Timeline of Bruges

The following is a timeline of the history of the municipality of Bruges, Belgium.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by editing the page to add missing items, with references to reliable sources.

Prior to 18th century

• 865 – Fort built by Margrave Baldwin I of Flanders.
• 1000 – Regional Brugse Vrije established (approximate date).
• 1127 – Count Charles I of Flanders assassinated.
• 1134 – Storm creates Zwin inlet, connecting Bruges to the North Sea.
• 1146 – Eekhout Abbey active (approximate date).
• 1150 – St. John's Hospital founded (approximate date).
• 1157 – Chapel of the Holy Blood built (approximate date).
• 1180 – Damme harbour built near Bruges.
• 1223 – St. Salvator's Church rebuilt.
• 1240 – Belfry of Bruges built in the Markt (approximate date).
• 1244 – Ten Wijngaerde Béguinage founded (approximate date).
• 1294 – Waterhalle built on the Grote Markt.
• 1297
  • Area of Bruges expanded.
  • Church of Our Lady tower built.
• 1302
  • 18 May: Bruges Matins (massacre) occurs.
  • French-Flemish Battle of the Golden Spurs fought in Kortrijk; Flemish win.
• 1303 – Procession of the Holy Blood instituted.
• 1323–1328 – The Flemish revolt spread to Bruges.
• 1364 – Les Halles built on the Grote Markt.
• 1368 – Smedenpoort (city gate) rebuilt.
• 1369 – Ezelpoort (city gate) rebuilt.
• 1390 – Public clock installed (approximate date).
• 1398 – Tower built on the Minnewater.
• 1399 – Saaihalle built on the Old Beursplein.
• 1417 – Poortersloge built (approximate date).
• 1421 – Bruges City Hall built.
• 1425 – Artist Jan van Eyck active in Bruges.
• 1430 – Order of the Golden Fleece founded in Bruges.
• 1434 – Grafenburg (castle) dismantled.
• 1465 – Artist Hans Memling active in Bruges (approximate date).
• 1468 – July: Wedding of Burgundian duke Charles and Margaret of York.
• 1475 – Printing press in operation.
• 1488 – Political unrest.
• 1489 – Memling paints the St. Ursula Shrine in St. John's Hospital.
• 1505 – Fuggers move from Bruges to Antwerp.
• 1545 – Hanseatic enterprise moves from Bruges to Antwerp.
• 1559 – Roman Catholic Diocese of Bruges established.
• 1623 – Ghent-Bruges Canal dug.

18th–19th centuries

• 1719 – Academy of Art established.
• 1743 – Lawyer's guild established.
• 1786 – St. Christopher's Church, Bruges demolished.
• 1787
  • Bruge Central Cemetery established.
  • Cloth Hall demolished.
• 1794 – French in power.
• 1798 – Openbare Bibliotheek Brugge (library) opens.
• 1799 – St. Donatian's Cathedral demolished.
• 1815 – Bruges becomes part of the Netherlands.
• 1821 – Fish Market, Bruges built on the Steenhouwersdijk.
• 1830 – Bruges becomes part of Belgium.
• 1837 – Journal de Bruges French-language newspaper begins publication.
• 1838 – Brugge railway station opens.
• 1839 – Société d'émulation de Bruges founded.
• 1846 – Statue of Stevin erected on Simon Stevinplein (Brugge).
• 1855 – Ringvaart, Bruges canal commissioned.
• 1863 – Population: 50,986.
• 1887 – Monument to Breydel/de Coninck erected in the Grote Markt.
• 1891
  • Club Brugge KV football club formed.
  • Post and Telegraph office built on the Grote Markt.
• 1892 – Rodenbach's novel Bruges-la-Morte published.
• 1899 – Cercle Brugge K.S.V. football club formed.
• 1900 – Bruges derby football rivalry active.

20th century

• 1905 – Boudewijnkanaal (canal) dug.
• 1907 – Port of Bruges-Zeebrugge opens.
• 1912 – Bruges State Archives established in the Poortersloge.
• 1919 – Population: 53,489.
• 1924 – Victor Van Hoestenberghe becomes mayor.
• 1928 – Hollywood Cinema opens.
• 1930 – Groeningemuseum opens on the Dijver.
• 1953 – Dudzelebrug (bridge) built on the N376 (Sluis-Bruges).
• 1958 – Procession of the Golden Tree revived.
• 1960 – Musica Antiqua Bruges festival begins.
• 1963 – Bruges Provincial Library and Archives established.
• 1973 – Koninklijk Atheneum Vijverhof (school) established in Sint-Michiels.
• 1975 – Jan Breydel Stadium opens.
• 1977 – Frank Van Acker becomes mayor.
• 1982 – Cactusfestival of music begins.
• 1983 – De Karmeliet restaurant in business.
• 1984 – Dampoortbruggen, Bruges (bridges) built.
• 1986 – De Werf cultural centre founded.
• 1987 – 6 March: Ferry Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes in the port.
• 1988 – 20 September: British prime minister gives speech in city.
• 1990 – Brouwerijmuseum Brugge established on the Walplein.
• 1995 – Patrick Moenaert becomes mayor.
• 1998 – Start of annual Tour of Flanders cycling race moves to Bruges.

21st century

• 2002 – Concertgebouw Brugge opens on the 't Zand, Bruges.
• 2008 – Frietmuseum opens in the Saaihalle.
• 2010 – April: Catholic bishop Vangheluwe resigns.
• 2013
  • Renaat Landuyt becomes mayor.
  • Population: 117,170.

See also

• Bruges history
• History of Bruges
• List of mayors of Bruges
• List of protected heritage sites in Bruges
• Timelines of other municipalities in Belgium: Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent, Leuven, Liège
• History of urban centers in the Low Countries

References

This article incorporates information from the Dutch Wikipedia.

Bibliography

In English

• + 1881 ed.
• de Roover, Raymond. Money, Banking and Credit in Mediaeval Bruges: Italian Merchant-Bankers Lombards and Money-Changers: A Study in The Origins of Banking (Harvard U.P. 1948)