Bruges - A Medieval Metropolis, Belgium (407/418)

Bruges - A Medieval Metropolis, Belgium (407/418)

A natural catastrophe gave Bruges direct access to the North Sea, with the result that it rose to become one of the most important centers of trade in medieval Europe. The city grew into one of the busiest ports in Northern Europe and was soon a hub of international commerce. Large Italian bankers like the de Medici family opened up subsidiaries here and made Bruges a center of global finance. The ubiquitous wealth of the traders, bankers and nobility also attracted important artists.
Bruges experienced a Golden Age. Buildings like the impressive Belfry of Bruges, the Gothic city hall, the magnificent Renaissance-style Palace of Justice and the stately guild and patrician houses testify to its meteoric rise. The architectural highlights of this epoch also include sacred structures like the monumental Church of Our Lady and the Old St. John's Hospital, one of the oldest and largest hospitals of its type in Europe.

To this day, the cityscape of Bruges is characterized by a wonderful marriage of styles from multiple eras, including Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neo-Gothic.