died in Bruges in 1482. An inscription indicates that the heart of her son Philip the Fair , father of Charles V, is stored in a separate lead box.

Mary's mausoleum, which is also the oldest, was designed by Jan Borman . Both monarchs are depicted in a lying position with their hands folded, according to medieval custom. With open eyes they contemplate eternal life. At their feet, the lion and dog function as symbols of male strength and female loyalty.

The face of Mary of Burgundy is depicted in delicate detail, modeled after the death mask. Her crown adorned with gems, her hands and her lavishly flowing cloak are a miniature work of art. The grave monument is still completely Gothic in concept and spirit.

The mausoleum of Charles the Bold is half a century younger. The elaboration is partly Gothic, partly Renaissance . The lines are much tighter, but the armor is artfully and detailed. Both black sarcophagi have memorial plaques on the front and on the side walls you can see the enamelled family shields of the ancestors.

Photos of the mausoleums can be found in the articles devoted to Mary of Burgundy and Charles the Bold.

Thirty coats of arms of knights of the Golden Fleece hang above the choir stalls . The first shield on the left is that of Charles the Bold, directly opposite that of his brother-in-law Edward IV of England . The coats of arms recall the chapter of the Order of the Golden Fleece that was held in this church in 1468.

Mary and Child by Michelangelo
Michelangelo 's world-famous work , Madonna and Child , intended for the Piccolomini Altar of the Siena Cathedral , is one of the most important works of art preserved in the Church of Our Lady. It was purchased in Italy by the Bruges merchant Jan van Mouscron (Giovanni di Moscerone) and donated to the church in 1514. The donor's family grave is at the foot of the altar, in front of the statue.

The statue was removed in 1794 by the French occupiers and in 1944 by the German occupiers, but could always be returned to Bruges.

Lanchal Chapel
Pieter Lanchals (1440-1488) was the Bruges sheriff who was beheaded by the people of Bruges for his loyalty to Burgundy and Maximilian of Austria. His head was exhibited at the Ghent Gate . His grave monument was partially preserved in the Church of Our Lady.

According to a legend that originated in the 19th century, Emperor Maximilian I , husband of Mary of Burgundy , ordered the city to maintain 52 long-necked swans and allow them to swim in the canals forever.

Celestial Hole
A sky hole with an intact hoist mechanism has been preserved above the crossing . Through this, ascensions were depicted for the faithful by hoisting statues. The last restorer has mentioned his work on the painted hatch: This vaute was made by Eugenius Goddyn in the year 1762 .

The Church of Our Lady is one of the oldest places of worship in Bruges , and a tourist attraction. Until the end of the ancien régime, it was a collegiate church with a provost and a chapter of canons, afterwards a decanal church .

The 115.6 meter high, completely brick tower dominates the Bruges cityscape. The Church of Our Lady, one of the tallest buildings in Belgium, is the second tallest brick building in the world (after the 130.6-metre-high St. Martin's Church in Landshut , Germany).

It is a recognized parish church within Bruges and has been part of the parish federation Sint-Donatianus since the beginning of the 21st century . Since the 1980s it has also functioned as a tourist 'welcome church'. Since 2019, the church has been included within the umbrella organization Musea Brugge .

Construction history
The first church on this site, a Carolingian chapel, dated from around 875. In the church archives the foundation is dated to the year 741 and attributed to Boniface , but this claim is doubtful, as the oldest patronymic goes back to his companion Hilary . According to the current thesis, the chapel was founded as a daughter church [1] of the St. Martin's Church in Sijsele , which in turn was owned by the Utrecht Cathedral . In 1116 the chapel separated from Sijsele and became the main church of an independent parish . Presumably the structure was therefore rebuilt and expanded under Charles the Good .

Construction of the current church started around 1230. The oldest part, the nave , was built in Tournai stone , in the typical Scheldt Gothic style . The influence of the Scheldt Gothic can also be recognized on the front and west facades, with the two typical stair turrets and the use of bluestone. The choir section and the apse , built between 1270 and 1280, radiate classical French Gothic , but completely in brick. The northern aisle was built in 1370 and the southern one in 1450. The Paradise Portal was built in Brabant Gothic around 1465 .

The tower of the Church of Our Lady is the tallest building in the city of Bruges. The first tower collapsed in 1163 and was rebuilt between about 1270 and 1340; the spire was only added in the 15th century and rebuilt in the 19th century . The use of brick is typical of coastal Gothic. The church has five naves. In the middle of the nave, the rood screen , which consists of three parts, divides the church into two parts: the high choir and the nave. The apostle statues are from the 17th century .

Tombs and choir
The church is known, among other things, because Mary of Burgundy is buried there. Her remains were identified during archaeological investigations in 1979. Only the mausoleum of her father, Charles the Bold, is present here. His remains were transferred from France to Bruges by Emperor Charles V , a grandson of Mary. He was probably buried in the now disappeared St. Donaas Cathedral on the Burg. His corpse was never found. The mausoleums are located in the high choir of the church.

Above the high altar hangs a triptych by the court painter of Margaret of Austria , Bernard van Orley . It is a passion story with the death on the cross in the middle. At the foot of the altar, under the mausoleum, three richly painted tombs were uncovered.

The lead coffin in one of the graves (visibly placed) contains the bones of Mary, who died in Bruges in 1482. An inscription indicates that the heart of her son Philip the Fair , father of Charles V, is stored in a separate lead box.

Mary's mausoleum, which is also the oldest, was designed by Jan Borman . Both monarchs are depicted in a lying position with their hands folded, according to medieval custom. With open eyes they contemplate eternal life. At their feet, the lion and dog function as symbols of male strength and female loyalty.

The face of Mary of Burgundy is depicted in delicate detail, modeled after the death mask. Her crown adorned with gems, her hands and her lavishly flowing cloak are a miniature work of art. The grave monument is still completely Gothic in concept and spirit.

The mausoleum of Charles the Bold is half a century younger. The elaboration is partly Gothic, partly Renaissance . The lines are much tighter, but the armor is artfully and detailed. Both black sarcophagi have memorial plaques on the front and on the side walls you can see the enamelled family shields of the ancestors.

Photos of the mausoleums can be found in the articles devoted to Mary of Burgundy and Charles the Bold.

Thirty coats of arms of knights of the Golden Fleece hang above the choir stalls . The first shield on the left is that of Charles the Bold, directly opposite that of his brother-in-law Edward IV of England . The coats of arms recall the chapter of the Order of the Golden Fleece that was held in this church in 1468.

Mary and Child by Michelangelo
Michelangelo 's world-famous work , Madonna and Child , intended for the Piccolomini Altar of the Siena Cathedral , is one of the most important works of art preserved in the Church of Our Lady. It was purchased in Italy by the Bruges merchant Jan van Mouscron (Giovanni di Moscerone) and donated to the church in 1514. The donor's family grave is at the foot of the altar, in front of the statue.

The statue was removed in 1794 by the French occupiers and in 1944 by the German occupiers, but could always be returned to Bruges.

Lanchal Chapel
Pieter Lanchals (1440-1488) was the Bruges sheriff who was beheaded by the people of Bruges for his loyalty to Burgundy and Maximilian of Austria. His head was exhibited at the Ghent Gate . His grave monument was partially preserved in the Church of Our Lady.

According to a legend that originated in the 19th century, Emperor Maximilian I , husband of Mary of Burgundy , ordered the city to maintain 52 long-necked swans and allow them to swim in the canals forever.

Celestial Hole
A sky hole with an intact hoist mechanism has been preserved above the crossing . Through this, ascensions were depicted for the faithful by hoisting statues. The last restorer has mentioned his work on the painted hatch: This vaute was made by Eugenius Goddyn in the year 1762 .

The Church of Our Lady is one of the oldest places of worship in Bruges , and a tourist attraction. Until the end of the ancien régime, it was a collegiate church with a provost and a chapter of canons, afterwards a decanal church .

The 115.6 meter high, completely brick tower dominates the Bruges cityscape. The Church of Our Lady, one of the tallest buildings in Belgium, is the second tallest brick building in the world (after the 130.6-metre-high St. Martin's Church in Landshut , Germany).

It is a recognized parish church within Bruges and has been part of the parish federation Sint-Donatianus since the beginning of the 21st century . Since the 1980s it has also functioned as a tourist 'welcome church'. Since 2019, the church has been included within the umbrella organization Musea Brugge .

Construction history
The first church on this site, a Carolingian chapel, dated from around 875. In the church archives the foundation is dated to the year 741 and attributed to Boniface , but this claim is doubtful, as the oldest patronymic goes back to his companion Hilary . According to the current thesis, the chapel was founded as a daughter church [1] of the St. Martin's Church in Sijsele , which in turn was owned by the Utrecht Cathedral . In 1116 the chapel separated from Sijsele and became the main church of an independent parish . Presumably the structure was therefore rebuilt and expanded under Charles the Good .

Construction of the current church started around 1230. The oldest part, the nave , was built in Tournai stone , in the typical Scheldt Gothic style . The influence of the Scheldt Gothic can also be recognized on the front and west facades, with the two typical stair turrets and the use of bluestone. The choir section and the apse , built between 1270 and 1280, radiate classical French Gothic , but completely in brick. The northern aisle was built in 1370 and the southern one in 1450. The Paradise Portal was built in Brabant Gothic around 1465 .

The tower of the Church of Our Lady is the tallest building in the city of Bruges. The first tower collapsed in 1163 and was rebuilt between about 1270 and 1340; the spire was only added in the 15th century and rebuilt in the 19th century . The use of brick is typical of coastal Gothic. The church has five naves. In the middle of the nave, the rood screen , which consists of three parts, divides the church into two parts: the high choir and the nave. The apostle statues are from the 17th century .

Tombs and choir
The church is known, among other things, because Mary of Burgundy is buried there. Her remains were identified during archaeological investigations in 1979. Only the mausoleum of her father, Charles the Bold, is present here. His remains were transferred from France to Bruges by Emperor Charles V , a grandson of Mary. He was probably buried in the now disappeared St. Donaas Cathedral on the Burg. His corpse was never found. The mausoleums are located in the high choir of the church.

Above the high altar hangs a triptych by the court painter of Margaret of Austria , Bernard van Orley . It is a passion story with the death on the cross in the middle. At the foot of the altar, under the mausoleum, three richly painted tombs were uncovered.

The lead coffin in one of the graves (visibly placed) contains the bones of Mary, who died in Bruges in 1482. An inscription indicates that the heart of her son Philip the Fair , father of Charles V, is stored in a separate lead box.

Mary's mausoleum, which is also the oldest, was designed by Jan Borman . Both monarchs are depicted in a lying position with their hands folded, according to medieval custom. With open eyes they contemplate eternal life. At their feet, the lion and dog function as symbols of male strength and female loyalty.

The face of Mary of Burgundy is depicted in delicate detail, modeled after the death mask. Her crown adorned with gems, her hands and her lavishly flowing cloak are a miniature work of art. The grave monument is still completely Gothic in concept and spirit.

The mausoleum of Charles the Bold is half a century younger. The elaboration is partly Gothic, partly Renaissance . The lines are much tighter, but the armor is artfully and detailed. Both black sarcophagi have memorial plaques on the front and on the side walls you can see the enamelled family shields of the ancestors.

Photos of the mausoleums can be found in the articles devoted to Mary of Burgundy and Charles the Bold.

Thirty coats of arms of knights of the Golden Fleece hang above the choir stalls . The first shield on the left is that of Charles the Bold, directly opposite that of his brother-in-law Edward IV of England . The coats of arms recall the chapter of the Order of the Golden Fleece that was held in this church in 1468.

Mary and Child by Michelangelo
Michelangelo 's world-famous work , Madonna and Child , intended for the Piccolomini Altar of the Siena Cathedral , is one of the most important works of art preserved in the Church of Our Lady. It was purchased in Italy by the Bruges merchant Jan van Mouscron (Giovanni di Moscerone) and donated to the church in 1514. The donor's family grave is at the foot of the altar, in front of the statue.

The statue was removed in 1794 by the French occupiers and in 1944 by the German occupiers, but could always be returned to Bruges.

Lanchal Chapel
Pieter Lanchals (1440-1488) was the Bruges sheriff who was beheaded by the people of Bruges for his loyalty to Burgundy and Maximilian of Austria. His head was exhibited at the Ghent Gate . His grave monument was partially preserved in the Church of Our Lady.

According to a legend that originated in the 19th century, Emperor Maximilian I , husband of Mary of Burgundy , ordered the city to maintain 52 long-necked swans and allow them to swim in the canals forever.

Celestial Hole
A sky hole with an intact hoist mechanism has been preserved above the crossing . Through this, ascensions were depicted for the faithful by hoisting statues. The last restorer has mentioned his work on the painted hatch: This vaute was made by Eugenius Goddyn in the year 1762 .