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Back to Brugge

In 1998 I was excited to attend my first conference on cardiac pathophysiology in Ghent, Belgium, which is a beautiful medieval town in Flanders. The conference organizers had also planned a bus day trip to Bruges (Brugge) about 50 km away, also in Flanders, Belgium. Bruges, its name first appearing in the 9th century, is one of the best preserved and gorgeous medieval towns of Europe. The town served as the backdrop in the brilliant movie "In Bruges" (2008), starring Colin Farrell.

 

I loved the town and always wanted to go back some time. The summer of 2022 provided a good opportunity as we (my wife Marie, my daughter Kate and I) visited the south of the Netherlands for three weeks. We stayed in Bruges for two days and nights, in a hotel right behind the Belfry (Belfort).

The Belfry (Belfort) with its 83 m (272 ft) high bell tower

 

 In 1089, Bruges became the capital of the County of Flanders and in 1128 it received its city charter. It had its Golden Age from the 12th to the 15th century because of its close proximity to the North Sea, being located on the crossroads of multiple trade routes and the influence of the dukes of Burgundy, which brought more commerce and culture to the city. The city survived the two world wars relatively unscathed, and in 2000 the historic city center became a World Heritage Site of UNESCO.

The day we arrived we enjoyed a Belgian beer at the Duvelorium. From here we had a great view of the Marketplace and its surrounding buildings. We made some loose plans for the next two days. One of them was to climb the 366 steps of the Belfry tower, but early in the morning the next day as it was going to be a hot one.

It was time to soak in some Golden Age vibes. We headed toward a canal where you can join a boat tour. When we saw how busy it was and how cramped the little boats were, we passed on this opportunity. It turns out though, that this location has one of the most famous views of the Belfry, with the water in the foreground.

The Belfry tower behind one of the canals in Brugge

 

From here we walked through some narrow streets to Bruges City Hall from 1421. With the sun setting some beautiful warm light hit the late Gothic structure:

 Bruges' City Hall (Stadhuis) at the Burg Square (right massive building) and the Burgse Vrije (left) which was a courthouse (1700s)

 

After walking around a bit and eating some Belgian Waffles, Marie and Kate wanted to relax at the hotel and I was let loose in the city with my camera. At this point in the evening it wasn't that busy with people anymore. I headed back to the Groenerij Canal behind the City Hall. Here I walked along the canal for a bit and captured some shots of stone arch bridges and the famous swans of Bruges.

 The stone arch Peerdenbridge (Horse Bridge) over the Groenerij Canal in Bruges, Belgium

 

Two white swans swimming on the Groenerij canal in beautiful Bruges, Belgium among medieval architecture

 

The story goes that in the 15th century, the inhabitants of Bruges (Brugge) in Belgium captured the emperor Maximilian of Austria, because he imposed taxes and forbid festivities in the town. After he escaped he took revenge by forcing Bruges to care for swans for all of eternity. They are still there today.

Four white swans swimming on the Groenerij canal

 

The next day we got up all excited to climb the Belfry Tower. We paid for the tickets and started climbing. Fortunately there are several levels where you can stop, take a rest and look at some exhibitions. 

The narrow spiral staircase in the Belfry tower: you can get some support by holding on to the rope down the middle

 

The bells in the tower regulated the lives of the people of the city. The bells announced the time, but also fire alarms and work hours. They would also announce a variety of social, political, and religious events: at a small exhibition on one of the floors you can listen to these different bell sounds.

Bells and mechanism in the Belfry tower

 

In the 16th century the tower received a carillon, allowing the bells to be played by with a keyboard. Now it also has an automatic mechanism by which tunes are played on the bells. The mechanism is a large metal cylinder (playing drum) connected to the bells. Metal pegs are screwed onto the outside of the drum, which catch onto levers and to the hammers that rest from the outside of the bells. When the drum rotates, tunes are played. We stayed till this happened, and it was very loud!

Playing drum cylinder in the Belfry tower

 

Today there are 47 bells, together weighing about 27.5 tonnes. The bells range in weight from two pounds to 11,000 pounds.

Looking down at the Marketplace from the top accessible floor in the Belfry tower

 

Two days obviously is not enough to spend in a gorgeous town like this. For example we had not have time to visit the old gates at the perimeter of the city center. We DID visit the chocolate museum (with all-you-can-eat-samplings!). I definitely recommend a visit to this town where you can almost literally point your camera randomly anywhere with good results!