116 BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG REGION BY REGION

P Kantcentrum
Peperstraat 3a. Tel (050) 330072.

10am–5pm Mon–Sat. & =

http://www.kantcentrum.com
Lace-making skills are kept
alive at the Kantcentrum, the
Lace Centre, which occupies
14th-century almshouses next
to the Jeruzalemkerk in the
area east of Potterierei street.
This neighbourhood is one of
several where, in the past,
the city’s lace workers plied
their craft. Most of the lace
makers were women. They
worked at home, receiving
raw mate rials from a supplier
who also bought the
finished product.
The Kantcentrum also
includes an exhibition of
his toric lace, and demonstra-
tions on lace-making are held
for visitors every summer
after noon. Finished pieces are
sold in the Kantcentrum shop.

E Guido Gezellemuseum

Rolweg 64. Tel (050) 448711.

# 9:30am–12:30pm and 1:30–

5pm Tue–Sun. & 7 http://www.

museabrugge.be

The eldest of five child ren, the

great Flemish poet Guido

Gezelle was born and

raised in a little red-brick

house that is now a

museum. With the help

of a series of furnished

rooms, this place evokes

the modest circum stances

of his upbringing – his

father was a gardener

and his mother’s family

were farmers. Insights

into Gezelle’s work and

life are offered through

the museum’s exhibits of

books and docu ments.

The charm of the build-

ing and of the gar den

outside ref lect the char-

acter of the man, his

piety and his love for

nature, which evolved

during the course of his

childhood spent here.

Traditional bobbin-lace techniques
demonstrated at the Kantcentrum

The distinctive tower of the Jeruzalemkerk

The Museum voor Volkskunde, part

of a row of 17th-century almshouses

E Museum voor Volkskunde

Balstraat 43. Tel (050) 448764.

# 9:30am–5pm Tue–Sun, Easter

and Whit Mon. & http://www.

museabrugge.be

One of the best folk muse ums

in Flanders, the Museum voor

Volkskunde occupies an

attractive terrace of low brick

almshouses located behind an

old neighbourhood café called

the Zwarte Kat, or Black Cat,

which serves as the ent rance.

Each house is dedi cated to a

different aspect of traditional

Flemish life, with workshops

displaying old tools and other

relevant arti facts. Several dif-

ferent crafts, such as cobbling

and black smithing, are rep-

resented here, along with a

series of typical historical

domestic and shop interiors.

R Jeruzalemkerk
Peperstraat. # 10am–noon and
2–6pm Mon–Fri, 10am–noon
and 2–5pm Sat. &
One of Bruges’s most unusual
churches, the Jeruzalemkerk
is based on the design of the

Visitors pour into Bruges during the summer,
crowding the city centre. Despite this, the nar-
row cobbled streets and picturesque canals to
the east of the Markt remain free of throngs,
and this fascinating area continues to be one
of the most delightful parts of Bruges. Its
avenues of medieval terraced houses are
dotted with grand and elegant 18th-century
mansions. The best approach to this quarter
is via Jan van Eyckplein, which in medieval
times was the site of the busy canal-side
tollhouse. A short stroll along the Spinolarei
and Potterierei streets leads to the handful of intriguing
churches and museums in this historic district.

Exploring Eastern Bruges

Statue of

Jan van Eyck

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

in Jerusalem. The structure

pos sesses a strik ing tower

with two tiers of wooden,

poly gon-shaped lan terns,

topped by a tin orb. The

present building dates from

the 15th century, when it was

commis sioned by Anselmus

Adornes and his spouse,

members of a rich Italian

merchant family, whose black

marble tomb can be seen

inside the church.

Inside the Jeruzalemkerk,

the lower level contains a

macabre altar piece, carved

with skulls in imitation of

Golgotha, the site of Christ’s

crucifixion. Behind the altar

is a smaller vaulted chapel

leading to a narrow tunnel

that is guarded by an iron

grate. In the tunnel, a life like

model of Christ in the Tomb

can be seen at close quarters.

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp264–6 and pp288–91