Jan Van Eyck Square - Bruges

The Spiegelrei was the commercial heart of Bruges in the late Middle Ages.

Originally there was no square in sight, but the canal ran through it, with a bridge above it that bore the name Sint-Jansbrug , or also New Year 's Bridge, because a market of sweets and children's toys was held on the bridge around New Year. In 1787, the canal at that spot was vaulted and the Sint-Jansbrug was demolished. This created a square that initially continued to bear the name Sint-Jansbrug.

In the French period, the name 'Academieplaetse' gradually came into use, after the drawing and painting academy that was located in the Poortersloge. In 1844 the city council introduced the name 'Jan van Eyckplaats' as a tribute to the painter Jan van Eyck, who was given a marble statue there in 1856.

Until the First World War, the square was known to the people of Bruges as ' Petattenmarkt' , because a weekly potato market was held.

Willem Vandenameele