Search results
People also ask
Is Bruges a big city?
Where is Bruges located?
What is Bruges known for?
How many castles are in Bruges?
Bruges is located in the north-west of Belgium and has an area of 138.4 km². It is the capital of the province of West Flanders. The boroughs of Bruges are: Brugge, Koolkerke, Sint-Andries, Sint-Michiels, Assebroek, Sint-Kruis, Dudzele, Lissewege, Zeebrugge.
- Overview
- HOW TO VISIT
- Related: Beautiful European World Heritage Sites
Explore historic canals, stone bridges, and Gothic architecture in this well-preserved historic center.
2:39
A visitor to the historic center of Brugge, commonly spelled Bruges, can easily imagine a time when this picturesque Flemish town was bustling with merchants and traders from all corners of Europe, a place where bankers rubbed shoulders with painters and holy men.
The city in northwestern Belgium’s Flanders region was once a major nexus of trade in medieval Europe, and of art and architecture during the Renaissance. Brugge’s historic center has retained its character through the centuries and is now designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. It represents one of the best-preserved examples of a medieval European settlement.
First settled by Vikings in the early Middle Ages, the town’s strategic location on the North Sea helped it become a major commercial center, where traders from northern and southern Europe met, bringing a hodgepodge of languages and cultural influences. The area’s wealth was further boosted by the thriving Flemish textile industry. The city became known also as a center of the Flemish Primitives painting school and home to masters including Jan van Eyck and Hans Memling.
Over the years, however, the city’s fortunes turned. The Zwin inlet, which connected Brugge to the North Sea and had first opened after a storm in the 12th century, began to fill up with silt. Ultimately the passage became unnavigable, and Brugge was cut off from the sea. By the 1500s, Antwerp had supplanted Brugge as a trading center.
Brugge can be done as a day trip from Brussels and is accessible by train, bus, and car. The city is easily explored on foot. Boat and carriage tours are available, as are rental bicycles. Key sites in the heart of the city include Market Square and the belfry, the Groeninge Museum, and the Basilica of the Holy Blood. For those wishing to ascend the belfry, it’s best to come early, as lines become quite long later in the day.
Belgium has a temperate climate through most of the year, but to avoid both the winter rain and the crowds of peak summer months, consider going in April, May, or September.
1 / 21
1 / 21
This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our photo community on Instagram. Follow us on Instagram at @natgeoyourshot or visit us at natgeo.com/yourshot for the latest submissions and news about the community.
This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our photo community on Instagram. Follow us on Instagram at @natgeoyourshot or visit us at natgeo.com/yourshot for the latest submissions and news about the community.
Bruges (Dutch: Brugge) is a picturesque city in Flanders, the northern part of Belgium. Once Europe's richest city, now both cosmopolitan and bourgeois in its compact size. It is mainly known for its exceptionally well-preserved historical centre (especially by Belgian standards), which draws over 400,000 tourists annually.
Jun 23, 2020 · The city of Bruges might be small, but it is home to more castles per square inch than any other country on this planet. In fact, roughly 50 of the 470 castles that are found in the Flanders region are located around Bruges.
It is the capital and largest city of West Flanders. In 2007, 116,982 people lived there. [1] Bruges is at 51° 12 North, 03° 13 East. [2] It is a centre of tourism because of its historic medieval city centre. The centre was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. [3]
Bruges is a mid-size city in northwest Belgium. It’s the capital of the West Flanders region, and has a population of around 110,000. This means it’s a relatively small city but with a big reputation.
Jul 22, 2019 · Bruges (Brugge in Dutch), the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in Belgium, is located in the northwest corner of Belgium. Bruges is a mere 44km from Ghent to the southeast and 145 from Brussels.
