SP and I spent 3.5 days in Brugge. On our second last day, we decided to hire a bicycle to ride to the surrounding villages.
Brugge was once a very rich town. There are a number of smaller villages around Brugge which provided for the townpeople. One of the major village/town is Damme.
The host from our B&B said it is a very easy ride. We had to exit Brugge through the East gate and then follow the canal. (and if we are fit enough, we can ride all the way back-and-forth to the coast in one day!) The instructions seems easy enough.
As we left Brugge, we found ourselves on this amazingly straight tree-lined canal. It is so picturisque that we took a number of photos before we even got there!
The other side of the road is equally pretty!
If cycling is not your thing, you can go on one of the touristy boat that runs along the canal:
This beautiful canal is called the Damse Vaart. Napoleon has a plan to link Brugge with the Schelde through this canal. This plan was never entirely completed and nowadays, the canal only goes from Brugge to Sluis.
Damme is about four miles northeast of Brugge and it was a quiet fishing village until 850 years ago. At that time, Zwin, a wide inlet, penetrated much further into the coastal plain and Brugge was connected to the North Sea. As Brugge began to gain importance as a trading port, a terminal dike was built up at the end of the Zwin, which is where Damme stands now.
Damme became the outer port of Brugges and it was considered as one of the largest harbours of its ages. According to historical records, French king Phillips captured the town in 1213 and his entire fleet of 1,700 vessels fitted into the harbour without a problem. In its heyday, Damme was also the chief trade center and the most important market in Europe for Swedish herring.
As the town's livelihood is dependent on its location, its fate was sealed when Zwin silted up. As other cities such as Antwerp overtook Brugge's trading position, Damme becomes a 'dead town'. Fortunately, there are still some historical sites remained in the town.
First, there is the beautiful Schellemolen windmill that I mentioned:
Also, the Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk (Church of Our Lady). Apparently, it is quite rare for a church to have a flat tower. So here you go. It's a special site!
The construction of the present church commenced in 1225. The town was rich and soon enough, the church becomes too small. In 1340, she was enlarged to accommodate the growing town population. However, after the Zwin slited up, depopulation made the church too big and the maintenance become too high. Eventually, part of the church was demolished in 1725. The part between the tower and what now remains as the church was pulled down, and the round arches was left to support the church tower. So nowadays, the building looks more like a ruin than an actual church.
Damme is also well-known for its cuisine and its bookshop. We didn't get to try the food, but we did have a quick drink with the locals.
SP with his beer!
I would love to return there someday to experience the food!
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