Bruges canals: simply gorgeous!

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When you say Bruges, you immediately think of the many Bruges canals that meander through the historical city centre. Because of its canals Bruges is often called ‘The Venice of the North’, a nickname this enchanting city truly deserves. The Bruges canals originated when the Flemish coastline still reached all the way to Bruges, several hundreds of years ago.

Boat rides on Bruges canals: PRACTICAL INFORMATION

• WHEN: From March to November every day from 10h-18h, November and February only on weekends, closed December and January.
• POINTS OF DEPARTURE: There are 4 or 5 points of departure for a boat ride on the Bruges canals: Huidenvettersplein, Nieuwstraat, Wollestraat and Rozenhoedkaai.
• PRICES: Adults: 6.90 euros, children (4 to 11 years old) 3.20 euros, children up to 3 years: free, Bruges City Card (1 / 3> 15/11): Free
• MAP: for a map of Bruges to see the Bruges canals, click here.

What are the origins of the Bruges canals?

The reason why Bruges became so prosperous in the 13th-14th-15th century was because a huge sea arm, called “Zwin” made it possible for commercial ships to reach Bruges, which was at one point the single richest city north of the Alps and a very important commercial hub. The Bruges canals originated in that particular time in history and made the city easily accessible for merchants from all over the world. The Flemish name for Bruges (Brugge) is probably derived from the Latin word “Rogia” and the Scandinavian word ‘Bryggia” which meant “mooring place”. Bruges canals are still called by the locals “Reitjes”, which derived from the latin name of the river flowing through Bruges, the “Reie”, the river which flowed through Bruges),

Bruges canals: more history

Throughout history the Bruges canals had to be regularly enlarged to enable bigger trading ships to enter the city. All through the golden era of  the city, the Bruges canals had to be continuously dredged. In the heart of the city the old river ‘Reie’ had been turned into a complex network of canals that enabled the traders to bring their products to the large Water Halls (disappeared, located where now the Big Market square is), where goods were stored or sold immediately. After they had passed Damme, the ships entered Bruges on the site where now the Dampoort is located, one of the main city gates in Bruges. On the way to the center the sailors followed the Bruges canals which are now called ‘Langerei’, ‘Potterierei’ (where the shipyards were located), ‘Spiegelrei’, and “Spinolarei’. From the Spinolarei one can see the ‘Poortersloge’ (Burgher’s Lodge) which was the meeting place for Bruges “high society”. Finally, on their way to the Market, the ships passed the great ‘Crane’, a medieval crane that was used to unload the goods from the ships that were travelling the Bruges canals. Nowadays no commercial ships sail on the Bruges canals anymore. The Bruges canals are now exclusively used for tourist boats.

Other things than Bruges canals:

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