Unlike many galleries that concentrate on one period of history, the Groeninge Museum in Bruges has a collection that spans six centuries of Flemish tradition and is a truly fascinating insight into artistic development in the region.

Dijver 12

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This is a must-stop during your weekend in Bruges! Svein Koningen is an Australian abstract artist that moved to Bruges only two years ago.

You can see his studio and his large stock of beautiful abstract works. His style is very experimental so there is something for everyone, brilliant colours and deep textures.

He and his wife sell directly from their studio at half cost what his galleries charge. Stop by for a browse and share a glass of wine with Svein and Dianne, it's sure to be the higlight of your trip to Bruges.

Korte Vuldersstraat 17, 8000 Brugge, Belgium
www.koningen.net

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The concert hall in Bruges is a beautiful, contemporary venue with an impressive seasonal calendar of events. The performance I attended was a highlight of my trip. There are a range of tiny restaurants opposite the entrance where you can enjoy a pre-theatre meal - accompanied by a beer of course!

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Visit the bell tower with its carillon before you do the tour of the Half Moon brewery.

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Visit the museum with work of Frank Brangwen. It houses very moving artwork and some wonderful furniture.

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The Cathedral in Bruges is, even to the most secular visitor, the most magical, mystical gothic building in Europe.

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In Our Lady's Church you will find the Madonna by Michelangelo.

No other statue of Michelangelo's made its way out of Italy during his lifetime. Even today the only other places outside Italy with statues by Michelangelo are the Louvre in Paris and the Hermitage in Leningrad.

It was made for the Cathedral of Sienna, but two merchants brought it to Bruges after one of their business trips to Italy in 1506.

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The Groeningemuseum is a small, fascinating world-class art gallery/museum in Bruges.

The permanent collection includes paintings by early Flemish artists Jan Van Eyck and Hans Memling plus works by Gerard David, Hieronymus Bosch and, from more recent times, Paul Delvaux and Rene Magritte. Quite an impressive ‘cast-list’ for a museum of only 11 rooms.

The rooms take you through different periods and styles in art i.e Flemish Primitives, Renaissance and Expressionism. You can compare a number of paintings on the theme of the 'Last Judgement' – including the disturbing but compelling imagery of Bosch’s version. Jan Van Eyck’s 'The Virgin and Child with Canon van der Paele' is wonderful in its detail; you can almost feel the texture of the robes and clothing depicted in the painting. Disturbing could also be used to describe Magritte’s 'The Assault' although, as with so many Surrealist painters and particularly Magritte’s dream-like images, what may seem unsettling to one person can be quite un-perturbing to another.

The museum hires out a very informative audio guide, which gives you historical and artistic details about a number of the paintings.

The small scale of the museum means that you can look round the whole of it quite happily in a couple of hours, each room having a kind of theme based on an artistic movement or period - this gives a good historical reference point allowing you to compare and contrast different styles, artists and their interpretations etc.

The quality of art on display is excellent - this really is a jewel of a museum and I would recommend that anyone visiting Bruges pay it a visit.

Dijver 12
050 44 87 11
www.brugge.be/Musea/en/mgroee.htm

Cost: 8 euro per ticket plus 3 euro for the audio guide
Opening Hours: 9.30am-5.00pm (closed Mondays)

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