Bruges, Belgium

In the Flemish Region of Belgium, the capital and main city of the West Flanders province is Bruges. It is the sixth most populated city in the nation and is located in the northwest.Over 14,099 hectares make up the entire city, including 1,075 hectares off the coast at Zeebrugge.The old city center is a well-known UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is roughly 430 hectares in size and oval in shape. About 20,000 of the city's 117,073 residents reside in the city core (1 January 2008). As of January 1, 2008, the metropolitan area, which includes the outside commuter zone, had 255,844 residents and covered 616 km2 (238 sq mi).

It is frequently called the Venice of the North, along with a few other northern cities that are centered on canals, like Amsterdam and Saint Petersburg. Once one of the most important commercial cities in the world, Bruges' harbor contributes significantly to its economic significance.As the home of the College of Europe, a university institution dedicated to European studies, Bruges is a popular tourist destination in Belgium.There are two professional football teams in Bruges, both of which compete at the highest level (Belgian First Division). Club Brugge K.V. is currently the national champion, and Cercle Brugge K.S.V. was just promoted to the first division. One of West Flanders' educational hubs is Bruges. A few colleges, such as the HOWEST (Hogeschool West-Vlaanderen) or the VIVES (a combination of the old KHBO (Katholieke Hogeschool Brugge Oostende) and the KATHO (katholieke hogeschool), are located next to the numerous common primary and secondary schools. In addition, the city is home to the United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS), a Research and Training Institute of the United Nations University that specializes in the comparative study of regional integration, as well as the College of Europe, a distinguished postgraduate school for studies in European Economics, Law, and Politics.