Bruges, also known as Brugge, is a city in the Flanders region of Belgium. Its name comes from the Old Dutch word Brugga, meaning "bridge", and it was a Belgae coastal settlement before the Roman general Julius Caesar conquered the Low Countries and built fortifications at Bruges to defend the coast from pirates. In the 4th century, the Franks settled in the region, and Count Baldwin I of Flanders later reinforced Bruges' fortifications to defend against raiding Vikings. From the 9th to 10th centuries, Bruges began to develop into a medieval town with a fortified settlement and church. It became the capital of the County of Flanders in 1089 and received its city charter on 27 July 1128, and it became a major port city due to its location along a crucial Hanseatic League trade route. During the 12th century, Bruges attracted traders from as far as the British Isles and Italy, and numerous foreign merchant communities existed in Bruges until the early 18th century. In the 1302 Matins of Bruges, Flemish rebels under Pieter de Coninck and Jan Breydel massacred the French garrison in a night attack, entering their houses and killing anyone who spoke to them with a French accent. Shortly after, the Flemings defeated the French at the Battle of the Golden Spurs, cementing their independence. In the 15th century, the Burgundian duke Philip the Good set up court at Bruges, which, by 1400, had between 125,000 and 200,000 residents. During the 16th century, the Zwin channel began silting up, ending Bruges' golden age and causing Antwerp to replace it as the economic flagship of the Low Countries. During the 1650s, King Charles II of England and his court lived in exile in Bruges. Bruges grew impoverished, and its population dropped to 50,000 by 1900. Bruges was spared from destruction in both World War I and World War II, despite being occupied by German troops during both conflicts, and, after 1965, Bruges became popular as a tourist attraction due to its ancient downtown area. From the 1970s to 1980s, Bruges' port of Zeebrugge became one of the most important and modern ports in Europe. In 2018, Bruges had a population of 118,284 people.
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