One of the symbols of Bruges is the swan. There are always plenty of them on the 'Minnewater'. There exists a nice legend about the swans of Bruges. In 1488 the people of Bruges had executed one of the town administrators belonging to the court of Maximilian of Austria, husband and successor of duchess Mary of Burgundy. The town administrator was called 'Pieter Lanchals', a name which means ' long neck'. The Lanchals family coat of arms featured a white swan. Legend has it that Maximilian punished Bruges by obliging the population to keep swans on their lakes and canals till eternity. Most of these legends and romantic interpretations come from the 19th century. Believe them or not : the beautiful 'Minnewater' deserves them.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Bruges & Swans
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3 comments:
I like this. Were you lying on your stomach to take this? Wonderful perspective.
Pat
Guelph Daily Photo, Pat's Photo-a-Day
pat, yes i was lying on my stomach, people in thé street were looking strange, but hey.. It delivers great pictures !
You mean Swan Lake?
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