Country Images Magazine North December 2017 | Page 9

A
city made famous by the quality of its
beer that was originally brewed by
monks, Bruges is a UNESCO World
Heritage Site. Because of the number of
canals surrounding the city, it is called the
‘Venice of the North’ From the thirteenth
to fi fteenth centuries Bruges was one of the
greatest commercial cities in the then known
world. Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy,
established his court here, attracting a
following of prominent members of European
society and wealthy bankers and merchants
to settle in Bruges. The city became the
heart of the Northern Renaissance attracting
artists such as Jan van Eyck, leaving a legacy
of art masterpieces valued in the millions of
dollars today.
The most prominent landmarks in Bruges date from this period of
prosperity, including many of the Gothic palaces and churches, the
medieval squares, attractive canals and narrow cobbled by-ways. Even
though they offi cially speak three languages – Dutch, French and
German, almost anyone you speak to in the street readily converses
in excellent English. Along with that, they are amongst some of the
friendliest people in Europe, maybe it is something we should thank
the medieval monks for.
Aft er a quick crossing beneath the Channel, we arrived outside our hotel on a
cold frosty morning. Based beside the main market square on the edge of the old
part of this medieval city, it could not have been more convenient. Surrounded
by canals and linked to the sea at Zeebrugge, Bruges ancient prosperity was based
on its wool trades, together with
tapestry weaving and lace making.
Narrow cobbled streets lined with
tiny specialist shops and cosy
restaurants meander to and fro,
making this a city just asking to be
explored on foot.
Th ere is something pleasantly
surrealistically quirky about the
Belgian character. Th is humour is
immediately noticeable from the
long-running Tin-Tin cartoon, to
work by the artist Magrit. A print
of his strange painting of a man’s
head topped by a bowler hat and
with his nose obliterated by a large
green apple decorated our shower
room.
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