Bruges - Markt

The Halle, begun in 1248 and twice enlarged, first in the 14th C. and then again in the 16th C., occupies the south side of the Markt, a large rectangular brick building 85m/278ft long and 43.5m/142ft wide enclosing a picturesque courtyard. It was once Bruges's main market and the city fathers used to promulgate their statutes from the balcony above the entrance, reading them out to the populace assembled beneath.

On the west side of the Markt the attractive brick 15th C. Huis Bouchoute occupies the left-hand corner of Sint-Amandstraat. On the opposite corner stands the Craenenburg where, in 1488, at the instigation of Ghent, the burghers of Bruges kept the future Habsburg Emperor Maximilian imprisoned for 11 weeks. He was freed only after agreeing to respect the authority of the ruling Regency Council and to order the withdrawal of all foreign troops.

The east side of the Markt is dominated by the Neo-Gothic Provinciaal Hof (1887-1921), seat of the West-Vlaanderen provincial government. Adjacent to it on the south side is the post office.

Until the end of the 18th C. cloth halls dating back to the 13th C. stood on both sites. The cloth stored in them was brought into the city by water, the Reie at that time flowing close by.