Brugse Vrije
Renaissance council chamber with an oak, marble and alabaster mantel honoring an emperor's dynasty.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to the Brugse Vrije council chamber in Bruges centers on a black marble, oak and alabaster chimneypiece begun in 1528 by the carver Lanceloot Blondeel, commissioned just as the silted Zwin channel was quietly ending Bruges's centuries as a trading port. You'll hear why the aldermen still spent a fortune celebrating Charles the Fifth's victory at Pavia, a battle their city had nothing to do with, and meet the four grandparents flanking the emperor's carved figure, plus the bronze figures of Justice, Moses and Aaron below. Look up at the mantel before you look anywhere else in the room.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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