Berlitz: Brussels Pocket Guide by Berlitz Travel

Author:Berlitz Travel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Travel, Brussels
Publisher: APA
Published: 2014-11-10T05:00:00+00:00

View from Rozenhoedkaai, in Bruges, across to the Belfry

Glyn Genin/Apa Publications

The Burg and Town Hall

The Burg B [map] is the smaller of the two squares, and the oldest, dating to medieval times. It was named after the original castle of Bruges (which is no longer standing). Each building on the Burg reveals its own beauty and together they make one of the most coherent, sequential architectural statements in Europe. On the south side of the square is the Stadhuis (Town Hall), a Gothic masterpiece built from 1376 to 1420. Its ornate facade has a wealth of detail, adorned with statues of the counts of Flanders, family crests and scenes of daily life. Inside, in the Bruggemuseum-Stadhuis (www.museabrugge.be; daily 9.30am–5pm), there is even more evidence of civic pride, with guild pennants hanging from the ceiling. The Gothic Hall on the second floor has a magnificent vaulted wooden ceiling decorated with gilt.

To the right of the Stadhuis is the Landhuis van het Brugse Vrije (Palace of the Liberty of Bruges). The mansion, which houses the Brugse Vrije museum (www.museabrugge.be; daily 9.30am–12.30pm and 1.30–5pm), is an interesting amalgam of architectural styles. It is renowned for its ornate chimneypiece of marble, alabaster and oak, dating from 1531, in the Renaissancezaal (Renaissance Hall). At its centre is a statue of Emperor Charles V, surrounded by other members of the Habsburg dynasty. At the rear of the complex are the remains of a 16th-century building. The facade in front of the square is 18th century. Between the Stadhuis and the Landhuis van het Brugse Vrije is the Oude Civiele Griffie (Old Recorder’s House), which was completed in 1537.

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