Where Next? HOMEPAGE UNITED STATES UNITED KINGDOM Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antigua & Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bonaire Bosnia & Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Colombia Comoros Cook Islands Congo, Democratic Republic Congo, Republic Corsica Costa Rica Cote d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Easter Island Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Korea, North Korea, South Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Northern Ireland Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Islands Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Kitts & Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent & the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome & Principe Saudi Arabia Scotland Senegal Serbia Seychelles Singapore Sierra Leone Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Trinidad & Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks & Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates Uruguay US Virgin Islands Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Wales Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe

 Historic Centre of Brugge / Bruges, Belgium

    Tweet 

Brugge, Belgium
Author: Markdhammond (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)

Tools

Historic city centre of Brugge (or Bruges in French) is a World Heritage Site in Belgium. It was inscribed in 2000 during the 24th session of the World Heritage Committee which met in Cairns, Australia, from 27 November to 2 December, 2000. The historic centre, which is oval in shape, is completely encircled by canals. It covers an area of 410 hectares wrapped over by a buffer zone of 168 hectares.

The historic centre of Brugge is regarded as a testimony of the exchange of influences in the development of architecture, in particular the brick Gothic style. It is also lauded for the innovative artistic influences in medieval painting. The structures within the centre of Brugge is an outstanding ensemble illustrating significant stages in the commercial and cultural fields in medieval Europe. Thirdly, it was the birthplace of the Flemish Primitives art style, the cradle for developing the Middle Age painting style of artists such as Jan van Eyck and Hans Memling.

Photos of Historic Centre of Brugge

Public Square

Town square, Brugge
Author: Horst (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0)


Brugge town square
Author: DiaBaBurMElha (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)


Belfry of Brugge
Author: L. Ellis (Creative Commons Attribution 1.0)


Brugge town hall
Author: Armont (public domain)

Churches in Brugge / Bruges

Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk (Church of Our Lady), Brugge
Author: Lin ChangChih (public domain)


St Salvator Kathedraal, Brugge
Author: Wolfgang Staudt (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0)


Sint-Annakerk (St Anne Church), Brugge
Author: Wolfgang Staudt (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0)


Jeruzalemkerk (Jerusalem Church), Brugge
Author: LimoWreck (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)


Heilig Hartkerk (Church of the Holy Heart), Brugge
Author: LimoWreck (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)

Medieval Gates of Brugge / Bruges

Smedenpoort, Brugge
Author: Marc Ryckaert (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5)


Kruispoort, Brugge, as seen from inside the city
Author: Ph.winy (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)


Kruispoort, as seen from outside the city
Author: Wolfgang Staudt (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0)

Street scenes in Brugge / Bruges

A road in Brugge, with Church of Our Lady (Onze Lieve Vrouwkerk) in the background
Author: Wolfgang Staudt (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0)


Dweerstraat, Brugge
Author: Ellywa (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)

Canals of Brugge

Huidenvettersplein, Brugge
Author: Elke Wetzig (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)


Spinolarei en Spiegelrei Canals, Brugge
Author: Richardfabi (public domain)


View of a Brugge canal
Author: Jean-Christophe BENOIST (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)


Rozenhoedkaai Canal, Brugge
Author: Jean-Christophe BENOIST (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)

What to See in Historic Centre of Brugge

• Groeninge Museum
  Brugge's Museum of Fine Arts, the Groeninge Museum houses works from the 14th to the 20th centuries, focusing on works by artists who lived in Brugge.
• Heilige Bloed Basiliek
  Basilica of the Holy Blood is a Roman Catholic church at Burg Square. It was built in the Gothic style. It got its name because of a holy relic that is houses: a vial of what is believed to be the blood of Christ.
• Onze Lieve Vrouwkerk
  Church of Our Lady is another Roman Catholic church in Brugge. The tombs of Belgian noblemen including the duke Charles the Bold (1433-1477) and his daughter Mary the Rich (1457-1482) are located in the church ground. The church also houses one of the few sculptures of Michelangelo outside Italy.
• The Jerusalem Church
  A well-preserved church built by the Adornes family of Genoa, Italy. The church got its name because its design is said to be a copy of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem .

World Heritage Site Inscription Details

Location: N 51 12 32.076 E 3 13 30.972
Inscription Year: 2000
Type of Site: Cultural
Inscription Criteria: II, IV, VI

Location

Brugge is located on the west coast of Belgium, near the border with the Netherlands.

Visiting Historic Centre of Brugge

Your base for visiting this World Heritage Site is Brussels. From there you can make your preparations to visit Brugge. Here's a list of hotels in Brussels and hotels in Brugge. Click here also for a full list of hotels in Belgium or hotels worldwide. If you prefer budget accommodation in hostels, guesthouses or inns, check out hostels worldwide for budget accommodation providers with online booking.

Getting there

If you're flying in, you have to go through Brussels, and from there take a train or bus. The main airport is Brussels International while budget airlines use Brussels South Airport at Cherleroi. There are regular trains from Brussels to Brugge. Check details at the NMBS/SNCB website.