Construction of the Gothic style (or to be more precise – the late Gothic monumental style) Bruges City Hall was begun in 1376 and completed in 1421. The building is still the seat of the city government today. Parts of the interior are open to the public, but regrettably I did not make time to go inside. There is only so much one can see during a three day visit.
Adjacent to City Hall in Burg Square there are bistros for beleaguered bureaucrats in need of sustenance of the solid or liquid variety.
Like Venice and Amsterdam, Bruges has canals that link the old parts of the city together. What role these canals played in the history and development of Bruges, I cannot say. The only activity I saw on the canals were the sightseeing boats that took visitors on water-level tours of the city.
On my first morning in Bruges, I set off at just past 7:00 am to walk to the center of the old city. I soon came upon the enormous 115.6m high tower of the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady. Construction of the Gothic church began in the 13th century and was completed in the 15th century. The brickwork tower is the second highest such structure in Europe (or the third, depending on which source one chooses to believe). Whether second or third, the massive tower dominates its surroundings.
Bruges is a small Belgian city of about 120,000 people located on the North Sea in the northwest of the country near the Dutch border. The center of Bruges is part of a sizeable UNESCO World Heritage Site of some 430 hectares. My plan was to walk from my hotel near the southern end of the oval-shaped Site to the Markt or Market Square, about 1 kilometer away in the heart of historic old Bruges.
The Belfry of Bruges is the centerpiece of the Market Square. The tower, a mere 83 meters high was built in 1240, but has been damaged by fire and repaired several times since then.
I will have more about Bruges in the days to come.
Belgium just happens to be on my mind right about now, so I decided to take a break from Denmark and the Danes today.
Bruges was the first city in northern Europe visited by merchant vessels from Genoa in the 13th century, becoming the endpoint of seaborne trade going through the Straits of Gibraltar, along the eastern Atlantic coastline, and through the English Channel to the low countries in the north. Today much of the center of old Bruges is a beautifully preserved UNESCO World Heritage site drawing tourists from all over Europe. The Belfry, visible from everywhere in the old city, stands in the Grote Markt in the center of Bruges.
As for Belgium being on my mind, I just finished watching that country’s national team defeat the US team 4 to 1 in a World Cup football match. While I sympathize with the US players who now have to come to terms with being beaten and knocked out of the World Cup competition, I can’t say I am put out or upset that the US lost. Given the performance of the garbage representing our country right now, the US does not deserve to win any accolades these days. It is as simple as that.
Belgium moves on to a Quarterfinal match with Spain on 11 July.
