---
title: "The Dying Art of Bruges Lace | Inn Bruges"
description: "Bruges was once the lace capital of Europe. A handful of women are keeping the tradition alive."
lang: en
json-ld: |
  [
    {
      "@context": "https://schema.org",
      "@type": "Article",
      "headline": "The Dying Art of Bruges Lace",
      "description": "Bruges was once the lace capital of Europe. A handful of women are keeping the tradition alive.",
      "image": "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1574182245530-967d9b3831af?w=800&q=80",
      "datePublished": "2026-03-26",
      "dateModified": "2026-03-26",
      "author": {
        "@type": "Organization",
        "name": "Inn Bruges"
      },
      "publisher": {
        "@type": "Organization",
        "name": "Inn Bruges",
        "logo": {
          "@type": "ImageObject",
          "url": "https://www.innbruges.be/og-default.jpg"
        }
      },
      "mainEntityOfPage": {
        "@type": "WebPage",
        "@id": "https://www.innbruges.be/blog/bruges-lace"
      }
    },
    {
      "@context": "https://schema.org",
      "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
      "itemListElement": [
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 1,
          "name": "Home",
          "item": "https://www.innbruges.be/"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 2,
          "name": "Journal",
          "item": "https://www.innbruges.be/blog"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 3,
          "name": "The Dying Art of Bruges Lace",
          "item": "https://www.innbruges.be/blog/bruges-lace"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
---

[](https://wa.me/32489759451)

[INN BRUGES](/)

[Suites](/rooms)[Our Story](/about)[Bruges Guide](/brugge)[Journal](/blog)

[](tel:+32489759451)[](mailto:hello@innbruges.be)[](https://wa.me/32489759451)

![English](https://flagcdn.com/w40/gb.png)EN 

[My Reservation](/my-reservation)[Book Direct](/booking)

![English](https://flagcdn.com/w40/gb.png)EN 

[Back to Journal](/blog)

![The Dying Art of Bruges Lace](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1587587604649-da2fc2a027af?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3w5MTM1MzZ8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxfHxkeWluZyUyMGFydCUyMGJydWdlc3xlbnwwfDB8fHwxNzg3OTc0NDI1fDA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=1080)

Photo by [Belén Martín](https://unsplash.com/@alcuadradoph?utm_source=innbruges&utm_medium=referral) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/brown-concrete-building-beside-body-of-water-during-daytime-BCgU-M7JRg4?utm_source=innbruges&utm_medium=referral)

Culture ·  3 min · 26 March 2026 

# The Dying Art of Bruges Lace

Bobbin lace-making has been part of Bruges since the 16th century. At its peak, thousands of women — many of them in the begijnhofs — made lace that was exported across Europe. Royalty wore it. It was worth more than gold by weight.

Today, most of the "Bruges lace" sold in souvenir shops is machine-made in China. The real thing takes weeks or months to produce, involves dozens of bobbins wound with fine thread, and a level of patience that borders on meditative.

The Lace Centre (Kantcentrum) on Balstraat is the best place to see it done properly. They run demonstrations where you can watch lace-makers at work, and they'll explain the patterns and techniques. It's a small museum — you can see everything in 45 minutes — but it's genuinely interesting.

If you want to buy real handmade Bruges lace, expect to pay accordingly. A small doily might cost €30-€50. A larger piece can run into hundreds. The difference is obvious once you've seen the real thing next to the machine-made version: the real lace is irregular, slightly uneven, alive.

It's the kind of craft that probably won't survive another generation. Which is exactly why it's worth seeing now.

To the Top

### Inn Bruges

A historic sanctuary in the heart of the Venice of the North. Boutique apartments at Katelijnestraat 94, 8000 Brugge.

#### Explore

[Suites](/rooms)[Our Story](/about)[Bruges Guide](/brugge)[Book Now](/booking)[Journal](/blog)[Bike Rental](/bike-rental)

#### Contact

[+32 489 75 94 51](tel:+32489759451) [hello@innbruges.be](mailto:hello@innbruges.be)

Katelijnestraat 94  
8000 Brugge, Belgium 

#### Legal

[Privacy Policy](/privacy)[Terms & Conditions](/terms)[Cookie Policy](/cookies)Cookie Settings

[WhatsApp](https://wa.me/32489759451)

Inn Bruges BV · Katelijnestraat 94, 8000 Brugge, Belgium · BTW: BE 0688.939.629

© 2026 Inn Bruges. All rights reserved.