Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.

Seneca

Travelling is an indivisible part of a chessplayer’s lifestyle. After the Correspondence Chess has gone out of practice, apart from Internet chess in order to ensure a participation in a tournaments a chess player volens nolens has to travel. On the other hand there are players who are also ardent travelers and they sometimes participate in a tournament not in sake of chess itself but in order to visit the place where it is being held. One round a day and… vagabonding the rest of the time all around the city enjoying the foreign atmosphere… And for sure such players normally never limit their visit to a foreign country with the venue or just the town of the tournament. On the contrary, they go farther to explore the neighborhood in order to feel the native coloring of the whole country as much as possible.

Voilà. Such a chess-travel target has recently become the Belgian northern city Bruges. It is the capital and the largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium and is located in the northwest of the country. Bruges is often called ‘’Venice of the North’’ as this canal-based city can easily be associated with that famous Italian city because of abundance of bridges and waterway lined with historical old buildings.

Bruges has most of its medieval architecture intact. The main square of Bruges is Markt which is located in the heart of the city. It has an oval-shaped appearance and is a prominent World Heritage Site of UNESCO since 2000. Markt is surrounded by a collection of buildings dating back to various time periods in history.

Markt (market square) buildings

Right in the historical centre of Bruges the Belfry of Bruges, or Belfort, a medieval bell tower is located. The Belfry was added to the main market square in around 1240, when Bruges was prospering as an important centre of the Flemish cloth industry. The tower suffered from a few devastating fire experiences, thus having been reconstructed a few times. As a result, today it bears marks of various historical and architectural styles. Climbing 366 steps up to the top of the tower a picturesque view is opened in front of the visitor. If the weather is clear even the sea can be seen.

Markt. The inclination of Belfry or Bell Tower is slightly visible

Besides being a famous textile industry center, Bruges has also historically been famous for its well-established lacemaking traditions. On the question where handmade lace is still made, the immediate answer that strikes is Bruges. Of course, it is not the only place where lace is made, but certainly is the most famous one. Any visitor to the city can easily find many lace shops quickly. In addition, the demand of lace by tourists who wish to bring a sample or two of lace to home is so great that these shops hardly manage to keep up with supplying it.