bruges trip

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BrugesTourist Information

Barge Bridge

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BeguinageThe Princely Beguinage Ten Wijngaarde with its whitewashed housefronts, tranquil

convent garden and beguinage museum was founded in 1245. Today the nuns of

the Order of Saint Benedict inhabit the site.

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Diamond MuseumThis museum illustrates the history of Bruges as the oldest diamond centre in

Europe. Today, diamond remains one of Belgium’s most important export products.

The daily demonstration of diamond cutting is a sparkling affair.

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AlmshousesGodshuizen (almshouses) appeared in the 14th century. Wealthy families built

houses for poor and needy widows and widowers. Sometimes the houses were

built by corporations or guilds, for their members in need. Most of the time these

houses form a complex around an inner court where the people of the complex

could get their water and grow vegetables in the little gardens. Most complexes also

have a chapel where the inhabitants were supposed to pray for the souls of their

benefactors. In most 'Godshuizen' the poor inhabitants also received food and

basic care

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Brewery De Halve Maan‘Brugse Zot’ is the pride of the traditional brewery ‘De Halve Maan’, whose earliest

reference dates back to 1546. It is a tasty beer of high fermentation made of malt,

hops and yeast. If you wish to learn more about the production process and the

history of the brewery, you can join a guided tour and try the beer.

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Blacksmith's GateThe first Smedenpoort dates from the period 1297-1299, when the new (or second)

ramparts were built. The gate was repaired in 1337-1338 by Jan van Biervliet. The

existing gate - built on part of the remains of the original version - was constructed

in 1367-1368 by Mathias Saghen and Jan Slabbaert. They were asked by the city

council to carry out this work "in the style of the Boeveriepoort", which they had just

completed. The same design would also be used for the Ezelpoort. The gate

underwent many changes in the centuries which followed. The upper chamber was

replaced in 1615 and in 1909 a passageway for pedestrians was made in the

northern tower. A cafe - in het Poortershuis (The Gatekeeper's Lodge) - was housed

in the southern tower from the end of the 19th until the beginning of the 20th

century. On 8 September 1944, the day of the city's liberation at the end of the

Second World War, the retreating Germans blew up the bridge across the rampart

moat, causing serious damage to the gate. As a result, extensive repairs were

carried out in 1948. This occasion was used to create a second passageway in the

southern tower. A further restoration of the brickwork is planned for 2006. There is a

bronze skull mounted above the left-hand passageway. This is a reminder of the

execution of François Vander Straeten at the end of the 17th century. His attempt to

allow hostile French troops to enter the city through the Smedenpoort was foiled by

loyal citizens and he died on the execution scaffold. His decapitated head was

displayed on the gate as a warning to others and was later replaced by a bronze

replica.

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Donkey's gateThe Ezelpoort was built during the construction of the second ring of ramparts in

1297. It was rebuilt in 1369 to a new design by Jan Slabbaerd and Mathias Saghen,

who were also responsible for the construction of the Boeveriepoort and the

Smedenpoort. Various alterations were carried out between the 14th and 17th

centuries. The lower section of the brick gate is authentic, but the old medieval gate

was much higher. The original appearance of the gate was significantly altered in the

17th century, following the removal of the top part of the structure. In 1901 City

Architect Charles Dewulf drew up a restoration plan, based on iconographic and

other archive sources, with the aim of returning the Ezelpoort to its original appear-

ance. The proposal was discussed by the city council, but rejected. Restoration

work was eventually carried out in 1906, aimed at preserving the existing situation.

The most recent restoration dates from 1991-1993.

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Great Seminary BrugesA unique place with a lush orchard and meadows with cows at pasture. Between

1628 and 1642 a new Cistercian abbey was erected here, which later on would

achieve great fame for the wealth and erudition of its occupants. During the French

Revolution the abbey was brought under public ownership, and the abbot and

monks were chased away. The 17th-century abbey buildings were first used as a

military hospital and then as a military depot and a grammar school before they

were eventually taken over by the Great Seminary in 1833. Up to the present day

the Seminary has been training catholic priests here.v

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Choco-StoryThe museum dips its visitors in the history of cocoa and chocolate. From the Maya

and the Spanish conquistadores to the chocolate connoisseurs of today. A choco-

late hunt gives children the chance to discover the museum. Chocolates are made

by hand and sampled on the premises.

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Museum of the Basilica of the Holy BloodThis double chapel consists of the Romanesque church of Saint Basil (1139-1149)

on the ground floor and the Basilica on the first floor, rebuilt in Gothic revival style in

the 19th century. The Relic of the Holy Blood is kept in the Basilica.

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Saint Saviour's CathedralBruges' oldest parish church (12th-15th century). Worth seeing are the gobelins,

mausoleums in the choir, rood-loft with organ (1619-1717), choir stalls and numer-

ous fine paintings. Cathedral ’s treasury: Paintings by, among others, Dirk Bouts,

Hugo van der Goes, manuscripts, copper memorial plaques and silver and gold

artefacts.

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Bruges Day 2Tourist Information

HospitaalmuseumThe St. John’s Hospital (now Memling in Sint-Jan - Hospital Museum) is one of the

oldest preserved hospital buildings in Europe. The museum gives a moving impres-

sion of what life was like in a medieval hospital ward. Numerous pieces of furniture,

silverwork, pewter, paintings, statues, etc. evoke images of the care of bodies and

souls that took place right here, throughout the centuries. The hospital chapel is a

virtual monument to the artistic genius of Hans Memling. This 15th-century artist

created many of his greatest works for the St John’s Hospital, including his famous

St. Ursula Shrine. In the attic, visitors can admire one of the oldest monumental roof

truss systems in the world, while the old apothecary chamber and the herb garden

are also well worth a visit.

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GruuthuseThe opulent palace of the lords of Gruuthuse include splendid tapestries, a unique

prayer chapel, a five-centuries-old kitchen and a collection of objects illustrating

daily life between the 15th and the 19th century, from everyday kitchen ware to

superb silverware.

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ArenthusIn this elegant 18th-century town house with its picturesque garden the work of the

versatile British artist Frank Brangwyn (1867-1956) is on display on the top floor.

Brangwyn’s talent as an architect, painter and designer of glassware, furniture and

jewellery is breathtaking. The ground floor is the setting for temporary plastic art

exhibitions.

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Groeninghe MuseumThis museum offers a rich and fascinating array of (primarily) Belgian artworks.

Highlights include the world-famous collection of works by the Flemish Primitives,

paintings by various Renaissance and Baroque masters, several interesting pieces

from the Neo-classical and Realistic periods of the 18th and 19th centuries,

milestones from the Symbolist and Modernist movements, masterpieces by the

Flemish Expressionists and a varied selection of Post-1945 modern art. Artists such

as Bram Bogart, Hieronymus Bosch, Jean Brusselmans, Petrus Christus, Emile

Claus, Gerard David, Paul Delvaux, Gustave De Smet, James Ensor, Fernand

Khnopff, René Magritte, Hans Memling, Constant Permeke, Pieter Pourbus, Roger

Raveel, Hugo van der Goes, Rogier van der Weyden, Gustave van de Woestyne,

Jan van Eyck, Rik Wouters and many others are all exhibited in regularly changing

displays.

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Groeninghe MuseumNo visit is complete without a boat trip on the famous canals of Bruges. Floating

down the canals, you will discover the city from a completely different angle. Indeed,

some beauty spots are only accessible by water.

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St Anne's ChurchThe tiny square is dominated by the apparently simple church of Saint Anne. Her

exterior may be austere, her interior on the other hand is one of Bruges’ most

splendid baroque examples. As this neighbourhood gradually went upmarket, so

did the church, naturally!

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bruges trip