Page 100 - (DK Eyewitness) Top 10 Travel Guide - Brussels Bruges Ghent & Antwerp

98  BEY OND BRUSSELS

1 Street-by-Street: Bruges

With good reason, Bruges is one of the most popular tourist
destinations in Belgium. An unspoilt medieval town, Bruges’
winding streets pass by pic turesque canals lined with fine
buildings. The centre of Bruges is amazingly well preserved.
The town’s trade was badly affected when the River Zwin
silted up at the end of the 15th century and Bruges was never
heavily industrialized, retaining most of its medieval buildings
as a result. As a further bonus, it also escaped major damage M A R K T
in both World Wars.
Today, the streets are well maintained: there are no
billboards or high rises, and traffic is heavily regulated. All the
major attractions are located within the circle of boulevards
that marks the line of the old medieval walls.

S T E E N S T R A A T S T . N I K L A A S S T R .

The Rozenhoedkaai S S I M L O P P E M S T R A A T
A charming introduction to Bruges is T E O O U D E B U R G
provided by the boat trips along the V N
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city’s canal network. N P
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Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk
The Church of Our Lady employs many
architectural styles. It took around 200
years to build, and its spire is Belgium’s
tallest in brick.
Memling in Sint-
Janshospitaal
Six of the artist’s works
are shown in the small
chapel of the
12th-century Sint-
Janshospitaal, a city 0 metres 100
hospital that was still 0 yards 100
operating until 1976.
098-099_EW_Brussels.indd 98 10/01/17 10:54 am
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Starsight template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2.7)
Date 24th April 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm