History of Bruges

While Belgium has officially been an independent country for less than 200 years, the city of Bruges has been around a long time and has a history dating back to the days of the Roman Empire. The story of Bruges past makes for interesting listening, with peaks and troughs of success and prosperity being the most distinctive features.

Early days

Bruges history began quite modestly with the first settlement believed to have been a Gallo-Roman one, over 2,000 years ago. A more established settlement, which could be viewed as the founding of the city, occurred in the 9th century, with the arrival of the Vikings, who made settlements at the end of the river 'de Reie'.

The Vikings are believed to be responsible for the name of the town, with Bruges possibly a derivative of the old Scandinavian word 'Brygga', which translates as 'harbour, or mooring place'. Due to Bruges location close to the North Sea, the area rapidly became a significant harbour. Around the 12th century, the settlement was granted city status and a fortified wall was built around it.

Middle Ages

By the 13th century, Bruges was a thriving trade centre, with traders from all over the known world converging in the city to sell their wares and to purchase Flemish cloth, which had secured itself an international reputation for quality. The citys trading status continued to rise and by the 14th century, it was considered significant enough to head the beginning of a commercial transport road.

Bruges rapidly became a multicultural city, with Germans, Italians, Scottish and Spaniards all positioning their own representatives here. By the 15th century however, the city began to experience a decline as a result of the silting up of the Zwin sea arm that connected it with the North Sea. Competition from Antwerp and a cloth industry crisis also contributed to the decline. As the 16th century drew to a close, Bruges was a shadow of its former glory, slipping into a state of inactivity and insignificance for several centuries.

Later times

An attempt to inject new life into the city in the 19th century via the introduction of new textile industries, failed miserably and by the middle of the 1800s, Bruge was the countys poorest city. With the 20th century however, came new prosperity, as its medieval heritage caught the attention of the international tourist industry and visitors began to flock to what was then hailed as the 'Venice of the north'. The creation of a harbour at Zeebrugge, just 15kms away, also aided Bruges, bringing new industries and developments to the region.