In the 13th and 14th centuries, Bruges was one of the most important cities in Europe. Its wealth came from trade — specifically, from being the place where northern and southern Europe met to do business.

Geography was everything. Bruges sat at the end of the Zwin, a tidal inlet that connected the city to the North Sea. Ships from England, the Hanseatic League, Spain, and Portugal could sail directly into the city. Meanwhile, overland trade routes connected Bruges to Paris, the Rhine Valley, and Italy.

The result was a commercial hub where English wool met Italian silk, Spanish wine met Baltic timber, and everyone needed a banker. The Florentine banks — Medici, Bardi, Peruzzi — all had Bruges branches. The first stock exchange in history emerged here, on the Beursplein (named after the Van der Beurze family whose house hosted informal trading).

Bruges' cloth industry turned raw English wool into finished textiles that sold across Europe. At its peak, the city had 35,000 to 40,000 inhabitants — enormous by medieval standards — and was one of the largest cities north of the Alps.

The wealth funded art (van Eyck, Memling), architecture (the Belfry, City Hall), and a lifestyle that dazzled visitors. Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, held his court here. The Order of the Golden Fleece was founded in Bruges in 1430.

Then the Zwin silted up. Ships couldn't reach the city. Trade shifted to Antwerp. By 1500, the golden age was over. Bruges slept for 400 years — which is why the medieval city survives today.