The August Travel Book
Rough Guides DIRECTIONS Bruges
Introduction to Bruges
In 1896 the novelist and playwright Arnold Bennett complained,“The difference between Bruges and other cities is that in the latter you look about for the picturesque, while in Bruges, assailed on every side by the picturesque, you look curiously for the unpicturesque, and don't find it easily.”
Perhaps so, but for the modern palate, battered by post-war development, Bruges' blend of antique architectural styles, from tiny brick cottages to gracious Georgian mansions, is a welcome relief – and retreat. It certainly brings out the romance in many of its visitors – stay here long enough and you can't help but be amazed by the number of couples wandering its canals hand-in-hand, cheek-to-cheek. Neither does it matter much that a fair slice of Bruges is not quite what it seems: many buildings are not the genuine article, but are carefully constructed to resemble their medieval predecessors. Bruges has spent time and money preserving its image, rendering almost everything that's new in various versions of medieval style, and the result is one of Europe's most beautiful city centres, whose charms are supplemented by a clutch of museums, plus lots of inviting restaurants and bars.
whenever France and England were at war – which was often – Bruges found itself in a precarious position.
Medieval Bruges prospered as a lynchpin of the cloth trade, turning high-quality English wool into clothing that was exported all over the known world. It was an immensely profitable business and one that made Bruges a focus of international trade. Through the city's harbours, Flemish cloth was exchanged for hogs from Denmark, spices from Venice, hides from Ireland, wax from Russia, gold and silver from Poland and furs from Bulgaria. However, despite (or perhaps because of) this lucrative state of affairs, Bruges was dogged by war. Its weavers and merchants were dependent on the goodwill of the kings of England for the wool supply, but their feudal overlords, the counts of Flanders and their successors the dukes of Burgundy, were vassals of the rival king of France. Consequently, whenever France and England were at war – which was often – Bruges found itself in a precarious position.
The Habsburgs swallowed Bruges – and Flanders – into their empire towards the end of the fifteenth century and the sour relations between the new rulers and the Bruggelingen – the citizens of Bruges – led to the city's decline. Economically and politically marooned, Bruges simply withered away, its houses deserted, its canals empty and its money spirited away by the departing merchants. Some four centuries later, Georges Rodenbach's novel Bruges-la-Morte alerted well-heeled Europeans to the town's aged, quiet charms, and Bruges attracted its first wave of tourists. Many of them – especially the British – settled here and came to play a leading role in preserving the city's architectural heritage and today Bruges is one of the most popular weekend destinations in Europe.
WHEN TO GO
Bruges is an all-year destination, with most attractions and nearly all its bars and restaurants open in winter and summer alike. The city enjoys a fairly standard temperate climate, with warm, if mild, summers and cold winters, without much snow. The warmest months are usually June, July and August (averaging 18?C), the coldest December and January (averaging 2?C), when short daylight hours and weak sunlight can make the weather seem colder (and wetter) than it actually is.
Bruges is an all-year destination, with most attractions and nearly all its bars and restaurants open in winter and summer alike.
Rain is always a possibility, even in summer, which actually sees a greater degree of rainfall than autumn or winter. Warm days in April and May, when the light has the clarity of springtime, are especially appealing. In summer, the advantage of the sunnier weather is offset by the excessive number of tourists visiting, especially in July and August. If you're planning a short visit, it's worth noting that almost all of the city's museums are closed on Mondays.
BRUGES AT A GLANCE
The Markt
At the centre of Bruges, this handsome cobbled square was long the commercial heart of the city, and is still home to one of the city's most distinctive medieval landmarks, the Belfort, whose distinctive lantern tower pierces the city's skyline.
The Burg
The city's second central square, the Burg is flanked by an especially beautiful group of buildings, including the postcard-perfect Gothic Stadhuis and the Heilig Bloed Basiliek, which holds the city's holiest relic, a phial purportedly containing blood washed from the body of Christ.
The Groeninge Museum
The superb Groeninge Museum boasts one of the world's finest collections of early Flemish paintings, including works by Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, Hans Memling and Hieronymus Bosch.
South of the Markt
The streets south of the Markt are home to several of the city's key sights, from the medieval Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk and St Janshospitaal museum, through to the whitewashed cottages of the Begijnhof and the Minnewater, the so-called “Lake of Love”.
North and East of the Markt
The areas north and east of the centre are home to an especially beguiling collection of handsome streetscapes, with graceful mansions and intimate brick houses draped along a lattice of slender canals, crisscrossed by dinky little stone bridges.
Damme
A popular day-trip from Bruges, the pretty little village of Damme perches beside a canal 7km to the northeast of the city.
Ghent
Ghent's ancient centre holds a glorious set of Gothic buildings, including the stirring St Baafskathedraal (also home to the remarkable Adoration of the Mystic Lamb by Jan van Eyck), St Niklaaskerk, the medieval guild houses of the Graslei, and a forbidding castle, Het Gravensteen.
Rough Guides DIRECTIONS Bruges by Phil Lee and Karoline Densley is published by Rough Guides (paperback: £6.99). It is also available through amazon.co.uk and all good booksellers.
