De Burg

The Burg square is identifiable by the sharp, stepped gables of the Old Civil Registry, which feature bright gold statues set against dark brick. This site served as the fortified heart of Bruges since the ninth century, when Count Baldwin the Iron Arm built a castle here to defend against Viking raids. It functioned as the seat of political power for centuries. In fourteen eighty-eight, the local townspeople held Archduke Maximilian of Austria prisoner in a house on this very square for months.