P273- Belgium - Market Square in Bruges

Market Square, Bruges, Belgium (UNESCO WHS)

The Grote Markt ("Grand Square") of Bruges is located in the heart of the city and covers an area of about 1 hectare. Some historical highlights around the square include the 12th-centure belfry and the Provincial Court (originally the Waterhall, which is 1787 was demolished and replaced by a classicist building that from 1850 served as provincial court and after a fire in 1878 was rebuilt in a neo-Gothic style in 1887. In the center of the market stands the statue of Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck.

In 1995 the Market was completely renovated. Parking in the square was removed and the area became mostly traffic-free, thus being more celebration friendly. The renovated Market was reopened in 1996 with a concert by Helmut Lotti.

布鲁日历史中心是典型的中世纪古城，保存着大量数世纪前的建筑。早期哥特式建筑已经成为城市特色的一个部分。作为以前欧洲的重要贸易中心和文化中心，布鲁日和世界上其他地方有文化上的联系，比如布鲁日与佛兰芒原始绘画流派(Flemish Primitives)有着密切的关系。2000年被列入世界文化遗产。

布鲁日城区有大量交错的小巷与一个接一个的广场，其中以博格广场(Burg)和大广场(Grand-Place)尤为著名。前者原先的标志性建筑是圣多纳廷主教座堂(the cathedral of Saint-Donatien，在1799年至1800年间被毁)与公爵住宅，之后被圣巴西略双小堂取代。一千年来，博格广场一直被视为宗教与市政当局联合的象征，也是一些公共机构的所在地。大广场(Grand-Place)，是布鲁日古城中心最大的广场，广场四周环绕着15世紀荷兰风格的山形墙建筑，大广场上则以大会堂、钟楼等居多，象征城市自治。城市中心大多为富贵人家居住，劳动者聚集在外围。

References sources : Wikipedia