Grote Markt
As in any ancient city, the Grote Markt shopping area is located in the center of Bruges. This is one of the most important places, it is actively visited by tourists from different countries. Part of the old town is free of traffic, even tourist buses do not run here. Everything is the same as it was here centuries ago.
Fairs are held at the Grote Markt, and in winter an ice rink is filled here for everyone. In addition to tourists, musicians, singers, cartoonists and other representatives of street art have chosen the square. Many people wear interesting costumes here and offer to take pictures as a souvenir of their visit to the city.
The square itself is an interesting and ancient place, and the most significant historical sites of the city are located around it.
The Belfort Tower is one of the oldest buildings in the city, at first it was wooden, but there was a fire and all the valuable archives that it kept were lost in the place with the tower. The tower was rebuilt, this time it was made of stone. From its top it is very convenient to observe the city and admire its beautiful views. There is a bell tower at the top, today it consists of 47 bells, together they weigh almost 3 tons. Their melodious ringing can be heard around the square every hour. Guests of the city can visit the tower, usually they have to stand in a long queue, then climb the steep steps to a small observation deck. But all the efforts are not in vain - the view is really worth it.
The Governor's Residence is another notable and very interesting building on the north side of the Grote Markt. The building is made in the Neo-Gothic style, which is quite common in Bruges. This is the current city administration and you can enter it only if there is some kind of exhibition or concert. In the 12th century, there were warehouses on this site, a little later they were replaced by buildings in the classical style, which burned down in the 19th century, during the reconstruction the current residence appeared.
Cloth rows or guild members' houses also attract attention with their unusual and striking appearance. Not surprisingly, the houses of members of various guilds are lined up in a tight row along the main shopping area of the city. Each house has a guild coat of arms, they are all painted in different colors, and the stepped roofs add to their fabulous appearance.
Monument to the heroes of the liberators - two leaders stand on a pedestal, one led by weavers, the other by butchers, and together they fought for the country's independence from France, events unfolded at the beginning of the 14th century, and the monument was erected on the square at the end in 1887.
Dob Bushut is the first residential building located in the immediate vicinity of the Grote Markt. It was built here in the 15th century and today is one of the cultural and architectural monuments of the city of Bruges.
The main shopping area of Bruges is a must-visit place, every tourist must visit here.
