Damme

About this place

Damme is a small town in the province of West Flanders in northwest Belgium, about six kilometres northeast of Bruges. Its municipality takes in the town and several villages, with about 11,000 residents. In the 13th century Damme was one of Europe's major ports and the outlet to the sea for the great trading city of Bruges, linked to it by the river Reie. The river is now canalised into the long, straight Damse Vaart, which continues across the Dutch border to Sluis. The line of the town's old star-shaped fortifications can still be traced by rows of tall poplars and in places by a moat. The calm canal runs between two long rows of towering poplars, with trees and sky mirrored on its still water and an old windmill on its bank. Flat green farmland and meadows crossed by small canals surround the town, and the sun rises and sets over the water in warm colours. Many reach Damme by bike along the canal path from Bruges, or by an old tourist boat on the canal in season, and stroll its small town square. The tree-lined road is one of the area's loveliest cycle routes, and it makes a half-day trip from Bruges.