Bruges - Steenstraat

Bruges already had its city charter in 1128 and was a very important member of the Hanseatic League. It was the prospering center of the Flemish cloth industry. Most merchandise was punted on boats through the city. The large cog-ships were moored in the harbor.

Between 1200 and 1500 Bruges had a kind of "Golden Era". Bruges was a leading European business community, - a large group of innovative and daring entrepreneurs.

Bruges lost importance and declined over the next centuries. There was no need for new buildings - and so many houses of the historic city centre, meanwhile a World Heritage Site of UNESCO, date back to the "Golden Era".

About 2.000.000 tourists visit Bruges annually, so it can get pretty crowded Here. The streets are decorated with banners flapping in the wind.

Seen in the background is the Sint-Salvator Cathedral. The cathedral was a parish church until the 19th century. As the French revolutionary occupiers not only had kicked the bishop out of Bruges, but as well had teared down his residence the Sint-Donaaskathedraal in the late 18th century, this church obtained the status of a cathedral, when the bishop returned to Bruges in 1834.