We were looking forward to our time in Bruges as everyone we had met who had been here loved it. Of course, sometimes you can be disappointed after such a build up, but this was not the case with Bruges.
We had 3 days to explore and we started with a free walking tour of the old town. This gave us an overview of the main sights and museums and a brief history of this well preserved medieval town.
The golden era for Bruges was during the 12th to 15th centuries when trade flourished and the resultant wealth was used to build many impressive churches and buildings. Around 1500, the channel to the sea started silting up and trade declined. Lack of money meant that many of the old buildings and churches were not renovated and retained their original features. Bruges survived both World Wars with little damage so by the second half of the 20th century, restoration of many buildings led to a surge in tourism.
Bruges is sometimes referred to as the “Venice of the North”. There are canals around the old town as well as several through the town.
After the walking tour we purchased a 3 day Bruges Museum pass and started with a trip to the City Hall built in 1376. Highlight was the Gothic Hall with its late 19th century murals and impressive vaulted ceiling.
The movie “In Bruges” featured the Belfort which is 83m tall and contains an impressive clockwork mechanism and a carillion with 47 bells.
This belfry was added to the market square around 1240 and housed the archives and served as a watchtower for fire or other dangers.
The Groeningemuseum provides a history of Belgian art and masterpieces from the Flemish Primitives including Jan van Eyck. They were in stark contrast to some of the modern art also on display.
The Church of Our Lady has a 115m high brick tower and a valuable art collection that includes Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child.
The Chapel of the Holy Blood was built in the 12th century and houses a relic brought back from the crusades that is said to be the blood of Jesus. There is a Procession of the relic on Ascension Day each year. The reliquary used for the procession was made in 1617 from 30kg of gold and silver and more than 100 precious stones.
We also did an evening walking tour that finished at a small local pub. Another great guide who expanded on the history of the town. The lights on the buildings at night made for some beautiful photos.
One different experience was a visit to the Historium which features a story of life in Bruges in medieval times. You travel from set to set and view films as the story unfolds. We finished our visit here with a Virtual Reality experience that included a flyover of the old town.
Bruges has narrow streets but few cars are allowed in the centre so walking the streets is enjoyable. There are lots of tourists but no one was trying to sell us a selfie stick. It definitely was as beautiful as we had heard.
