City Hall In Bruges, Belgium, Europe Editorial Photo

Laced with canals, Bruges was one of the great North European trading ports in late medieval times. Bruges also is one of the most beautiful cities in Western Europe, a place that has been called the Venice of the North. Located about an hour northwest of Brussels not far from the North Sea, Bruges is the capital of West Flanders in the Flemish region of Belgium. The city was spared major damage during the two world wars, so much of its medieval architecture is intact, earning the historic center of town a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation in 2000.The City Hall was completed in 1421 but enlarged and adapted to the needs in the centuries that followed. The facade is richely decorated with gothic windows, towers, statues and the coat of arms of subordinate towns. Inside you should not miss the impressively decorated gothic room. There is also a museum on the ground floor.The 14th Century Town Hall, with its long, elaborate windows, statues and octagonal turrets, was built in a splendid and dizzying Gothic style. It replaced the 9th century castle of Baldwin I, count of Flanders.