Parks & Squares

Cosy Corners

April 06, 2016 - 18:10

Tanners Square: This place is just behind the Town Hall and the Burg Square. It's more than a square, more so a patio. As a matter of fact originally there were gates at the ends of the square. In the fourteenth century it was occupied by a guild of tanners, but in the fifteenth century they were moved to another location because of the smell of leather. Today there are several restaurants, a hotel (Duc de Bourgogne), and at the end of the square there is a pier from which you can take a boat trip to explore the city.

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Minnewaterpark

March 24, 2016 - 11:31

The Bargebrug (bridge), a striking example of asymmetrical architecture, connects the outskirts of the town with Minnewaterpark. This surprising spot is the starting point of a visit to Bruges for many a tourist. The Minnewater (Lake of Love) and its lovely park (Minnewaterpark) is one of the first things they see in the city of Bruges, when arriving by train or coach.

This area is the perfect introduction to the city of Bruges.

Burg square

March 23, 2016 - 10:50

The Burg square is one of the earliest inhabited places of the city. People settled here as early as in the second and third centuries of our era. In the ninth century, the count of Flanders chose the Burg square as his base of operation. Burg square was so named because of the fortress that Baldwin Iron Arm, the first Count of Flanders, built here in the 9th century.

The Market Square (Markt)

March 21, 2016 - 17:45

This square was used as a marketplace since 958, and a weekly market was held here from 985. Today the large square is ringed by banks and many guild houses converted into restaurants. The Markt is filled with pedestrians and bicyclists, and is a good place to start or end a walking tour of the city.

The most prominent buildings on the square are the Belfry Tower and the Cloth Hall. However in all four directions of the square are unique buildings that provide a glance of Bruges' glorious past.

Koningin Astridpark

January 24, 2016 - 14:03

It is an example of an urban open space for centuries survived as a monastery garden . It began when the Friars Minor , who settled around 1221 in Bruges in 1246 were allocated a place at the Braamberg . A large garden stretched behind the monastery walls . More than five centuries the friars were known as the Recollects. After the French got hold of the government and dissolved all religious communities by law on September 1, 1796 , the monastery was demolished.
Nowadays the park is a place where townspeople and tourists can enjoy the coolness of the trees on hot summer days.