"BRUGGE- venice of the north" a Brugge Travel Page by banshee11

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green= dutch speaking part of belgium

BRUGES lies in the northwestern part of belgium near the border to holland.
the history of bruges begins around 2000 years ago. at that time there was a gallic-roman settlement on the site of the city. the inhabitants did not live by agriculture alone, they also traded with england and the rest of gaul. around 270 the germanic people attacked the flemish coastal plain for the first time. the romans probably still had a military fortification here at the end of the third century and during the fourth century. so it is very possible that bruges was inhabited in the transition period to the early middle ages. when saint eligius came to spread christianity in our area around 650, bruges was perhaps the most important fortification in the flemish coastal area.
around a hundred years later trade started with scandinavia in bruges. the name bruges in fact comes from the old norse "bryggja" which means landing stage. the name bruges has appeared on documents and coins since the middle of the ninth century. at that time there was already a strong citadel in bruges (the burg). and the city was not plundered by the norsemen. the overseas trade between bruges and scandinavia, the norsemen's home, probably continued.

so bruges has a long tradition of international port activity. the oldest trade settlement of bruges and the early middle age port was accessible from the sea until around 1050. the second area of occupation outside the burg was close to the present day steenstraat and the oude burg. it was here that the city grew fastest until around 1100. the two oldest parish churches in bruges, the church of our lady st.-saviour's, were then at the edge of this district. they date from the ninth century.

In the eleventh century bruges had expanded to become a commercial centre for europe. but during this period the natural link between bruges and the sea silted up. a storm flood in 1134 changed the appearance of the flemish coastal plain however. a deep channel appeared, the zwin, which at the time reached as far as present day damme. the city remained linked to the sea until the fifteenth century via a canal from the zwin to bruges. but bruges had to use a number of outports, such as damme and sluis for this purpose.
...for more brugge history read on the brugge-website www.brugge.be