Late in the 19th century, large-scale dredging and construction of the harbor began, and at the beginning of the 20th century, the canal connecting the outer harbor of Zeebrugge was opened to traffic, and industrial and commercial development was on the rise. The city is known as the "Venice of the North", "the Holy Land of Belgian Art", "Pearl of Flanders" and so on. The city's rivers and canals such as a network, beautiful scenery, ancient houses lined up, the city still retains a rich medieval style. The city is surrounded by rivers and waterways, and there are canals leading to the outer harbor on the north coast. During the tourist season, the city is thronged with visitors, who take to the water in small boats to see the full extent of the city.
In the history of the development of Belgium, before 1815, in the south of Brussels called Waterloo, near the town, the British and Prussian allied forces and the French army to start a duel, which is the world-shaking "Waterloo battle". Bruges across the English Channel and London, west of the seaside tourist city of Oostende (Oostende), east of the Flemish capital of Ghent and the capital of Brussels, neighboring the Netherlands in the north, south of France. When traveling to Bruges, buses, boats, horse-drawn carriages and rental bicycles not only go all over the city, but also can take you to the far suburbs of Zeebrugge seaside bathing place Damme (Damme) idyllic little town.
There's no better way to explore beautiful, petite Bruges than on foot. The town is surrounded by walls and gates, some with windmills. The city looks like an egg on a map, with two squares right next to each other in the center: Bruges' main market (Markt) and Burg Square, where the post office and banks are located, and where most of the various excursion routes begin. On July 27, 1128, Bruges was granted a permit to establish a city, and new walls and canals were built. From about 1050 onwards, the city no longer had direct access to the North Sea due to the accumulation of silt, but in 1134 a storm shaped a natural sea channel that led to the Zwin (today's Belgian Coastal Nature Reserve) and to the North Sea. This new sea route extended to the coastal city of Denham, which became an outpost for Bruges' trade.
In the twelfth century, with city life flourishing again, under the protection of the Flemish counts, the wool and fabric trade quickly and safely built up Bruges' wealth, and by the beginning of the thirteenth century it had become one of the most important towns in the Flemish fabric market circuit. The entrepreneurial sector of the city even economically colonized the field of wool production in England and Scotland. English merchants brought grain from Normandy and wine from Gascony, Hanseatic ships filled the harbor and new wooden ships had to be lined up between Denham and Sluys to find space, and in 1277 the first merchant ship from Genoa came to Bruges, which became the first commercial colony connecting the Mediterranean with the North Sea trade. This development not only opened up the spice trade from the Levant, but also contributed to the development of commercial and financial techniques, and quickly brought large amounts of capital to Bruges' banking industry. 1309 saw the opening of the stock exchange, which in the fourteenth century became the most advanced financial market in the Low Countries, a technique which the Venetians did not learn until they came to Bruges in 1314.
But such wealth also caused social conflict, and serious riots broke out in many parts of the city. Fortunately, in 1302, the rioting citizens joined the Counts of Flanders in fighting the French invasion, and eventually won the Battle of the Golden Spurs at Kortrijk on July 11th. Statues of riot leaders Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck can still be seen in the market square today.
In the 14th century Bruges lost its importance in the fabric trade, and in 1384 Philip II of Burgundy became Count of Flanders, setting up his palaces in Brussels, Lille, and Bruges, which attracted a large number of artists, bankers, and other important personalities from all over Europe to Bruges. The main activities of Bruges gradually changed into a center for banking, luxury goods and culture, and in 1376 a new town hall was built on the Place du Chateau.
Here the Neo-Flemish school became famous for its oil painting techniques. The world's first printed English book was also printed in Bruges by William Caxton. The 14th century was undoubtedly the golden age of Bruges, with a population of some 46,000, a number that was not exceeded until the 19th century. From about 1500 onwards, even the Zwin Sea Road, which had brought prosperity to Bruges, began to silt up, and the city soon lost its position as the economic leader of the Low Countries to Antwerp. 17th century, the lace industry was discontinued, but Bruges still tried to regain its former glory, and in the 1650s King Charles II's palace was located here, as well as his house of refuge in exile. They modernized the old port facilities and built new canals to the coast, but without success. Bruges became impoverished and faded from the European scene. Georges Rodenbach called this sleepy city "Bruges-la-Morte" and published a book with the same title. The book aroused interest in the cultural and artistic treasures preserved in Bruges.
In the second half of the 19th century, Bruges became one of the world's first tourist destinations, attracting wealthy English and French visitors. It was not until the second half of the 20th century that the city began to regain its former glory. The new port of Zeebrugge, built in 1907 to house the U-boats of the German army during the First World War, was enlarged in the 1970s and early 1980s to become one of the most important modern ports in Europe, and at the end of the 20th century the international tourist industry became more and more active, and thanks to the efforts of the government and the citizens, the historic center of Bruges was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. In 2000, the historic center of Bruges was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Bruges won the title of European Capital of Culture in 2002.