Bruges

Because of the export of high-quality cloths, Bruges became prosperous and rich. The remaining buildings still let you feel how rich Bruges was. Museums house a lot of fabulous paintings from this time. At the end of the 15th century Bruges was prosperous because of the silting up of the coastal area in Zwin, now a natural park near Knokke that can be discovered by bike during the summer. Walking in the city you can feel Bruges's history. Bruges became poor and was put back in the spotlight by Georges Rodenbach's novel "Bruges la Morte". Bruges was reborn as an Art City, well preserved, never severely damaged. The city is admired every day by thousands of tourists from all over the world. In 2002 Bruges was been chosen together with Salamanca in Spain as culture cities of Europe.