布鲁日:欧洲中世纪城市的缩影

Bruges,The Miniature of the European Medieval City.

比利时的布鲁日城被称作"沉睡的美女",它是欧洲保留最完整的中世纪城市。在14世纪,布鲁日曾是西欧第一大港和发达的商埠,15世纪达到鼎盛。贸易和手工纺织业给这座城市带来巨大财富,使之成为中世纪欧洲的商业中心和国际金融中心。之后由于海湾淤塞、商贸衰败、城市沦落,在18世纪已成为比利时最穷的城市,以至于19世纪的工业革命与它擦肩而过,旧城历经了数百年的"冬眠"。二战期间它又戏剧性地躲过两次毁城的劫难,难得的中世纪建筑得以幸存,使布鲁日这颗"佛兰德的明珠"依然耀眼。

The Bruges City of Belgium,known as the sleeping beauty,is the best completely preserved medieval city of Europe.Bruges was once a developed commercial port in the 14th century,the greatest port of Western Europe, reaching its peak in the 15th century.Trade and textile handicraft industry brought immense wealth to the city, making it the commercial center of Europe and the international financial center during medieval ages.Due to the blockage of the Gulf,trade decay and urban fallen,Burges turned to be the poorest city in Belgium in the 18th century.As a consequence,the ancient city missed the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century and underwent several hundred years of'hibernation'.During the World WarⅡ,Bruges dramatically escaped from two disasters of city destruction,so the priceless medieval architectural relics could survive,which makes Bruges---the'pearl of Flanders'maintain its splendor.