In respectable Belgium there is a picturesque town - Bruges. Now it has a little more than a hundred thousand inhabitants. However, during the Middle Ages, about two hundred thousand citizens settled here, which indicates the prosperity of the city in the past centuries. Lovers of history in Bruges will not be bored, because there are so many interesting things! So, we present an overview of what to see in Bruges.
Market square in Bruges
Usually it is advised to begin an inspection of any place from its central part. Located in the heart of Bruges, the Market Square, enchanting with many magnificent buildings, which are a sample of medieval architecture. Here stands one of the highest buildings in Bruges - the Belfort tower, 83 m high, serving for a long time as a sentinel site. There are 49 bells in it, old legal documents are kept. In the center of the square there is a monument to Breidel and de Koninku, who oppose French rule.
| | |
Burg Square in Bruges
The other main square of Brigitte - Burg Square - is the administrative center of the city. It is also rich in majestic architectural monuments representing different styles, for example, Gothic houses, the Archive of the Civil Registration in the Renaissance style, the neoclassical former Palace of Justice, the building of the Decanate in the Baroque style, etc.
Town Hall Bruges
Particularly distinguished is the one built in the late 13th - early 16th centuries. The two-story building of the Bruges Town Hall, striking luxury of exterior decoration. These are molded ornaments and sculptures on the facade of the Flanders' nobles. The interior of the Town Hall looks no less exquisite. For example, the Renaissance Hall is famous for its work of 16th-century masters - a huge fireplace made of marble, wood and alabaster. Lancet oak arches and frescoes on the walls that show the history of the city are an ornament of the Gothic Hall.
Bruges: Basilica of the Holy Blood
To the attractions of Bruges, there is also a religious monument - the basilica of the Holy Blood of Christ, built in the beginning of the XII century. Originally it was a chapel to which the Count of Flanders Diderik Van de Alsace brought from Jerusalem a Christian shrine - scraps of wool, which according to legend Joseph of Arimathea wiped blood from the body of Jesus after being removed from the cross. The building of one of the most important temples of Bruges, the Basilica of the Holy Blood, consists of two parts - the Lower Romanesque chapel and the Gothic Upper Chapel. The church is decorated with a statue of the Madonna with the baby. Here are the main shrines of Bruges: the Blood of Christ and the relics of St. Basil.
Church of Our Lady of Bruges
This Gothic building is the highest building in Bruges, the height of its tower is 122 m. The construction of the church was started as early as 1100. The interior is represented by two-meter statues of the Twelve Apostles and one of the most beautiful sculptures of the great Michelangelo - the Virgin Mary with the baby. It also contains significant relics of the city - two sarcophaguses with magnificent bronze tombs of the Duke of Charles the Bold and his daughter Maria Burgunskaya.
Beguinage in Bruges
Near the picturesque lake Minnevater (Lake of Love) is located in Bruges a monastery of beginok - the shelter of a female religious community with a semi-monastic lifestyle. Beguinage was built by Countess Jeanne of Constantinople in the 13th century and combines the Renaissance style with elements of classicism. Tourists will be offered to familiarize themselves with the life of the beginoks, see the monastic cells, the church, the task of the abbess and enjoy the reigning peace and tranquility.
As a historical center, the city could not fail to acquire a large number of diverse museums - the Salvador Dalí Museum, the Museum of Chocolate History, the Lace Museum, the French Fries Museum, the Brewery Museum, the Diamond Museum, etc.
The Groninge Museum in Bruges
One of the most famous and wealthy museums is the Bruges City Museum of Fine Arts, or the Groninge Museum. The exposition is devoted to the history of Flemish and Belgian painting, which consists of 6 centuries. Here are the works of artists who lived and worked in Bruges: Jan van Eyck, Hans Memling, Hugo van der Gus, and others.
All that you need to travel in this wonderful Belgian town is a passport and a Schengen visa .