Poortersloge Bruges

The Poortersloge was built between 1395 and 1417 by order of the commercial elite of the time, the Brugsepoorters . This district was then the hub of international trade. Ships were loaded and unloaded there. From the turret merchants could see their ships approaching. Trading nations built their nation houses in the immediate vicinity in which international representatives resided and goods were stored. The Burgesses of Bruges received their trading partners in the Poortersloge.

The recreational association par excellence, Het Genootschap van de Witte Beer , established itself there and became owner, perhaps even builder. This Bruges knightly jousting association founded in or around 1380, a long time after the legendary heroic deed of Boudewijn I , received the city's permission shortly after the construction of the building to place the statue of its mascot, a shield-carrying bear, in a niche in to place the facade

Today the Poortersloge is a location for contemporary art in Bruges. There are a number of exhibitions on display every year.

Willem Vandenameele