(the beautiful). Bruges’ history began its second act when tourists, writers and
artists started passing through in the nineteenth century. Perhaps King Leopold II
was just as entranced as the tourists and thus motivated to fight for her. Wealthy
visitors injected much-needed cash into the local economy through tourism, and the
1905 completion of the canal linking the city to the new port of Zeebrugge assured
her place in history as the “parent” of this important port. The new canal was named
the Boudewijnkanaal (English: Baldwin Canal, French: Canal Baudouin) a name
now better known for the King of the Belgians Baudouin, grandson of Leopold II,
son of Leopold III.
The port of Zeebrugge was heavily damaged by World War I (when the
departing Germans destroyed it) and World War II (when Allies sought to defend
it). Remarkably, the city of Bruges emerged quite unscathed. It remains home to
The Madonna of Bruges, a marble sculpture by Michelangelo of Mary with the
Child Jesus (Insight Guides 2014). Wars have caused its removal twice since it first
arrived in Belgium. First it went to Paris after the French Revolution took Belgium.
The second and most recent removal was in 1944, during World War II, when
retreating German soldiers smuggled the sculpture to Germany wrapped in mattresses in a Red Cross truck. It was discovered a year later in Altaussee, Austria and
once again returned to its rightful place in Bruges (Kurtz 2006). The story of this
nocturnal adventure was featured in the popular film by Columbia Pictures entitled
The Monuments Men (2014). The Madonna of Bruges now sits once again in the
Church of Our Lady in Bruges.
The city’s lovely historic center was beautifully preserved with its modern
economy based around tourism. In 2000 it was declared a World Heritage site
and in 2002, Bruges reigned as the annual title holder of a Capital of Culture in
Europe (UNESCO 2016). The European Capital of Culture is a 1 year designation
by the European Union during which the recognized city organizes cultural events.
In Bruges several striking buildings like the Concertgebouw concert hall and the
Toyo Ito Pavilion were built for the occasion, thereby bringing some modern style
to the historic heart of the city.
References
Aubrey D, Giese GS (eds) (1993) Formation and evolution of multiple tidal inlets, Coastal and
estuarine studies, vol 44. American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC
Blake NF (1976) Caxton: England’s first publisher. Barnes and Noble, London
Blake NF (2004) Caxton, William (1415~1492). In Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Oxford University Press, Oxford
Boussauw K (2014) City profile: Ghent, Belgium. Cities 40:32–43
Bruun P, Mehta A, Johnsson I (1978) Stability of tidal inlets: theory and engineering. Developments in geotechnical engineering series. Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Amsterdam
Chaineux MC, Charlier R Private collection
Charlier RH (2005) Grandeur, decadence and renaissance. J Coast Res:425–447
Charlier RH, Chaineux MC, Morcos S (2005) Panorama of the history of coastal protection. J
Coast Res 211:79–111
36 Venice-of-the-North’s Ups and Downs: A Brief History of the Port. . .
613
artists started passing through in the nineteenth century. Perhaps King Leopold II
was just as entranced as the tourists and thus motivated to fight for her. Wealthy
visitors injected much-needed cash into the local economy through tourism, and the
1905 completion of the canal linking the city to the new port of Zeebrugge assured
her place in history as the “parent” of this important port. The new canal was named
the Boudewijnkanaal (English: Baldwin Canal, French: Canal Baudouin) a name
now better known for the King of the Belgians Baudouin, grandson of Leopold II,
son of Leopold III.
The port of Zeebrugge was heavily damaged by World War I (when the
departing Germans destroyed it) and World War II (when Allies sought to defend
it). Remarkably, the city of Bruges emerged quite unscathed. It remains home to
The Madonna of Bruges, a marble sculpture by Michelangelo of Mary with the
Child Jesus (Insight Guides 2014). Wars have caused its removal twice since it first
arrived in Belgium. First it went to Paris after the French Revolution took Belgium.
The second and most recent removal was in 1944, during World War II, when
retreating German soldiers smuggled the sculpture to Germany wrapped in mattresses in a Red Cross truck. It was discovered a year later in Altaussee, Austria and
once again returned to its rightful place in Bruges (Kurtz 2006). The story of this
nocturnal adventure was featured in the popular film by Columbia Pictures entitled
The Monuments Men (2014). The Madonna of Bruges now sits once again in the
Church of Our Lady in Bruges.
The city’s lovely historic center was beautifully preserved with its modern
economy based around tourism. In 2000 it was declared a World Heritage site
and in 2002, Bruges reigned as the annual title holder of a Capital of Culture in
Europe (UNESCO 2016). The European Capital of Culture is a 1 year designation
by the European Union during which the recognized city organizes cultural events.
In Bruges several striking buildings like the Concertgebouw concert hall and the
Toyo Ito Pavilion were built for the occasion, thereby bringing some modern style
to the historic heart of the city.
References
Aubrey D, Giese GS (eds) (1993) Formation and evolution of multiple tidal inlets, Coastal and
estuarine studies, vol 44. American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC
Blake NF (1976) Caxton: England’s first publisher. Barnes and Noble, London
Blake NF (2004) Caxton, William (1415~1492). In Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Oxford University Press, Oxford
Boussauw K (2014) City profile: Ghent, Belgium. Cities 40:32–43
Bruun P, Mehta A, Johnsson I (1978) Stability of tidal inlets: theory and engineering. Developments in geotechnical engineering series. Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Amsterdam
Chaineux MC, Charlier R Private collection
Charlier RH (2005) Grandeur, decadence and renaissance. J Coast Res:425–447
Charlier RH, Chaineux MC, Morcos S (2005) Panorama of the history of coastal protection. J
Coast Res 211:79–111
36 Venice-of-the-North’s Ups and Downs: A Brief History of the Port. . .
613