Evening star., 1923-06-23
BRUGES ONCE HELD
TRADE OF EUROPE
Flemish City of Bells and
Bridges Succeeded Venice
as Business Center.

Bruges, Belgium, has just had the
greatest of its annual celebrations.
the procession of the Most Precious
Blood, which, now that the world
war is we'll past, has taken the
prominent place in Belgian hearts
that 1t held before the German occu-
patton caused it's temporary suspen-
sion. OF the city Of this process
sion-one of the leading religious
celebrations Of Europa bulletin
from the HEADQUARTERS of the Ma
tional Geographic Society says:
IF we are unfamiliar with the
language Of a foreign country we are
likely to accept the names. Of it's
cities as meaning nothing in par
ticular or as having an csoteric sig
nificance which we can hardly hope
to fathom. But Bruges fools us Its
name has about as common an origin
and is about as logically descriptive
as Three Rivers or Smiths Cross
roads Because the town from the
beginning had numerous canals and
structures carrying streets across
them it was named Gin Flemish)
'Bridges.' 1t is a sort of reversed
Venice. Whereas the latter is an
area Of sea with islands scattered in
1t. Bruges is a land area cut into
islands by numerous canals. In both
cities many houses rise sheer from
the water and boats are used for
traffic.
Like Venice again, Bruges was
once the commercial and banking
center Of the world. This was in the
fourteenth century, The center of
Italy to Flanders, and Bruges was
then Flanders greatest market.
World trade came up the River Zwyn,
which then gave it a harbor; mer-
chants from the four quarters OF the
world maintained headQuarterS in the
change rate of all Europe. Ghent
was a strong rival, but until the
Zwyn finally silted up in 1890 Bruges
held it's own. At the height Of its
power Bruges had a population of
100000; now the inhabitants num-
Der about $4,000.
Was U-Boat Nest.
Not to be cheated Of a port by
natures destructive forces, the peo-
pie of Bruges have built several
canals to the North sea- The largest
Zeebrugge (meaning the seaport of
BrugesD. This port and its canal and
the basin at Bruges figured prom
inently in the world war. The Ger
mans developed a strong U-boat nest
at Bruges from which their under
water commerce destroyers went out
to sink many an allied ship and to
which they returned for repairs and
outfitting. A tremendously strong
shelte- with a concrete roof six feet
near The BruEes end of the sea canal
today, a monument to German U-boat
activities. Allied bombing planes
were unable to fnd the exact loca-
tion Of this camouhaged nest, and
probably would have been able to in
even II direct hits had been scored.
The British, however, successfully
hindered the U-boat activities from
the Bruges nest by their famous
sortie against the Zeebrugge mole
when old ships filled with concrete
were sunk across the entrance chans
mel to the canal.
Medieval Flemish City.
"Bruges Is one Of the Quaintest of
the old Flemish cities and Is said to
preserve in it's architecture a more
ter municipalities. Prominent archi-
tectural features are the Church of
Notre Dame and the Cathedral of st.
Sauveur, both excellent examples of
0dIly pOiHted HOtulC, 1u0 lu0 met
Hall. with its dominant belfry hous-
ing y-eight bells, one Of the most
famous collections Of chimes In Eu-
rope.
TN st. Basile's Chapel is kept the
knights from Jerusalem. reputed to
have been the vessel holding the
water with which Joseph Of Arima-
thea bathed the blood stained body
of Christ. This reliquary is carried
tv, he oR
the Most Precious Blood.
"Bruges has long been noted for
Its wooden cloths. In recognition of
the city's pre-eminence in this field.
In 1430 Philip the Good of Burgundy
named the order which he then Gre
ated, the Order Of the Golden Fleece
This has ever since been one of the
most exclusively kniEhtly orders"