Our trip to Belgium was one of the most defining experiences of our trip. We had heard a lot about it before, but the city did not disappoint in person, in fact! Every street is fantastically beautiful, it feels as if time has stopped.
Of course, we couldn’t do without the famous Belgian chocolate – we simply loved it, you could smell the sweet aroma on every corner. One of our most memorable activities was a boat trip on the canals; we saw the city from a completely different perspective than from the shore. We were so absorbed in the atmosphere that we didn’t even notice the time, we walked more than 10 kilometers, and finally, tired, we headed back to the train station. On the way home, we even touched down in Antwerp before finally returning to our base in Brussels.
Bruges’ history began as a small Viking settlement and grew into one of the richest trading centres of medieval Europe. The city’s name probably comes from the Old Norse word “bryggja”, meaning port or bridge, referring to its direct connection to the sea.
The rise of the city began in the 12th century, when a huge storm and flood created the Zwin Canal. This natural event opened a direct route to the sea, allowing Bruges to become a centre for the international wool and cloth trade. Between the 13th and 15th centuries, the city enjoyed its golden age: due to its extensive network of canals, it was nicknamed the “Venice of the North”, and the world’s first stock exchange was opened here in the house of the Van der Beurze family.
Under the rule of the Burgundian dukes, Bruges became not only an economic centre, but also a cultural and artistic centre. Masters such as Jan van Eyck created here, and the city’s opulence dazzled the whole of Europe. The monuments of wealth are still preserved today in the guild houses on the Grand Place (Grote Markt) and the monumental, 83-meter-high bell tower, the Belfry, which was a symbol of civil freedom and power.
However, at the end of the 15th century, a dramatic turn of events took place: the Zwin Canal silted up, so that seagoing ships could no longer dock in the city. Merchants moved to Antwerp, where there was deeper water, and Bruges gradually fell into a slumber. For centuries, almost nothing changed in the cityscape, as there was no money for modernization or new construction. However, this “decline” became the city’s greatest treasure: Bruges was able to remain one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe.
At the end of the 19th century, tourism rediscovered the city, especially after the success of Georges Rodenbach’s novel “Dead Bruges” (Bruges-la-Morte). The city authorities recognized the value of the heritage and began a conscious restoration of the monuments.
Today, Bruges is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where visitors can walk along the same cobbled streets and canals as five hundred years ago. The city no longer lives from the cloth trade, but from its world-famous lace-making, artisanal chocolates and tourism, preserving the fairytale atmosphere that makes it unique in the world.
