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52-650: Armentières ( French pronunciation: [aʁmɑ̃tjɛʁ] ; West Flemish : Armentiers , Picard : Armintîre ) is a commune in the Nord department in the Hauts-de-France region in northern France . It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille . The motto of the town is Pauvre mais fière (Poor but proud). Armentières lies on the Belgian border, northwest of the city of Lille , on

104-428: A direct bus line from Brussels South Charleroi Airport to Bruges. Bruges has an extensive web of bus lines, operated by De Lijn , providing access to the city centre and the suburbs (city lines, Dutch : stadslijnen ) and to many towns and villages in the region around the city (regional lines, Dutch : streeklijnen ). In support of the municipal traffic management (see "Road" above), free public transport

156-758: A flood of capital that soon took over the banking of Bruges. The building where the Genoese Republic housed its commercial representation in the city still survives, now housing the Frietmuseum . The Bourse opened in 1309 (most likely the first stock exchange in the world) and developed into the most sophisticated money market of the Low Countries in the 14th century. By the time Venetian galleys first appeared, in 1314, they were latecomers. Numerous foreign merchants were welcomed in Bruges, such as

208-552: A full-time carillonneur , who gives free concerts regularly. In addition to the "Historic Centre of Bruges" and the tower included in the "Belfries of Belgium and France", Bruges is also home to a third UNESCO World Heritage Site; the Ten Wijngaerde Béguinage , a beguinage built in the 13th century, is included in the World Heritage Site of "Flemish Béguinages". Bruges is known for its lace ,

260-647: A long ie ( [i] ). Like for the ui , the long o ( [o] ) can be replaced by an [ø] ( eu ) for some words but a [uo] for others. That often causes similarities to ranchers English. Here are some examples showing the sound shifts that are part of the vocabulary: Plural forms in Standard Dutch most often add -en , but West Flemish usually uses -s , like the Low Saxon dialects and even more prominently in English in which -en has become very rare. Under

312-522: A short u ( [ɐ] ), a phenomenon also occurring in Russian and some other Slavic languages , called akanye . That happens spontaneously to some words, but other words keep their original short o sounds. Similarly, the short a ( [ɑ] ) can turn into a short o ( [ɔ] ) in some words spontaneously. The diphthong ui ( /œy/ ) does not exist in West Flemish and is replaced by a long u ( [y] ) or

364-466: A southern Dutch variant. The Dutch word and the English bridge both derive from Proto-Germanic * brugjō- . Bruges was a location of coastal settlement during prehistory. This Bronze Age and Iron Age settlement are unrelated to medieval city development. In the Bruges area, the first fortifications were built after Julius Caesar 's conquest of the Menapii in the first century BC, to protect

416-668: A surge in tourism and economic activity in the downtown area. International tourism has boomed, and new efforts resulted in Bruges being designated European Capital of Culture in 2002. It attracts some eight million tourists annually. The port of Zeebrugge was built in 1907. The Germans used it for their U-boats in World War I. It was greatly expanded in the 1970s and early 1980s and has become one of Europe's most important and modern ports. The municipality comprises following sub-municipalities : Bruges has an oceanic climate ( Köppen Cfb ). The medieval architecture in Bruges

468-483: A textile technique. Moreover, the city and its lace would go on to inspire the Thread Routes film series, the second episode of which, shot in 2011, was partly set in Bruges. Several beers are named after the city, such as Brugge Blond , Brugge Tripel , Brugs , Brugse Babbelaar , Brugse Straffe Hendrik , and Brugse Zot . However, only the latter two— Brugse Zot and Brugse Straffe Hendrik —are brewed in

520-581: Is 117,073 (1 January 2008), of whom around 20,000 live in the city centre. The metropolitan area , including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of 616 km (238 sq mi) and had a total of 255,844 inhabitants as of 1 January 2008. Along with a few other canal-based northern cities, such as Amsterdam and Saint Petersburg , it is sometimes referred to as the Venice of the North . Bruges has significant economic importance, thanks to its port , and

572-432: Is available for those who park their cars in the main railway station car park. Although a few streets are restricted, no part of Bruges is car-free. Cars are required to yield to pedestrians and cyclists. Plans have long been underway to ban cars altogether from the historic center of Bruges or to restrict traffic much more than it currently is, but these plans have yet to come to fruition. In 2005, signs were changed for

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624-996: Is listed as a "vulnerable" language in UNESCO 's online Red Book of Endangered Languages . West Flemish has a phonology that differs significantly from that of Standard Dutch, being similar to Afrikaans in the case of long E, O and A. Also where Standard Dutch has sch , in some parts of West Flanders, West-Flemish, like Afrikaans, has sk . However, the best known traits are the replacement of Standard Dutch (pre-)velar fricatives g and ch in Dutch ( /x, ɣ/ ) with glottal h [h, ɦ] ,. The following differences are listed by their Dutch spelling, as some different letters have merged their sounds in Standard Dutch but remained separate sounds in West Flemish. Pronunciations can also differ slightly from region to region. The absence of /x/ and /ɣ/ in West Flemish makes pronouncing them very difficult for native speakers. That often causes hypercorrection of

676-505: Is mostly intact, making it one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe. The "Historic Centre of Bruges" has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. Its medieval buildings include the Church of Our Lady , whose brick spire reaches 115.6 m (379.27 ft), making it the world's second-highest brick tower/building. The sculpture Madonna and Child , which can be seen in

728-404: Is pronounced only if the next word begins with a vowel sound. Another feature of West Flemish is the conjugation of ja and nee ("yes" and "no") to the subject of the sentence. That is somewhat related to the double subject, but even when the rest of the sentence is not pronounced, ja and nee are generally used with the first part of the double subject. This conjugation can be negated with

780-561: Is spoken by about a million people in the Belgian province of West Flanders , and a further 50,000 in the neighbouring Dutch coastal district of Zeelandic Flanders (200,000 if including the closely related dialects of Zeelandic ) and 10-20,000 in the northern part of the French department of Nord . Some of the main cities where West Flemish is widely spoken are Bruges , Dunkirk , Kortrijk , Ostend , Roeselare and Ypres . West Flemish

832-855: The Kruispoort , the Gentpoort , the Smedenpoort and the Ezelpoort . The Dampoort , the Katelijnepoort and the Boeveriepoort are gone. The Old St. John's Hospital (Hans Memling museum) and Our Lady of the Potteries are Hospital museums . The city is known for Bruggemuseum ("Bruges Museum"), the general name for a group of 11 different historical museums in the city, including: Bruges' non-municipal museums include

884-535: The /h/ sounds to a /x/ or /ɣ/ . Standard Dutch also has many words with an -en ( /ən/ ) suffix (mostly plural forms of verbs and nouns). While Standard Dutch and most dialects do not pronounce the final n , West Flemish typically drops the e and pronounces the n inside the base word. For base words already ending with n , the final n sound is often lengthened to clarify the suffix. That makes many words become similar to those of English: beaten , listen etc. The short o ( [ɔ] ) can also be pronounced as

936-760: The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (1037); as Brugensis (1046); as Brycge in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (1049–1052); as Brugias (1072); as Bruges (1080–1085); as Bruggas ( c.  1084 ); as Brugis (1089); and as Brugge (1116). The name probably derives from the Old Dutch for 'bridge': brugga . Also compare Middle Dutch brucge , brugge (or brugghe , brigghe , bregghe , brogghe ), and modern Dutch bruggenhoofd ('bridgehead') and brug ('bridge'). The form brugghe would be

988-793: The Flemish revolts that occurred around the County of Flanders between 1323 and 1328. At the end of the 14th century, Bruges became one of the Four Members , along with Brugse Vrije , Ghent , and Ypres . Together they formed a parliament; however, they frequently quarrelled amongst themselves. In the 15th century, Philip the Good , Duke of Burgundy , set up a court in Bruges, as well as Brussels and Lille , attracting several artists, bankers, and other prominent personalities from all over Europe. The weavers and spinners of Bruges were thought to be

1040-453: The 19th century, Bruges became one of the world's first tourist destinations, attracting wealthy British and French tourists. By 1909, the 'Bruges Forward: Society to Improve Tourist' association had come into operation. In World War I , German forces occupied Bruges. However, the city suffered virtually no damage, and was liberated on 19 October 1918 by the Allies. The city was occupied by

1092-508: The Apostle to which the parish Church of St. Andrew & St. Anna is dedicated. Bruges has motorway connections in all directions: Driving within the 'egg', the historical centre enclosed by the main circle of canals in Bruges is discouraged by traffic management schemes, including a network of one-way streets. The system encourages the use of set routes leading to central car parks and direct exit routes. The car parks are convenient for

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1144-570: The Brewery Museum, Hof Bladelin , Choco-Story (chocolate museum), Lumina Domestica (lamp museum), Museum-Gallery Xpo: Salvador Dalí , Diamond Museum, Frietmuseum (a museum dedicated to Belgian fries ), Historium (museum of the medieval history of Bruges), Lace centre, St. George's Archers Guild, St. Sebastian's Archers’ Guild, St. Trudo Abbey, and the Public Observatory Beisbroek. The patron saint of both

1196-548: The Burgh terrain, probably with a fortified settlement and church. In 1089, Bruges became the capital of the County of Flanders . Bruges received its city charter on 27 July 1128, and new walls and canals were built. By the 12th century, the city had gained an autonomous administration. Het Zwin (Golden Inlet), the tidal inlet of Bruges, was crucial to the development of local commerce. Since about 1050, gradual silting had caused

1248-534: The Castilian wool merchants who first arrived in the 13th century. After the Castilian wool monopoly ended, the Basques , many hailing from Bilbao (Biscay), thrived as merchants (wool, iron commodities, etc.) and established their own commercial consulate in Bruges by the mid-15th century. The foreign merchants expanded the city's trading zones. They maintained separate communities governed by their own laws until

1300-623: The Germans from 1940 during World War II and was again spared destruction. On 12 September 1944, it was liberated by the 12th Manitoba Dragoons ' Canadian troops. The liberation of the city was facilitated by the bridge, now known as the Canada Bridge  [ nl ] , connecting the outer municipalities with the city centre. After 1965, the original medieval city experienced a "renaissance". Restorations of residential and commercial structures, historic monuments, and churches generated

1352-574: The Portuguese traders selling pepper and other spices. With the reawakening of town life in the 12th century, a wool market, a woollens weaving industry, and the cloth market all profited from the shelter of city walls, where surpluses could be safely accumulated under the patronage of the counts of Flanders . The city's entrepreneurs reached out to make economic colonies of England and Scotland's wool-producing districts. English contacts brought Normandy grain and Gascon wines. Hanseatic ships filled

1404-552: The best in the world, and the population of Bruges grew to at least 46,000 inhabitants at this time around 1350 AD. The new oil-painting techniques of the Flemish school gained world renown. The first book in English ever printed was published in Bruges by William Caxton . Edward IV and Richard III of England were then living in exile in Bruges. Starting around 1500, the Zwin channel, (the Golden Inlet) which had given

1456-618: The central commercial and tourist areas; they are not expensive. Bruges' main railway station is the focus of lines to the Belgian coast. It also provides at least hourly trains to all other major cities in Belgium, as well as to Lille in France. Further there are several regional and local trains. A third track is being constructed between Bruges and Dudzele, the junction for Zeebrugge to alleviate congestion. Similarly, two extra tracks are being built between Bruges and Ghent. Bus links to

1508-615: The centre are frequent, though the railway station is just a 10-minute walk from the main shopping streets and a 20-minute walk from Market Square. The national Brussels Airport , one hour away by train or car, offers the best connections. The nearest airport is the Ostend-Bruges International Airport in Ostend (around 25 kilometres (16 miles) from the city centre of Bruges), but it offers limited passenger transport and connections. Recently there also started

1560-554: The city its prosperity, began silting up and the Golden Era ended. The city soon fell behind Antwerp as the economic flagship of the Low Countries . During the 17th century, the lace industry took off, and various efforts to bring back the glorious past were made. During the 1650s, the city was the base for Charles II of England and his court in exile. The maritime infrastructure was modernized, and new connections with

1612-644: The city itself, in the De Halve Maan Brewery . Bruges is home to many museums. Its art museums include the Arents House, as well as the Groeningemuseum , which has an extensive collection of medieval and early modern art. Members of the 15th century Early Netherlandish school of painters are represented, including works by Jan van Eyck . Van Eyck, as well as Hans Memling , lived and worked in Bruges. The preserved old city gateways:

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1664-719: The city of Bruges and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bruges is Donatian of Reims . The St. Salvator's Cathedral is therefore also known as Cathedral of the Saviour and St. Donat . The Basilica of the Holy Blood ( Dutch : Heilig-Bloedbasiliek ) houses the relic of the Holy Blood , which was brought to the city after the Second Crusade by Thierry of Alsace , and is paraded every year through

1716-464: The city to lose its direct access to the sea. A storm in 1134, however, re-established this access, through the creation of a natural channel at the Zwin . The new sea arm stretched to Damme , a city that became the commercial outpost for Bruges. Bruges had a strategic location at the crossroads of the northern Hanseatic League trade, who had a kontor in the city, and the southern trade routes. Bruges

1768-596: The coastal area against pirates. The Franks took over the whole region from the Gallo-Romans around the fourth century and administered it as the Pagus Flandrensis . The Viking incursions of the ninth century prompted Count Baldwin I of Flanders to reinforce the Roman fortifications; trade soon resumed with England and Scandinavia . Early medieval habitation starts in the ninth and tenth centuries on

1820-479: The convenience of cyclists, allowing two-way cycle traffic on more streets; however, car traffic has not decreased. Nevertheless, in common with many cities in the region, there are thousands of cyclists in the city of Bruges. The port of Bruges is Zeebrugge (Flemish for Bruges-on-Sea). On 6 March 1987, the British ferry MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsized after leaving the port, killing 187 people, in

1872-569: The economic collapse after 1700. Such wealth gave rise to social upheavals, which were for the most part harshly contained by the militia. In 1302, however, after the Bruges Matins (the night-time massacre of the French garrison in Bruges by the members of the local Flemish militia on 18 May 1302), the population joined forces with the Count of Flanders against the French , culminating in

1924-487: The extra word, toet ( [tut] ), or strenght strengthened by adding mo- or ba- (or both). Bruges Bruges ( / b r uː ʒ / BROOZH , French: [bʁyʒ] ; Dutch : Brugge [ˈbrʏɣə] ; West Flemish : Brugge [ˈbrœɦə] ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium , in

1976-594: The harbor, which had to be expanded beyond Damme to Sluys to accommodate the new cog-ships . In 1277, the first merchant fleet from the Republic of Genoa appeared in the port of Bruges, the first of the merchant colony that made Bruges the main link to the trade of the Mediterranean. This development opened not only the trade in spices from the Levant but also advanced commercial and financial techniques and

2028-481: The heavy contamination. Witnesses to the bombardment stated that the shelling was so heavy that liquid mustard gas ran in the streets. Armentières has a railway station on the line from Lille to Calais and Dunkirk . It was commissioned in 1848 by the Chemins de Fer du Nord (Northern Railway Company). The buildings were completed in 1861. The station is currently served by TER Hauts-de-France trains, on

2080-417: The influence of Standard Dutch, -s is being used by fewer people, and younger speakers tend to use -en . The verbs zijn ("to be") and hebben ("to have") are also conjugated differently. West Flemish often has a double subject. Standard Dutch has an indefinite article that does not depend on gender, unlike in West Flemish. However, a gender-independent article is increasingly used. Like in English, n

2132-490: The northwest of the country. It is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amounts to more than 14,099 hectares (140.99 km ; 54.44 sq miles), including 1,075 hectares off the coast, at Zeebrugge (from Brugge aan zee , meaning 'Bruges by the Sea'). The historic city centre is a prominent World Heritage Site of UNESCO . It is oval and about 430 hectares in size. The city's total population

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2184-530: The right bank of the river Lys . In 1668, the town became French, along with most of the rest of French Flanders . At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, Armentières acquired fame, being the "City of Fabric". Industrial weaving , spinning and brewing grew in Armentières, benefitting from the presence of water. Armentières particularly suffered during the World Wars although

2236-536: The routes between Lille-Flandres station and Dunkirk , and between Lille-Flandres and Hazebrouck . Armentières is twinned with: The belfry of Armentières was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005 as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France site, and in recognition of their influence in the rise of municipal power in Europe. The belfry, just like the nearing city hall

2288-404: The sea were built, but without much success, as Antwerp became increasingly dominant. Bruges became impoverished and gradually faded in importance. The symbolist novelist George Rodenbach made the city into a character in his novel Bruges-la-Morte , meaning "Bruges-the-dead", which was adapted into Erich Wolfgang Korngold 's opera, Die tote Stadt (The Dead City). In the second half of

2340-580: The streets of the city. More than 1,600 inhabitants take part in this mile-long religious procession , many dressed as medieval knights or crusaders. Other religious landmarks and museums include the Church of Our Lady , English Convent, Jerusalem Church, St. Trudo's Abbey , Ten Wijngaerde Béguinage ( Dutch : Begijnhof ), and Ter Doest Abbey ( Dutch : Abdij Ter Doest ) in Lissewege . The sub-municipality (or deelgemeente ) and former parish of Bruges Sint-Andries has its own patron saint Andrew

2392-631: The town received two Military Crosses, one for World War I and the second for the Second World War and the Legion d'Honneur . In Armentières and the surrounding areas, the military cemeteries are places of remembrance for the casualties of the World Wars. " Mademoiselle from Armentières " was a popular song among Allied soldiers in World War I . During World War I, in October 1914, the town

2444-497: The transept, is believed to be the only of Michelangelo 's sculptures to have left Italy within his lifetime. Bruges' best-known landmark is the Belfry of Bruges , a 13th-century belfry housing a municipal carillon comprising 47 bells. The Belfry of Bruges, independent of the previously mentioned UNESCO World Heritage Site in Bruges, is included on the World Heritage Site of Belfries of Belgium and France . The city still employs

2496-733: The victory at the Battle of the Golden Spurs , fought near Kortrijk on 11 July. The statue of Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck , the leaders of the uprising, can still be seen on the Big Market square. The city maintained a militia as a permanent paramilitary body. It gained flexibility and high prestige through close ties to a guild of the organized militia, comprising professionals and specialized units. Militia men bought and maintained their own weapons and armour, according to their family status and wealth. Later, Bruges would be consumed in

2548-600: Was already included in the circuit of the Flemish and French cloth fairs at the beginning of the 13th century, but when the old system of fairs broke down, the entrepreneurs of Bruges innovated. They developed, or borrowed from Italy, new forms of merchant capitalism, whereby several merchants would share the risks and profits and pool their knowledge of markets. They employed new forms of economic exchange, including bills of exchange (i.e. promissory notes) and letters of credit. The city eagerly welcomed foreign traders, most notably

2600-519: Was designed by the architect Louis Marie Cordonnier and is open for visitors and tourists. Milady de Winter in The Three Musketeers hides in Armentières and is caught and executed there. The bawdy song, Mademoiselle from Armentières , was popular amongst British and American troops during World War 1. There are multiple version of the lyrics, that mostly refer to a woman from the town. West Flemish language West Flemish

2652-623: Was once one of the world's chief commercial cities. Bruges is a major tourism destination within Belgium and is well-known as the seat of the College of Europe , a university institute for European studies. The earliest mention of the location's name is as Bruggas , Brvggas or Brvccia in AD 840–875. Afterwards, it appears as Bruciam and Bruociam (892); as Brutgis uico (late ninth century); as in portu Bruggensi ( c.  1010 ); as Bruggis (1012); as Bricge in

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2704-418: Was the site of the Battle of Armentières . Later in the war, Armentières was repeatedly shelled by the Germans with mustard gas . In July 1917, 675 civilians were injured of which 86 died due to lingering residue, as the agent was a new and unknown weapon. In April 1918, German troops shelled the town again. British troops were forced to evacuate the area, but the Germans could not enter for two weeks because of

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