It was in the 12th century. The lands north-west of Bruges were inhospitable and the few farmers and fishermen who lived there saw their houses flooded regularly by the wild sea. The count of Flanders, Philip I, decided to do something about it. He let count Floris III (count of Holland, which he captured a couple of years before) go in exchange for the Dutch expertise in dike-building.
A couple of thousands of Dutch dike builders came to Flanders to try to tame the sea, however this appeared to be easier said than done. They discovered a huge spring on the place where they wanted to build the dike and everything they built during a day was flooded the next. The moral was very low and disaster tourists from the surrounding towns of Hoeke, Sluis and Blankenberge came mocking with the poor workers.
 |
| Canal between Damme and Bruges |
Whatever they tried, nothing seemed to help. Each morning, their work of the day before was swallowed by the water and a loudly barking dog hung around the place, seemingly laughing in their face. One day a foreman managed to catch the dog and buried the animal in a deep hole and from that moment on, the water stopped flowing. After a couple of months the dike was finished and the city of Damme was founded behind that dike. To remember these events, the city of Damme has a dog in its coat of arms.
Damme
Damme is a medieval town with a picturesque market square that attracts tourists on a side trip from Bruges (only 7 km away). A car-free track offers an excellent opportunity for biking along the scenic canal Bruges-Damme.
Damme presents itself as a 'book village' and indeed with 8 book stores for a population of 11 000 and a monthly book market (every second Sunday of the month, from 9am to 6pm) it can rightfully claim that title.
No comments:
Post a Comment