Welcome to Bruges! This may be one of the few World Heritage Cities in the world. It started simply enough - one or two structures made 'the list' and then, voila, November 2000, the entire old city was declared a UNESCO site and in 2002 the 'Cultural Capital of Europe'. What's so wonderfully ironic is that this classic medieval Flemish city is beautifully preserved because it was abysmally poor for four centuries. From the mid 9th century until well into the 16th century, Bruges was a thriving town. But a series of events, including the silting of the main canal which inhibited the transport of goods, conspired to drive Bruges into a severe depression which lasted almost 400 years! The Industrial Revolution passed it by, and were it not for a number of emigres (Brits mostly) who moved here precisely because it was affordable (read 'cheap'), who knows. . .
On their way to and from the site of the Battle of Waterloo (1815), British vets with their families in tow wanted to revisit where they'd defeated Napoleon. Coming and going they passed through Bruges. They quickly figured out that Bruges was poor, but British pensions went much farther and allowed them to live quite well, compared to the locals that is. The fact that Bruges had somewhere around 1100 breweries may also have factored into their decision . . .
What those early visitors might have seen . . . (minus the canal boats!)
By the mid-19th century the British ex-pat population numbered several thousand and, remarkably, the very first guide book to Bruges was written by an Englishman. The end of the 19th century brought another bit of fame (infamy?) to Bruges and that was the publication of Georges Rudenbach's "Bruges la Morte" - yes, you got it, Bruges The Dead. It was somewhat of a publishing sensation (translated into 7 languages) and, no surprise, attracted a whole new generation of tourists, eager to see this disaster of a city and its downtrodden inhabitants (wonder if the same thing might work in the States - "Detroit la Morte"?).
And, once again, Bruges exerted its unique charm (remember it still looked like a medieval town) which must have been very refreshing considering what many of Europe's and America's cities were starting to look (and smell) like by this time. These tourists became residents and the town began its renaissance, truly its rebirth. And all without the help of Disney! The rest, as the say, is history . . .
On our way into town through one of the original medieval gates.
The absolute center of Bruges, the 'Markt', with the bell tower in the distance.
And pride of place, a statue to the two Belgians who defeated the French, drove them out, and established Belgian's independence.
Next post, our walkabout and canal boat tour, the only way to see Bruges.
By the mid-19th century the British ex-pat population numbered several thousand and, remarkably, the very first guide book to Bruges was written by an Englishman. The end of the 19th century brought another bit of fame (infamy?) to Bruges and that was the publication of Georges Rudenbach's "Bruges la Morte" - yes, you got it, Bruges The Dead. It was somewhat of a publishing sensation (translated into 7 languages) and, no surprise, attracted a whole new generation of tourists, eager to see this disaster of a city and its downtrodden inhabitants (wonder if the same thing might work in the States - "Detroit la Morte"?).
And, once again, Bruges exerted its unique charm (remember it still looked like a medieval town) which must have been very refreshing considering what many of Europe's and America's cities were starting to look (and smell) like by this time. These tourists became residents and the town began its renaissance, truly its rebirth. And all without the help of Disney! The rest, as the say, is history . . .
On our way into town through one of the original medieval gates.
The absolute center of Bruges, the 'Markt', with the bell tower in the distance.
And pride of place, a statue to the two Belgians who defeated the French, drove them out, and established Belgian's independence.
Next post, our walkabout and canal boat tour, the only way to see Bruges.
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