Burg Square: Where Bruges Began in History

Another important square of Bruges is Burg Square, which you can reach by entering from the street of the beer museum and taking a short walk towards the end of Breidelstraat street. It is the second most crowded and busy square of the city after Grote Markt.

A castle was built here to protect the area where the city of Bruges is located today from the Vikings and Normans. When the castle succumbed to time, it was replaced by Burg Square, which would be the heart of the city for centuries. It took its name from this castle.

Burg has remained an important political center for quite a long time and is still the administrative center of Bruges today. This square also hosts concerts and summer events, usually in the summer season. We can enter some historical buildings in the square. Let’s take a look at the churches and government buildings we can enter.

Basilica of the Holy Blood

Built in the 14th century, it includes the magnificent City Hall, the Palace of Liberty, the court building, a renaissance building that served from the medieval period until the 18th century, and finally the Basilica of the Holy Blood. Started in the 12th century, it took until the 20th century to finish the church.

The reason it is called the Basilica of the Holy Blood is that the piece of cloth containing the blood of Jesus Christ was brought here from Jerusalem by one of the knights of Bruges during the Crusades. We recommend you to visit, the entrance to the church is free.

Brugse Vrije

The building where the justice of the city is administered, decorated with golden statuettes, is located on the side of the Stadhuis. It is very dark inside and not a place that will take much of your time. There is a big fireplace inside, it is called the Emperor Charles V fireplace and whoever made the oak on the fireplace did a great job.

It’s hard not to admire it. This is a building for legal affairs, a place where legal decisions are made. Therefore, there are meeting rooms, armchairs and other places where people can gather and make decisions. You can enter for a few euros.

Stadhuis

One of the oldest residential centers, the Stadhuis is the point where the city was ruled for about 600 years, around the 14th century. Some of its rooms are still in use, just like the Justice and Liberty Building. But you can also visit the museum sections inside.

Although the foundations of the building were laid in the 14th century, it was never finished due to space problems. Towards the end of the 19th century, the city architect Delacenserie made a radical decision to renovate the building for 20 years.

In the mid-20th century, during the restoration of the facade, some of the sculptures were removed due to their poor quality. The spaces vacated by the removed sculptures were finally filled in 1989 when the old sculptures were replaced.

The place we especially recommend you to see in the building is the Gothic hall with murals depicting the history of Bruges and multi-colored arches. On the walls there are paintings about the city administration, the power struggle between the people and the statesmen. When you enter, you can clearly see its quality, you can also see it from the photographs.

In the historical room next to this room, original documents and artifacts of Bruges history, archive files that influenced the city administration are exhibited. Archival pieces such as coins and seals used in Bruges are among the historical artifacts you can see. You can visit the Stadhuis for a few euros.