Veurne is a historic city that was one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Belgium during the Middle Ages. Today, its center has many interesting Gothic and Renaissance buildings.
The city was built on the site of a fortified stronghold and developed as a commercial center. At the beginning of the 12th century, Robert II of Flanders, returning from the Crusade, donated to the local church of St. Walpurgis relics of the Holy Cross. Since then, the city has become a pilgrimage center and one of the most important places of worship in what is today Belgium.
St. Walpurgis, which dates back to the 9th century, is today one of the most important monuments of Veurne. Currently, after numerous reconstructions, it is a Gothic building, the interior of which houses numerous monuments of sacred art. Equally valuable is the second of the local churches, the Church of St. Nicholas. On the last Sunday of July, a procession of penitents starts, during which scenes from the life of Jesus are presented. The roots of this tradition go back to the Middle Ages.
Visiting Veurne also includes its well-preserved historic market. The most important attraction within the square in Veurne is the Town Hall with its watchtower. The Gothic-Renaissance building now houses museum exhibitions. The beffroi watchtower with a gothic base and an early baroque superstructure has been inscribed on the UNESCO list since 1999. At the square, you can also see the old market halls and the Gothic Spanish Pavilion.
An interesting attraction of Veurne is the Experience Center - Free Homeland. It is an interactive museum that introduces you to the realities of life in Belgium during World War I. Belgium, neutral during this conflict, was called "a scrap of the motherland". Visiting the Center shows not the battles themselves or the lives of soldiers, but how the war influenced ordinary inhabitants of the country.
