Grote Markt (Bruges)
| Market square De Grote Markt |
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 Aerial view of the north side of the Great Market |
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| Basic data | |
| place | Bruges |
| District | center |
| Created | 13th Century |
| Newly designed | 20th century (extensive renovation of the existing buildings) |
| Confluent streets | Market (all around) |
| Buildings | Municipal buildings and town houses |
| use | |
| User groups | Pedestrians , cyclists , horse-drawn carriages and delivery vehicles |
| Technical specifications | |
| Square area | 9,240 m² |
Coordinates: 51 ° 12 ′ 31 ″ N , 3 ° 13 ′ 26 ″ E
The Grote Markt is the central square of the Belgian city of Bruges , around which the settlement developed in connection with the lively trade in goods from the 13th century.
location
The area of the Grote Markt (Great Market) is cut through by the semicircular market (street). In the southwest area, part of Marktstrasse branches off northwards at Hallestraat and then joins the Wollstraat to the south-east. The area of the square forms an irregular trapezoid , which is 84 m wide in the west-east direction and about 110 m long in the north direction. The actual space limitation is created by the existing buildings.
history
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Around the year 1220, the citizens built small sales houses on the south side of the market, which formed a connected sales area. Because the marketplace was initially accessible by water, all kinds of goods from the area and from further afield were soon offered by traders. A taller wooden tower added to the building around 1240. After being destroyed by a fire in 1280, the stone tower was rebuilt.
At the beginning of the 13th century, the council decided to build a warehouse over the nearby Reie (the river through Bruges at the time) on the east side of the market. Because of its location and use, the building was also called the Waterhalle, it was a covered unloading and loading location for the cargo ships from outside. The goods had previously been loaded and unloaded at the Reiekaai in the open-air market.
In 1396 a fish trade was established in the market. The fishermen's guild had their house on the north side of the square near the Sint-Jans-Kerk . Almost two hundred and fifty years later, the fish trade moved to a roofed stone hall built in 1745. It is still there. The vegetable trade in turn moved from Braamberg to the central market.
When there was no action, the space was used for large-scale events, tournaments and also for public executions ; all activities attracted large audiences.
Between 1807 and 1810, the square was called Place Napoléon , after which it was defeated, the square was named Grote Markt . In 1936, during the occupation of Belgium by German troops, it was simply called Markt . After 1945 it was given back the name Grote Markt, which was widely used in other Flemish cities.
In 1887, the city council placed in the center of the square from bronze cast memorial for freedom fighter Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck on.
description
Numerous town houses, all of which were erected with their decorative gables facing the square and close to one another, form the western and northern development boundaries of the market square.
On the east side there are former municipal buildings, including the historium , the provincial courtyard and a post office.
The Historium was created in the 19th century as a residence for a governor, but was never used for this purpose. It has a tall, narrow stair tower, a facade clad with blue stones and open arcades on the second and third floors. Once completed, it served several city government departments until it was sold at the beginning of the 21st century.
The Provincial Palace (Provinciaalhof) was built in two phases, 1887-1892 and 1914-1921, and was clad with white natural stone. It was built as a district court building . Its renaissance facade is carved out of fine sandstone . All decorative elements such as decorative turrets, window frames and the portal are in the neo-Gothic style. The representative house is used by the city administration for official receptions, for exhibitions and for holding important meetings.
The architects for the building ensemble of the Historium and the Provinzialhof were Louis Delacenserie and René Buyck .
To the south of the courthouse there is a historic post office at the same height, which was built from red exposed bricks. Around the corner, in the Breidelstraat, is the subsequent Bruges Beer Experience , an interactive beer museum.
The southern development of the square is dominated by the town halls with the belfry in front .
On all sides of the market square you will find restaurants, bars, cafes, chocolate factories or ice cream parlors as well as souvenir shops. There are also fashion salons.
In the center of the square is the monument to the folk heroes Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck , who helped the Flemings to victory in the fight against French occupation troops in 1302. The monument was created in 1887 and inaugurated on the square. The creator of the sculpture was the Belgian sculptor Paul de Vigne .
The two men were leaders of the butchers 'and weavers' guilds and led their guild members into battle; the dispute is also known as the Bruges morning mass . The bronze figures are supported together on a large sword and hold a flag high. One is wearing tight work trousers, the other is shown as a thinker with a rolled document in his hand and dressed in a billowing coat.
The surrounding relief on the marble pedestal shows battle scenes from the Spore Battle for Kortrijk, which took place two months after the uprising in Bruges. - Four sandstone statues of women erected at equal intervals around the monument base, each with a medieval triangular shield, each represent a Flemish city: Kortijk, Gent, Ypres and Bruges.
The cities can be identified on the shields with their city arms, which were used in the 14th century. The symbol bearer for Kortrijk holds a golden rider's spur with spiked wheels in her hand and is supposed to remind of the name of the battle. In addition, a typical building from these cities is placed as a small 3-D model on the next floor of the monument foot, just above the heads of the female figures. A three-dimensional decorative ribbon runs around the battle scene, reminiscent of a crown or battlements. Immediately under the plinth are coats of arms that are assigned to the two fighters. The coat of arms for Jan Breydel shows three (2: 1) silver horse heads in red with blue bridles. The coat of arms for Pieter de Coninck shows a large, symmetrically applied golden cross in red, with a golden crown between each corner.
The town hall is not located directly on the market square, but in Blinde-Ezelstraat 1, Burg 12.
Belfry and the city halls
The belfry is structurally integrated into the ensemble of the town halls.
The tower with the square floor plan is 83 m high, consists of three floors and can be climbed via 366 steps up to the bell floor for a fee. The bells installed here are regularly played three days a week by a bell player (called a beiaardier).
An open approach to the carillon allows views over the square and what is happening there. In some rooms of the tower there is a permanent exhibition with works by Salvador Dali . Architectural style: probably Romanesque in the lower area, since it began in the 13th century. The middle section of the tower is mainly assigned to the 14th century and thus the early Gothic. The upper part of the tower was built after several fires in 1822 as an octagonal stone tower in the neo-Gothic style.
These three-storey connected buildings enclose an open inner courtyard, to the north under the belfry and to the south passages are free for visitors. The halls were built in the early Gothic style as warehouses for all trade goods, especially for cloth, wool, spices, brocade, furs and hides, wood, wine and tapestries. The Flemish cloths were particularly popular .
There are benches and snacks in the courtyard. The various rooms are mainly used for larger events such as trade fairs, exhibitions or meetings.
Further use of the space
It is also often used for large demonstrations, the city's Christmas market or protest rallies.
Web links
- The big market in the heart of Bruges on www.bruegge-erleben.de.
- Grote Markt Bruges with brief information and photos at www.citryguide.info.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Dimensions roughly determined with the tool from Google Earth .
- ↑ a b c d e World of coats of arms: Brief description of the coats of arms on the monument on the market square in Bruges , accessed on April 15, 2020.
- ^ Bruges - the monument by Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck on de.123rf.com; accessed on April 15, 2020.
- ↑ The Cloth Hall in Bruges at www.bruegge-erleben.de, accessed on April 15, 2020.
- ↑ Christmas market in Bruges , accessed on April 16, 2020.