For many visitors, Bruges is a city of canals, medieval buildings and cobblestone streets. Yet another tradition has shaped the city for centuries: beer.
According to Visit Bruges, brewing has been part of the city’s identity since the Middle Ages. At a time when Bruges was one of Europe’s most important trading centres, dozens of breweries operated within the city walls. Merchants from across the continent visited Bruges through international trade networks such as the Hanseatic League, bringing wealth and cultural exchange to the city. The Hanse website describes Bruges as one of the key commercial hubs within this medieval trading network.
A Brugse Zot at Marktplein
Beer played an important role in that thriving urban culture. Historians have long highlighted Bruges’ significance in medieval commerce. In Bruges: Cradle of Capitalism 1280–1390, the city is portrayed as an early centre of entrepreneurship and international trade. Brewing developed alongside these economic activities and became embedded in everyday life.
While many historic breweries disappeared over the centuries, beer remains closely connected to Bruges’ identity. Visit Bruges continues to promote local beer culture as an essential part of the visitor experience, highlighting breweries, beer cafés and traditional Belgian brewing practices.
Today, that tradition survives most visibly through Brewery De Halve Maan. Founded in 1856, it is the last brewery still actively brewing within Bruges’ historic city centre. Its beers, including Brugse Zot and Straffe Hendrik, have become internationally recognised symbols of the city.
The importance of maintaining such traditions is reflected in the concept of “living heritage cities”. Researchers from Leiden-Delft-Erasmus University argue that historic cities should not function as open-air museums but as places where heritage continues to be actively used and experienced. Beer culture in Bruges is a clear example of this idea.
Map of beerpipeline in Bruges “______”. (z.d.). Biernet.Nl. Geraadpleegd van https://www.biernet.nl/nieuws/voldoende-geld-ingezameld-voor-ondergrondse-bierleiding-de-halve-maan.
That is one reason why the city’s underground beer pipeline has attracted so much attention. According to POM West-Vlaanderen, the 3.2-kilometre pipeline was constructed to transport beer from De Halve Maan’s brewery in the city centre to its bottling plant outside the centre. By moving beer underground, the brewery reduced truck traffic through Bruges’ narrow medieval streets while remaining in its historic location. Additional reporting by House of Applejay describes the project as a unique blend of tradition and innovation.
The pipeline may be unusual, but it represents something larger. As UNESCO and ICOMOS have noted in their assessments of Bruges as a World Heritage city, preserving heritage is not simply about protecting old buildings. It is also about maintaining the traditions and activities that give those buildings meaning.
In Bruges, beer is one of those traditions. It is more than a tourist attraction or a local product. It is a living part of the city’s history, connecting medieval trade, modern innovation and everyday life.
