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From 05/10/2011 to 15/01/2012, The Kunsthistorisches Museum will lend an outstanding selection of 54 top works to the Groeninge museum in Bruges, all dating from the 15th and 16th centuries and all originating from the Southern Netherlands. Their artistic merit is unparalleled. For a period of three months paintings by Jan van Eyck, Hugo van der Goes, Hans Memling, Gerard David, Michiel Sittow, Juan de Flandes, Jan Gossaert, Joos van Cleve, Joachim Patinir, Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Bruegel the Elder and other masters will supplement the already impressive collection of the Groeninge Museum in Bruges.

The Gemäldegalerie of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna possesses one of the most important collections of old masters in the world. These great works of art were gradually collected through the centuries by the archdukes of Austria and the later emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. Following the marriage in 1477 between Mary of Burgundy and Maximilian of Austria there were close links between the ruling house of Habsburg and the Low Countries, a situation which continued until the end of the Ancien Regime in 1789.

Video report of the opening day: http://www.deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws.english/mediatheek_en/1.1125621

Groeningemuseum

open every day from 9:30 to 17:00 | closed on Mondays

Tickets: 8€ (individual), 6€ (discount 65+, groups(>15pers)), 1€ (youngster < 26yr)

more info: http://www.imperialtreasures.be/

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For those people who aren’t familiar with the city of Bruges, here are some pictures from ‘In Bruges’ and a link to maps.live.com where you can see where it’s shot:

• The hotel where Ray and Ken stayed (click to view 3D map). The hotel does really exist, it’s the ‘Relais Bourgondisch Cruyce’-hotel. Not all hotel-scenes were filmed over there, they also made a hotel-set that looked less fancy than the real hotel.
  
  Some pictures of the real ‘in Bruges’ hotel:
  
  
  
  Look at the hotel from the ‘Rozenhoedkaai’ (360° view Rozenhoedkaai):
  
• The ‘Groenige’-museum Ray and Ken visited (they call it ‘Gruuthuuse’ in the movie):
  
  
  Entrance Groeninge-museum:
  

Photograph rights movie pictures: Focus Features

Cheap Ferry to France
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10 reasons why you really should visit Bruges at least once in your life:

1. It is the most well preserved medieval city in Belgium
2. If you like good food, then Bruges is the place to be. There are a lot of excellent restaurants and it even got one with 3 Michelin-stars (De Karmeliet)
3. If you like good food, then you probably like a good drink too. We can recommend you the local beer ‘Brugse Zot’. It already won a lot of prices. You can visit the brewery (De Halve maan) and taste the beer afterwards in the bar.
4. If you like a good drink, then you certainly need to visit the oldest bar in town (café Vlissinghe). It exists since the 16th century. Really a must-see!
5. If you like (older) art, you can visit the ‘Groeningemuseum‘. It has a worldfamous collection of the Flemish Primitives, with masterpieces by Jan Van Eyck, Hugo van der Goes, Hans Memling and Gerard David. Here you can find some examples of the collection.
6. For a beautiful panoramic view of the city of Bruges, you need to climb the 366 steps of the Belfry. It has an impressive clock mechanism and a carillon with 47 bells. The Belfry has an important role in the movie ‘In Bruges’.
7. You can make a beautiful walk around the city and visit one of the 4 remaining medieval gates (Ezelpoort, Smedepoort, Gentpoort and Kruispoort)
8. Bruges has a lot of chocolate shops. Take a walk on ‘The Chocolate Walk’ – A chocolate trail that takes in all the finest chocolate shops of Bruges.
9. Probably the most romantic place in Bruges is the ‘lake of love‘ (’Minnewater’ in Dutch). It’s the former harbor of Bruges and now a peaceful and very romantic place.
10. ‘The church of our lady‘ is the tallest structure in the city. It’s also the second tallest brickwork builing in the whole world (122,3m). The altarpiece of the large chapel in the southern aisle enshrines the most celebrated art treasure of the church—a white marble sculpture of the Madonna and Child created by Michelangelo around 1504.