Jan van Eyckplein

Jan van Eyckplein sits at the end of the Spiegelrei canal, marked by a bronze statue of the painter Jan van Eyck standing on a stone pedestal. This square occupies the former heart of the medieval harbor, where merchants unloaded exotic spices and wool from across Europe. The Tollhouse nearby once processed taxes on these goods, fueling the wealth of Bruges during the fifteenth century. Today, the square remains a quiet harbor basin where fishing boats occasionally moor against the ancient, mossy quay walls.