Bruges was the mother of the arts in Flanders. Jan van Eyck lived here from 1428 to 1440: Memling, probably, from 1477 till 1494. Caxton, the first English printer, lived as a merchant at Bruges (in the Domus Anglorum or English factory) from 1446 to 1476, and probably put in the press here the earliest English printed book (though strong grounds have been adduced in favour of Cologne). Colard Mansion, the great printer of Bruges at that date, was one of the leaders in the art of typography.
Those who desire further information on this most interesting town will find it in James Weale’s _Bruges et ses Environs_, an admirable work, to which I desire to acknowledge my obligations.
At least two whole days should be devoted to Bruges: more if possible. But the hasty traveller, who has but time for a glimpse, should neglect the churches, and walk round the Grand’ Place and the Place du Bourg to the Dyver: spending most of his time at the =**Hôpital de St. Jean=, which contains the glorious works of =Memling=. These are by far the most important objects to be seen in the city. The description in this Guide is written from the point of view of the more leisurely traveller.
Expect the frequent recurrence of the following =symbols= on houses or pictures: (1) the Lion of Flanders, heraldic or otherwise, crowned, and bearing a collar with a pendant cross; (2) the Bear of Bruges; (3) the Golden Fleece (_Toison d’or_), the device of the Order founded by Philippe le Bon in 1430, and appropriate to a country which owed its wealth to wool; it consists of a sheep’s skin suspended from a collar. The Flemish emblem of the Swan is also common as a relief or decoration.
St. Donatian, Archbishop of Rheims, is the patron saint. His mark is a wheel with five lighted candles.
[The original =nucleus of Bruges= is formed by the =Bourg=, which stands near the centre of the modern city. In 865, Baldwin Bras-de-Fer, Count of Flanders, built a _château_ or _burg_ by the Reye, in a corner of land still marked by the modern canal of the Dyver, and near it a chapel, into which he transported the relics of St. Donatian. This _burg_ grew in time into the chief palace of the Counts of Flanders, now replaced by the Palais de Justice; while the chapel by its side developed into the first cathedral of Bruges, St. Donatian, now wholly demolished. A bridge hard by crossed the little river Reye; and from this bridge the town ultimately derives its name. The _burg_ was built as a _tête-du-pont_ to protect the passage. A town of traders gradually sprang up under the protection of the castle, and developed at last into the great trading port of Bruges. To this centre, then, we will first direct ourselves.]