Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country.
The historic city centre is a prominent World Heritage Site of UNESCO. It is oval-shaped and about 430 hectares in size. The area of the whole city amounts to more than 13,840 hectares, including 1,075 hectares off the coast, at Zeebrugge (meaning "Brugge aan Zee" or "Bruges on Sea"). The city's total population is 117,073 (1 January 2008), of which around 20,000 live in the historic centre. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of 616 km² and has a total of 255,844 inhabitants as of 1 January 2008.
Along with a few other canal-based northern cities, such as Amsterdam, it is sometimes referred to as "The Venice of the North".
Bruges has a significant economic importance thanks to its port. At one time it was the "chief commercial city" of the world.
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The Church of Our Lady.
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The Dijver canal and the tower of the Church of Our Lady.
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The Provinciaal Hof.
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The Kruispoort.
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The Dweersstraat.
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The Beguinage.
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The Groenerei (canal).
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View from the Rozenhoedkaai.
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An aerial view over one of Bruges' canals.
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Bridge at Bruges, (ca. 1919)
by Louis Dewis.
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Roofs of old houses in the city centre.
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The Burg square with the City Hall.
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View of the Steenstraat with the St. Salvator's Cathedral in the background.
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Part of the Markt (market square).
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The Katelijnestraat.
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The Bonne-Chière windmill.
