Historic Centre of Brugge
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How it came to be
The name Brugge first appears in the 9th century, as Bruggia on Carolingian coins. In 851 a first fortification was built on the site of today's Burg as a defence against the Normans, and the first city walls followed in 1127. A canal was dug to the sea, and the town kept its role as a port until the 15th century.
From about 1200 to 1400 Brugge was the economic capital of Europe north of the Alps, built above all on the wool trade with England. Its town hall, begun in 1376, is the oldest Gothic town hall in the Low Countries. Under the Dukes of Burgundy, especially Philip the Good (1419–67), it became a centre of the court and the arts, where Jan van Eyck and Hans Memling worked.
From the late 15th century Antwerp took over its trade and the town declined. In the 19th century a colony of English aristocrats encouraged restoration, and tourism grew. The whole historic town, with about 10,000 buildings, was inscribed as a World Heritage site in 2000.
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