Entrance door of the former Guildhall of the Tanners (1630), currently a restaurant, in Bruges, Belgium
This charming square was already known in 1302 as the meeting place for the tanners. They were members of the rich and powerful guild of the tanners. Not only did they own the largest house in the square, but they also had private use of the entire square till the 15th century. In those days the two entrances to the square could be closed with solid gates. But the civil authorities had them removed in order to restrain the power of the guild. You can still see traces of those gates. Their coat of arms is located in the middle of the square: two lions and a balance to weigh the hides. The coat of arms has been replaced with a copy in 1925 at the occasion of the 25th congress of archeology in Bruges. The guild house of the tanners was built in 1450 and restored to its actual condition in 1630. The Guildhall of the Tanners goes back to 1450. The rich tanners turned the hides into much demanded leather. It was restored to its actual condition in 1630. In 1985 Tillo and Linda Declercq opened their restaurant with Flemish cuisine along the Brugean canals.
Size: 5760px × 3840px
Location: 't Huidevettershuis, Huidevettersplein, 8000 Bruges, West Flanders, Belgium, Western Europe
Photo credit: © DE ROCKER / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1630, 17th, 17th-century, ages, architecture, arms, attraction, bearded, belgian, belgium, brick, bruges, brugge, century, close, close-, closeup, clubs, coat, cultural, culture, daytime, decoration, decorative, detail, escutcheon, europe, european, exterior, facade, flanders, flemish, front, guild, guildhall, heraldic, heraldry, historical, history, holding, huidevettershuis, identification, identity, landmark, leisure, logo, male, medieval, men, middle, monument, nation, national, plaque, plate, shield, sightseeing, sign, stone, sunny, symbol, symbolic, symbolism, tablet, tanners, tourism, tourist, tradition, traditional, visitor, west, western
