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We've been in Belgium in September 2023 for ten very enjoyable and instructive days spent in Flanders, the Dutch speaking part of this country.

After three days on the coast to visit Bruges, we based ourselves in Dendermonde and explored the cities of Ghent and Antwerp plus a day trip to Brussels.

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Path: Photos > Bruges Highlights: the City and its Museums
Tags: Belgium  2023  News  Museum

Bruges Highlights: the City and its Museums

 

(vero;2023-Sept-21)

One of the highlights of Bruges for us was undoubtly the visit of the Groeninge Museum and we have created a photo gallery just for it. Below are two further galleries with:

We also have a blog entry with some tips and practicalities if you ever plan to come to Bruges…

Views of the city
The tower of the Church of our Lady seen from the courtyard of the Gruuthuse.
Facade of the Gruuthuse Museum. The courtyard of the Gruuthuse seen through the tainted windows of the museum. The high tower in the distance is the belfry. The Gruuthuse. The Gruuthuse. Picture perfect bridge over a canal behind the Gruuthuse. Tower of the Church of our Lady. The canal seen from Rosary Quay. Houses on Market Square. Detail of a house facade on Market Square. Artoisstraat: reflection of houses in the canal. Canal magic. Typical house architecture of Bruges. The Belfry towering over Market Square. Market Square. Carved column framing a door in the inner courtyard of the belfry. Away from the centre along Potterierei, the tourists are gone. Lifting bridge over the canal. Sint-Janshuis Windmill. It is one of three windmills located on the raised platform of the former city walls between Dampoort and Kruispoort. We had the luck of visiting it while it was in operation. The Jerusalem Church on Peperstraat, not far away from Kruispoort. The facade of the Brugse Vrije on Burg Square. View of Burg Square from the top of the belfry. View from the top of the belfry: on the right, the tower of the Church of our Lady. Follow the street / canal leading to the left from the church and spot the Dijver Square with its already yellowing trees. View from the top of the belfry. The Church of our Lady on the left and the Church of St Salvador on the left. The gothic facade of the Stadhuis and the classical facade of the Police station seen from the belfry. Rosary Quay, starting point for many canal boat excursions. A typical street in Bruges. View from the belfry to the north, with Zeebrugge and wind turbines in the distance. View from the belfry to the north east. From left to right: St Walburga's Church, the slim tower of St Anna's Church and the tower of the Jerusalem Church to the right. Can you spot the Sint-Janshuis windmill and its red wings in the background left of St Anna? There is a second one on the far left just before the tree line begins. Market Square with the statue of Pieter De Coninck and Jan Breydel, the leaders of the Matins of Bruges revolt against French rule in 1302. The revolt led to the Battle of the Golden Spurs, which saw the Flemish militia defeat French troops on 11 July 1302. Our kind of tools: chocolate sprinkled with cinnamon. Inside one of the many sweet and chocolate shops in the centre. The south-east side of Burg Square with from left to right: the classical facade of the Police station, the Brugse Vrije and its gables, the gothic facade of the Stadhuis and the basilica of the Holy Blood in the corner. This photo is a panorama, click the cross on the right below the photo (or press F if watching on a desktop) to expand it to its real size and use the bottom scroll bar to navigate through it. Close-up of the facade of the Stadhuis. 35. The basilica of the Holy Blood. 36. The gables of the Brugse Vrije.

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Some exhibits of the city's museums

If you want to know more, the links below give access to visitor guides of some of the museums featured in this gallery. Also, don't forget to check our gallery dedicated to the Groeninge Museum.

Gruuthuse Museum The Church of our Lady and its museum The Church of our Lady of the Potterie The Gothic Hall of the Stadhuis The Brugse Vrije (Liberty of Bruges)

Gruuthuse Museum: 17th century tapestry in the entrance hall of the museum. It is the eighth of a series of eight tapestries dedicated to the seven liberal arts, each of the first seven tapestries depicting one of the arts. This eighth one depicting five women and two men brings all seven arts together.
Gruuthuse Museum: monumental fireplace (ca. 1890). The coat of arms bears the motto of Louis de Gruuthuse, "Plus est en Vous" (Be the Best you can be). Gruuthuse Museum: Portrait of Louis de Gruuthuse, founder of the 15th-century palace where the museum is housed. Click here for a full view of the painting and more details. Gruuthuse Museum: bust of the young Click here for a full view of the painting and more details. Church of our Lady Museum: the Adoration of the Shepherds (1574) by Pieter Pourbus. This triptych was commissioned by Joos de Damhouder (1507-1581), a lawyer from Bruges. He is depicted on the left panel, together with his four sons. His patron saint, St. Judoc, is standing behind them. The right panel shows his wife, Louise de Chantraines, and their six daughters, along with her patron saint, St. Louis. Some of the children have a red cross on the hair of their forehead, a usual practice: this means that they had already died by the time the painting was made. The centre panel features the adoration of the shepherds, a typical nativity scene. Church of our Lady Museum: detail of the retable in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel (1863). Church of our Lady Museum: tomb of Click here for a few details. Church of our Lady Museum: one of the painted graves discovered in the church. Around 1270, it became customary in Bruges to paint the inside of brick-lined graves. The scenes show what medieval people thought about the afterlife. The Virgin and Child are usually depicted at the foot end: she intercedes with God on behalf of the deceased. The crucified Christ is portrayed at the head end, bringing redemption to humanity through his death. On the side walls, angels with incense burners accompany the deceased's soul to heaven. At that time, the dead were often buried the same day they died, so the tomb painter had to work quickly. Crouching in the grave, he painted freehand on the wet, quick-drying lime. As a result, the drawings are quite rudimentary. Pharmacy of Sint-Jans Hospitaal: we wanted very much to visit the museum of Sint-Jans Hospital, one of the oldest preserved hospital buildings in Europe with top class works by the Flemish primitive Hans Memling. Unfortunately it was closed for renovation and all we could see what the old pharmacy with its authentic 17th century interior. Pharmacy of Sint-Jans Hospitaal: wood carving showing patients coming to the pharmacy with a prescription and the nuns behind the counter waiting to dispense the required medicines. Church of our Lady of the Potterie: Saint Michael fighting the demons (late 15th century). A nun is depicted in a kneeling position, in the typical habit or dress worn by the Augustinian nuns at the time. The central figure is Saint Michael, one of the seven archangels, who is waging battle against two demons. He has trampled one of them underfoot. Exceptionally he is not wearing a suit of armour; instead, he is depicted in a priest's vestments. This little oak panel was long attributed to the workshop of Hans Memling (ca. 1435-1494). Later research has shown that it is probably the work of a Bruges Master of the Legend of Saint Ursula. Church of our Lady of the Potterie. Triptych showing from left to right: Christ carrying the cross, Christ's Descent of the Cross and the Resurrection (anonymous, Flanders). Church of our Lady of the Potterie: detail of the central panel of the triptych of Christ's Descent of the Cross (see photo #12). Church of our Lady of the Potterie: detail of the central panel of the triptych of Christ's Descent of the Cross (see photo #12). Church of our Lady of the Potterie: Christ carrying the cross. Detail of the left panel of the triptych of Christ's Descent of the Cross (see photo #12). Church of our Lady of the Potterie: triptych of the Adoration of the Magi by Roger de Bruges. Church of our Lady of the Potterie: detail of the central panel of the triptych of the Magi (see photo #16). Church of our Lady of the Potterie: the church has two naves. The one adjoining the front hospital is an original Gothic nave with choir (mid-14th century). The other one (on this photo) is a Baroque nave from the 17th century, which is called Mary's nave, and was built specially for the veneration of the thirteenth-century miracle statue of Our Lady of the Potterie. Church of our Lady of the Potterie: reliquary exhibited in the church's museum. Church of our Lady of the Potterie: the Last Supper (anonymous). Stadhuis: general view of the Gothic Hall. Stadhuis, Gothic Hall: the vast mantelpiece dates from the late 19th century and was a gift from the provincial government. The provincial authorities had used the city hall for a number of years after their own offices had burnt down, and they wanted to thank the city for its hospitality. The legend on the mantelpiece is from a 1305 charter in which Robert of Béthune, Count of Flanders, confirmed the freedom of all the citizens of Bruges. Right is a mural showing Thierry of Alsace, Count of Flanders, as he brings the Holy Blood to Bruges upon his return from the Second Crusade. The mural on the left depicts Philip the Good establishing the Order of the Golden Fleece on occasion of his marriage to Isabella of Portugal (1430). Stadhuis, Gothic Hall: mural showing Magistrates visiting the studio of Jan van Eyck. The painter, dressed in green, is introducing his wife, Margaretha. On the left we see an incomplete panel of one of his masterpieces, The Virgin and Child with Canon van der Paele, which is now on display in the Groeninge Museum. Through the open windows we can catch a glimpse of Gothic Bruges. Belfort: detail of the mechanisms operating the bells and carillons in the belfry. Belfort: detail of the mechanisms operating the bells and carillons in the belfry. Main altar of the Basilica of the Holy Blood. The church houses a relic of the Holy Blood allegedly collected by Joseph of Arimathea and brought from the Holy Land by Thierry of Alsace, Count of Flanders after his return from the second crusade. Built between 1134 and 1157 as the chapel of the Count of Flanders, it was promoted to a minor basilica in 1923. Basilica of the Holy Blood: detail of the main altar. Basilica of the Holy Blood: stained glass-window. Brugse Vrije (Liberty of Bruges): monumental mantelpiece in the Renaissance assembly room of the Brugse Vrije. It was built as a tribute to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V who defeated the French army in 1525, liberating Flanders once and for all from the feudal claims of the French king. The mantelpiece was completed in 1531 and honours this event. Brugse Vrije: close-up on Charles V, wearing the chain of the Order of the Golden Fleece and holding the sword of state and a globus cruciger. Around him are the 46 coats of arms of the regions he ruled over.

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$updated from: Photos.htxt Mon 04 Mar 2024 16:04:48 trvl2 (By Vero and Thomas Lauer)$