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Burg Square is a square and former fortress in
Burg Square is a square and former fortress in Bruges
Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...
. It is one of the main squares of the city.
History
The Burg was originally surrounded by walls and had entrance gates. It is one of the oldest parts of the city centre. The fortress was located at the meeting-point of theOudenburg
Oudenburg (; french: Audembourg ; vls, Oednburg; la, Aldenburgensis) is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Oudenburg itself and the towns of Ettelgem, Roksem and We ...
-Aardenburg
Aardenburg is a small city close to the Dutch border with Belgium. It is part of the Sluis Municipality, located in the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands. Its medieval name was Rodenburgh (Red Castle).
In the Sint-Baafskerk, (Saint Bavo's C ...
Roman road (the ''Zandstraat'') and the Reie canal. The fortress was around one hectare in size. Count Arnulf I of Flanders
Arnulf I (c. 893/899 – 27 March 965), called "the Great", was the first Count of Flanders.
Life
Arnulf was the son of margrave Baldwin II of Flanders and Ælfthryth of Wessex, daughter of Alfred the Great.Detlev Schwennicke, '' Europäische St ...
(889-965) extended the Bruges fortress to create a powerful, imperial administrative centre of one and a half hectares. ''Steen'' Castle, which was one of the residences of the Counts of Flanders
The count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders, beginning in the 9th century. Later, the title would be held for a time, by the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. During the French Revolution, in 1790, the co ...
, was located on the western side of the square from the 11th century until the end of the 13th century. The castle church—which was dedicated to Our Lady and Saint Donatian
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...
—was built to the north, within the fortifications, and a chapter of canons was later established. This gave the fortress a dual purpose: the southern part served a civil purpose and the northern part was religious. When Bruges became a diocese in 1559, Saint Donatian’s Church became a cathedral.
The demolition of the cathedral doubled the size of the square to around 1.1 hectares, making it even larger than the Markt
Markt may refer to:
* Aktueller Software Markt
* Christkindl Markt
* Media Markt
* Rahela Markt
Places in Germany
* Markt Berolzheim
* Markt Bibart
* Markt Einersheim
* Markt Erlbach
* Markt Indersdorf
* Markt Nordheim
* Markt Rettenbach
* ...
. However, it remains divided into two distinct adjoining areas.
Current situation
Nowadays, the square is surrounded by historic buildings including the former Manor of the Franc of Bruges, the formerCivil Registry
Civil registration is the system by which a government records the vital events (births, marriages, and deaths) of its citizens and residents. The resulting repository or database has different names in different countries and even in differen ...
, the City Hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
, the Basilica of the Holy Blood and Saint Basil Chapel and the former Provostry of Saint Donatian.
Some of the foundations of Saint Donatian’s Cathedral, which was demolished in 1799, can still be seen in the cellars of the Crowne Plaza Hotel.
There is a short street connecting Burg Square and Philipstockstraat—this is the Burgstraat.
See also
* Het Steen (Brugge)References
{{coord, 51.2085, 3.2268, type:landmark_region:BE, display=title Bruges Buildings and structures in Bruges