A bear’s skull, a lock and a book about orchids: they might seem like random and unconnected objects, but all three tell us something about Bruges. About the hunting grounds that lay just outside the town in the year 1000, the organization of craft guilds before 1800, or the horticultural businesses that flourished on the city outskirts around 1900.

This richly illustrated book brings together 100 familiar and less familiar objects that illustrate important events, developments or people in the history of Bruges, from the earliest traces of habitation to the beginning of the twenty-first century. A broad view of history is taken here. Politics, religion, economics and culture are all covered at length, with a special focus on everyday life and grand events alike. Fresh light is cast on several well-known aspects of Bruges’ history by a selection of objects that is surprising yet all the more interesting for it.

Discover the fascinating history of Bruges through several ‘classics’ as well as a whole lot of hidden gems.