De Burg

The Burg is a large, open square defined by a dense gathering of historic buildings, including the fourteenth-century City Hall and the Basilica of the Holy Blood. Its irregular shape, now open and paved in cobblestone, marks the exact location where Baldwin Iron Arm, the first Count of Flanders, constructed a fortified castle in the late ninth century. This early fortress, protected by earthen walls and wooden palisades, was built at the confluence of the Reie canal and an ancient Roman road to defend against Viking raids.