Photographs of the Bridges
Bridges of Bruges, Belgium
Some of the bridges in the lovely, historic tourist town of Bruges, Belgium, are famous for having a magical properties as a “Lover’s Bridge.” One kiss on the bridge, and you are now bound for eternity. The problem is that nobody can seem to figure out exactly which bridge it is that does the trick.
Historical plaques at the Minnewater, located south of the tourist center, refer to the small pond here as the Lake of Love. This would seem to suggest that the scenic Begijnhofbrug, also known as the Wijngaard Bridge, is the place. It certainly looks the part. It is a lovely stone arch bridge dating from 1740, overlooking swans floating in the Minnewater. However, the Minnewater is a little remote from the crowded tourist center of town. It is likely that few tourists go there, especially at night.
Fortunately, Bruges has another bridge, situated directly in the middle of the tourist frenzy, which is assumed by some to play the role of the Lover’s Bridge. This is the St. Bonifacius Bridge, a tiny single stone arch bridge dating from 1910. Some of the available tourist guidebooks and websites refer to the St. Bonifacius Bridge as the Lover’s Bridge, and this is apparently accepted by lovers too lazy to walk a mile or so to the Minnewater. The St. Bonifacius Bridge may hold the record for being the most densely packed tourist bridge in existence. The bridge achieves this in two ways – partly by having a large number of people visiting and stopping for selfies, and partly by being only about 15 feet long and five feet wide to begin with. It is common to have to stop for a few minutes to allow traffic jams to clear before crossing the bridge.
There is a sub-chapter on the purported romantic effects of the bridges in Bruges in Chapter 7 of my book, Bridgespotting: A Guide to Bridges that Connect People, Places, and Times.
