14 Facts About Bruges

Bruges has a significant economic importance, thanks to its port, and was once one of the world's chief commercial cities.

Bruges is a tourism destination within Belgium, and is well known as the seat of the College of Europe, a university institute for European studies.

Bruges had a strategic location at the crossroads of the northern Hanseatic League trade and the southern trade routes.

Bruges was already included in the circuit of the Flemish and French cloth fairs at the beginning of the 13th century, but when the old system of fairs broke down the entrepreneurs of Bruges innovated.

Later, Bruges would be consumed in the Flemish revolts that occurred around the County of Flanders between 1323 and 1328.

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Bruges became impoverished and gradually faded in importance; its population dwindling from 200, 000 to 50, 000 by 1900.

Symbolist novelist George Rodenbach made the city into a character in his novel Bruges-la-Morte, meaning "Bruges-the-dead", which was adapted into Erich Wolfgang Korngold's opera, Die tote Stadt.

International tourism has boomed, and new efforts resulted in Bruges being designated European Capital of Culture in 2002.

Medieval architecture in Bruges is mostly intact, making it one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe.

Bruges' best known landmark is the Belfry of Bruges, a 13th-century belfry housing a municipal carillon comprising 47 bells.

Bruges has an extensive web of bus lines, operated by De Lijn, providing access to the city centre and the suburbs and to many towns and villages in the region around the city (regional lines, Dutch: streeklijnen).

Between 1998 and 2016, Bruges hosted the start of the annual Tour of Flanders cycle race, held in April and one of the biggest sporting events in Belgium.

In 2000, Bruges was one of the eight host cities for the UEFA European Football Championship, co-hosted by Belgium and its neighbour the Netherlands.

On principle, Bruges has to date never entered into close collaboration with twin cities.