Bruges became famous and even a world trade center in the middle ages. Before the sea receided, it laid almost at the coast (through Damme) and could be reached easily from the North Sea. Nowadays, and because of the sanding, it lays some 15 km. away from the coast, but still contains some inner rivers and smaller harbours, connected to the sea. One of these connections is a river that gained importance over the ages and even dates back to the Roman Empire. Since the 16the century, it was called “the Langerei”.
