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N.E. Quarter. BRUGES. 3. Route 41
d. North-East and East Quarters of the City.
At the N.E. corner of the Grand’ Place (p. 36) begins the Rur
FLAMANDE (Pl. C, 4) or Vlaming-Straat, one of the chief thorough-
fares of Bruges. Near its middle, to the left, at the corner of the Rue
des Pelletiers (Grauwwerkers-Straat), is the ancient Merchant House
of the Genoese, a well-preserved Gothic building of 1399, afterwards
the property of the linen-manufacturers (‘Witte Saey Halle’). Over
the door are St.George and the dragon. — The adjacent (Juai des
Augustins (Pl. C, 4) and Rue des Potiers (Pl. B, 4) afford many
glimpses of quaint architecture.
The Rue de Académie, beginning opposite the Genoese Merchant
House, leads to the small Place Jan van Eyck (Pl. C, 4), which is
surrounded by interesting medieval buildings and bounded on the
E. by acanal. The bronze statue of Jan van Eyck, by Pickery, was
erected in 1878. On the W. side of the Place is the Poorters Loge
and on the N. the Municipal Library.
The Municipal Library (PJ.1; 0, 4), which is now established
in the ancient Yonlieu, or custom-house of 4477 (restored in
1877-81), contains 50,000 vols., 600 MSS. (comprising missals of
the 13-14th cent.), the first books printed by Colard Mansion, the
printer of Bru (ca. 1475-84), and a collection of engravings
(adm., see p. 24).
The Poorters Loge (i.e. Citizens’ Lodge; Pl. ©, 4), built about
the middle of the 14th cent., altered in 1755 and 1818, and restored
in 1898-1904, was formerly an assembly-hall for the townspeople
(‘poorters’, those who live within the ‘poort or gate; comp. p. 38).
The bear at the corner is a kind of badge of the town (4417).
A little to the N.E. is the Marché du Mercredi, now called
Piace bE Mzmuine (Pl. ©, 4), where a Statue of Memling in marble,
by H. Pickery, was erected in 1874. On the N. side of the place
is the Couvent des Soeurs Noires, founded in 1561 and restored in
18741, the chapel of which contains a representation of the St. Ursula
legend (ca. 1480) and other paintings of the Bruges School. The
Place des Orientaux (Oosterlinge-Plaats), adjoining the Place de
Memling on the N., v so named because it contained the house
of the Hanseatic League, which was taken down in the 18th century,
— Crossing the canal we follow the Rue de la Main-d’Or (Gouden
Hand-Straat) to the right and the Rue de l’Eglise-St-Gilles to the
left. This route brings us to the church of —
St. Gilles (P]. C, D, 3), an early-Gothic edifice with three gables,
begun in 1240 and enlarged in the 15th century. The interior,
skilfully restored by A. van Assche in 1872-79, has timber-vaulting
and modern stained glass; in the aisles are paintings by Fr. Pourbus
the Elder, Ant. Claeissens, J. van Oost the Elder, the Master of the
Chapelle du Saint-Sang (p. 38), and others.
We now follow a side-street to the E. to the Quai Long (Lange
Rei; Pl. D, 3), cross the bridge, and follow the Quai de la Poterie |