Little Brugge, the perfect pocket-sized medieval city, was a Sleeping Beauty. Laced with canals, it was once a major nexus of trade in medieval Europe, and of art and architecture during the Renaissance. Then, it fell rapidly into decline and slept until rediscovered and restored to glory in the 19th century. Today its new riches are in tourism, carefully managed and constantly refreshed by year-round cultural events, so that it retains the dynamism of a living city.
Give light, and the darkness will disappear of itself - Desiderius Erasmus. Lit candles give a nice look to mundane lanterns at Jemaa el-Fnaa square, Marrakech.
Built at the end of the 14th and beginning of the 15th century, The Poortersloge (Burgher's Lodge) was the meeting place for the richer and more important members of the Brugge society. This side of the city was the area where the international trade took place, ships were loaded and unloaded. In the immediate vicinity were the nation-houses of the most important trading partners and next door was the toll house, where goods had to cleared and tax levied.
