Concise.pdf - Brugge Plus

concise

concise
T ABLE OF CONTENTS
(Encore) plus est en vous... 2
Nothing Really Ends! 6
Programme 14
Introduction: Accents 15
Exhibitions 17
Contemporary art 20
Architecture and monuments 23
Music 25
Performing arts 29
Film and media 34
Neighbourhood and world 37
Literature and debate 39
Youthful impatience 41
Events 43
Publications 45
Communication 50
Introduction: The challenge... 51
The communication policy: a child of many fathers... 51
From communication strategy to action 52
Action! 54
Press action: a priority task 54
Domestic promotion: a coherent discourse 58
International promotion: a different story 60
The public network 62
BRUGGE 2002 as an opportunity for (hotel-based) tourism 64
Sponsorship action 69
Management, organisation and budget 72
Introduction 73
Overview of total budget 74
Costs 74
Revenue 76
Management and internal organisation 79
Impact study BRUGGE 2002 – summary and conclusions 80

(ENCORE)
PLUS EST EN
VOUS...

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Culture and figures, looks like a contradiction at first sight. This part of the memory
box proves the contrary. Just about everything that was under discussion before and
during the year, is examined either succinctly or more extensively. This part allows
you to stroll through the cultural year together with us, but also to compare your own
critical findings with the impressions left on our staff. BRUGGE 2002 was unarguably
a turning point for Bruges. A year on which we can look back with pride and satisfaction.
As an introduction I will give you a few remarkable results. Culture is considered
“subjective” and you are likely to have enjoyed one programme more than
another. Everyone’s taste is different. Yet it is impossible not to acknowledge that the
156 projects, which led to 1,227 different activities, have brought you a unique year.
You were not alone, for that matter, you will have noticed that! About 1,590,629 people
visited one or more activities at BRUGGE 2002. 9% of Belgians participated in
BRUGGE 2002.
3
As a result of BRUGGE 2002, 120,000 overnight tourists and 700,000 day-trippers
visited the city. Hotels experienced additional occupancy of 10.3%, and this in a year
in which other cities talked about a crisis.
These visitors spent an extra EUR 42 million on hotels, restaurants, attractions,
shops, etc., representing an increase of 25%. When we compare these results with
some spent budgets we can make the following observations. Taking into account the
total budget for BRUGGE 2002 (± 4 27,000,000), this teaches us that an investment
of 1 euro in BRUGGE 2002 yields a direct financial result of 1.5 euro. When we compare
this with the communication budget for BRUGGE 2002 vzw (± 4 6,000,000) we
see that a communication investment of 1 euro yields a direct financial result of
7 euros. Lastly, in relation to the contribution of the City of Bruges (4 2,500,000) to
BRUGGE 2002 the investment of 1 euro yields a direct financial result of 16.5 euros.
CONCISE
Economically also we could not have dreamt of a better project. Especially the sector
that has to live most directly off tourism in this city, did well in 2002. Past cultural
projects in other cities show us in addition that this effect lives on for a number of
years. This means good prospects for our city!
Attachment+
© ROLAND PATTEEUW
The BRUGGE 2002 project achieved
a turnover of 4 27,167,034.02. This
was covered by, among other
things, 4 15,576,593.93 in subsidies,
4 6,414,800.34 in sponsor money
and 4 4,238,351.75 income from the
public (tickets, merchandising, etc.).
When you know that the contribution
from the City of Bruges was
4 2,500,000, you realise that approximately
4 25,000,000 non-Bruges
funds were invested in the BRUGGE
2002 project, and therefore in culture
in Bruges. Added to the investments
by cultural partners in the
programme, in restoration work and
in the construction of the Concertgebouw
we estimate the total investment
resulting from the cultural

© BAYERISCHE NATIONALBIBLIOTHEK MÜNCHEN
HANZE@M4DICI

year at 4 109,519,398.60. BRUGGE 2002
stayed nicely within the budget. We also
managed to increase the original, 1999,
pursued budget of 4 19,831,481.98
(BEF 800,000.000) to 4 27,167,034.02
(BEF 1,095,915,436).
This volume includes more positive
figures, which you can read in detail.
They are the result of our own research
work and of the impact study by WES,
carried out for the City of Bruges, the
Tourist Office for Flanders and BRUGGE
2002. In any case, the many contributors
to the BRUGGE 2002 project
deserve to be complimented for their
enthusiastic efforts to work out all
these results.
© JAN TERMONT & DIRK VAN DER BORCHT
Positive figures therefore, which give our vision for the future a positive touch.
BRUGGE 2002 got our own population enthusiastic and has attracted motivated visitors.
The project was beneficial for society and had a positive impact on the city’s
economy. Culture is important to Bruges – what is more, Bruges can now also be
important to culture. We shall therefore proceed on the road taken. Together with our
cultural policy coordinator, the new cultural partners and with a new organisation,
Brugge Plus. The vzw Brugge Plus will further shape our city’s cultural event policy.
This gives “Plus est en vous”, the motto behind BRUGGE 2002, a new meaning. We
look forward to 2005, a new stopover on the cultural journey for which BRUGGE 2002
has paved the way.
Patrick MOENAERT
Mayor of Bruges,
Chairman of BRUGGE 2002

6
NOTHING
REALLY ENDS!
BRUGGE 2002

In this part of the final report, we shall examine in greater detail the results of BRUGGE 2002,
Cultural Capital of Europe. The programme will be dissected, we shall go over communication
and dwell on the budgetary aspect of the project. We shall end this book with the results
of the impact study carried out by the research bureau WES for the City of Bruges, Toerisme
Vlaanderen and BRUGGE 2002.
The legitimisation of culture
It may well no longer come as any surprise, but BRUGGE 2002 is able to produce good
figures.
Not that there are no comments to be made, on the contrary. Through the texts you
will notice that we dare to be critical of ourselves, but also of our partners.
However, the essence, namely the force of the cultural year as a whole, is felt by most
observers to have been a success. Obviously we are happy with this assessment.
We are also satisfied with how the project was translated into hard, substantiated figures.
On the following pages you will learn all about it. We shall examine the figures
in some detail. The impact study does the same. Remarkable figures, all the same!
The impact of a cultural event suddenly becomes tangible. Figures prove all too often
to be “evidence” of something that you felt and actually already knew. They suddenly
express what you instinctively perceive in concrete terms.
This does not prevent us from still being surprised at how keen people are to examine
literal figures.
Clearly a project that has gone well, particularly in terms of its quality, needs to be
evaluated by reporting a series of figures. And the figures must justify this! However,
the question remains if culture should have to legitimise itself repeatedly
For us it is about more than figures, or rather about what the figures represent.
The preparatory report by Bart Caron stated that only after gaining a “deeper” insight
should we look for the image of Bruges as a city of art, which is still the prevailing
image.
Naturally it is more difficult to grasp what this deeper insight is, where quality work
was produced and still has to be produced in the city of art, resulting in a more indepth
perception. This conclusion requires a different method of analysis from simply
putting figures alongside or above and below each other.
7
CONCISE
Let’s try it for 2002
Obviously we already knew, certainly since “Hans Memling, 5 eeuwen werkelijkheid
en fictie” (1994) and “Brugge en de Renaissance: van Memling tot Pourbus” (1998),
that Bruges could organise major exhibitions.
But organising three such whoppers in a period
of not quite nine months was something
that had not been done before. And there was a
new public for it. The pillars “Jan van Eyck,
Early Netherlandish Painting and Southern
Europe”, “HANZE@M4DICI” and “Cloistered
World, Open Books” supported the cultural
year on different levels. Certainly in terms of
visitor numbers, but they were also the cultural
foundations of the programme. Cultural-historical,
from Bruges and European!
They demonstrated how strong Bruges can be
in art-history research – a quality which
demands greater attention and an area of application
over the coming years.
And finally they show that other presentations
than the classic museological are possible. And
Jonge Snaken (Young Fellas Festival)
© JAN VERNIEUWE

also that the cultural-historical
wealth to which Bruges owes its
splendour to this day is undoubtedly
down to an extremely cosmopolitan
and multicultural period in our history.
True, specialists were already
aware of this, but it is still necessary
to show the public and repeat it.
And if we recall “Cloistered World,
Open Books” once again, we see how
convincingly contemporary art is
able to fit seamlessly into a historical
setting.
© KOEN BROOS
Champ d’Action
8
BRUGGE 2002
Workplace Bruges
A frequent complaint was that there were hardly any contemporary creations in the
city. This primarily involved anything that could remotely be associated with performing
arts. After 2002 it is clear that Bruges convincingly demonstrated that it is
indeed a city where creation is possible. Just think of Josse De Pauw as new artistic
director of Het Net, or Jos van Immerseel and his orchestra Anima Eterna, which
took up residence in the Concertgebouw. Or the many artists who worked here during
a rehearsal period. If you were to examine the whole BRUGGE 2002 programme
in detail again, asking yourself where and when creation occurred, you would, as it
were, trip over the large number of creations.
The idea of “Workplace Bruges” was given form and symbolised in the “Groenplaats”,
a workshop for performing artists that opened in 2002 and is jointly co-ordinated by
Het Net and De Werf.
Another comment we frequently heard when we began our preparations was the lack
of feeling of an active cultural scene in the city. Apart from Musica Antiqua, Cinema
Novo and the Cactus Festival, Bruges was not perceived by the outside world as a city
that is still culturally innovative today. Obviously the museums played their part, but
their reputation, which extended beyond the city itself, was mainly of interest to
tourists. With 2002, however, we have now received many reactions showing that
Bruges is also appreciated as a modern cultural city. Not only have existing initiatives
been able to consolidate their reputation, there are also newcomers that will become
permanent fixtures. The jazz festival, which has everything it takes to become a classic,
certainly comes to mind here. With the 10-CD box set “The Finest in Belgian Jazz”
De Werf created history and produced a reference for our country’s musical history.
Points for consideration and discussion
There were points for consideration that we received as a genuine concern and that
we also wanted to address, but that do not leave us entirely satisfied.
Contemporary visual art, for example. This remains a point for discussion. We are
convinced that every city, in fact every place, must make space for contemporary visual
art. How such a space is to be filled varies, and is defined by the city or place itself.
Our line of approach, to situate contemporary art as evidence in the city, as a natural
extension of a city rich in cultural history, did not contribute to the image of BRUGGE
2002 as a project that also involved alert contemporary art. However cutting-edge an
exhibition such as Attachment+ was or however much the multi-faceted Octopus
became involved in the city or whatever unique works of art other projects introduced,
it remained within a distinct – although on occasions exceptional – quality and
made an inadequate contribution to the image of BRUGGE 2002. We are certainly
responsible for this, but we share this responsibility with our partners and the rele-

Jan van Eyck, Early Netherlandish Painting
and Southern Europe
© MUNICIPAL MUSEUMS BRUGES
vant Bruges tenors. After all, it will
mainly be down to them to deal with
inadequately answered questions in the
future. Fortunately the Municipal
Museums increasingly want to play a
(supporting) role in this.
A project like “WHAT A tale in free
images” may well provide us with the
best information in this connection. This
exhibition of video art in the attic of the
Memling Museum was absolutely magnificent.
It was, however, clear that such
an initiative fitted well into the Memling
Museum. This fact did not escape the
directors of the Municipal Museums.
Another tricky part of the programme is
the young people’s section. Much was
also said about this before 2002. It quickly became clear to us that young people and
children would make up a consistent component of the BRUGGE 2002 programme.
For this reason we took on three full-time employees purely to prepare the “Young people
and children” component. The result was to match. Throughout the year we were
bombarded with all manner of initiatives. Various Bruges schools ran the project
“Kunstenaars in residentie (KIR)” (“Artists in Residence”). Other projects invited
young people from across the whole of Europe for periods of varying duration to get
creative here in Bruges: this gave us “Seven Joys, Seven Senses”, “Frontsid[t]e/Back[-
]side” and “Art Connexion”. The Culture Van visited almost every school in Bruges to
stir up creative activity in children, and young people in “difficulties” received our full
attention in projects such as “Sorry dat...” and “Beet”.
We ourselves remained rather focused on the Kaapstad project. Rightly so, we are still
finding, although its full potential has not been realised. This is clearly – we can now
say – down to a number of failing organisational aspects for which our association was
responsible, and to a number of choices related to these aspects. It was not due to the
concept of the project, nor to the implementation of its content. It is regrettable that
opinion-formers, and above all the press, did not make a distinction in their perception
of Kaapstad between on the one hand the value of a concept, the content produced
and on the other the organisational flaws. Did you know, for example, that on
the Stubnitz, the extraordinary boat from Rostock, as many as 172 young groups, live
projects and DJs were able to appear and create, including 120 Belgian acts Nothing
like this has ever been seen in Belgium. The Stubnitz, which lay moored at the
Coiseau quay for four weeks, was visited by hundreds of young people every evening.
9
CONCISE
Above all it is Kaapstad, and its unjustified image of a “failed” project, that affected
the image of the whole young people component. There was clearly a problem of perception,
since in addition to all the projects already mentioned the film work of young
people is forgotten, along with their commitment to Stijlstraten, and also the culture
bag Kabba, the “Mini Story” at the exhibitions, the Monk afternoons in the Episcopal
Seminary, the children’s rights project in the Vrijdagmarktschool, the Municipal
Academy - Department of Photography with “Brugge Inside Out”, and so on.
We have achieved a lot with young people and children. But in fact, in this area there
is definitely still a demand for continuity, deepening and maximisation. And let us be
clear: this will benefit the young people of Bruges. The many projects in 2002 provided
sufficient experiences to assess how such continuity can be achieved. Let that
be the key merit of BRUGGE 2002.

10
BRUGGE 2002
“It’s a miracle...”
What undoubtedly benefits our discussion most is new architecture in Bruges. At the
start of the preparations we were faced head on with overwhelming preconceptions.
And against these preconceptions stood a number of individuals who were driven in
their quest for stepping stones to break all this down. We were glad to assist them in
this. And someone who stood out above all others – and still does – is Mayor
Moenaert. It was not us who decided to build a concert hall, but we know who did.
We wanted to continue working with the same zeal; a number of one-off projects
were considered, discussed and decided on.
In the many proposals we received, we regularly came across the comment “a bridge
over the Coupure”. We found that exciting, and you know what happened next.
I myself often went walking around the city. Including on the Kanaaleiland. I discussed
my amazement at the discomfort there with the Municipal Green Service, which in turn
got to work, followed enthusiastically by many partners. The result you know.
The architect’s group Archipel infected me with their enthusiasm for the symbolic
spot beneath the trees on the Burg. Some time later, one evening, Mayor Moenaert and
I stood at this spot on the Burg. We discussed, considered things. In his own contemplative
way he said: “I’m not against it, I’m not against it...”. You now know the result.
We did take risks, but got away with it. With these lasting projects Bruges has given
an example of how contemporary architecture can best be integrated into historical
cities. “It’s a miracle ... Bruges is suddenly on the world map in terms of new architecture
in old cities”. This assessment comes not from us, but from bOb Van Reeth,
the Flemish government architect.
Cultural perception in all layers of society
Participation in art and culture must be increased, and space must be provided for
socio-artistic projects: these were the two main points for consideration in Minister
Anciaux’s cultural policy. But even before these concerns were on the agenda or
became trendy, we were busy with the preparation of a project with Dogtroep in the
prison, with the involvement of the asylum centre of the Red Cross in BRUGGE 2002,
with delineating Wijk-Up, with the start of ’t Kl!kt, with a project in the secure young
people’s institution De Zande,... “As if by chance”, it emerged, BRUGGE 2002 was
therefore able to produce a number of valuable projects that were clearly rooted in a current
concern for cultural perception and involvement in culture.
© HERMAN SORGELOOS
Rosas: Fase, the film (director: Thierry De Mey)

For us, however, this was no random chance: it was clear from the very outset that the
social involvement of art and culture had to take real shape in the programme. And
obviously this could only happen properly if rooted as much as possible in various
Bruges-based, concrete situations. Believe me: there was significant involvement and
something actually happened with the many people who were involved in these programmes.
This concern continues to form part of what Bruges has to offer culturally,
including the continuation of Wijk-Up, but also the interest shown in the prison
for future projects.
The Concertgebouw: completely versatile
How can we describe the added value of the Concertgebouw for Bruges, for Flanders,
for the international region in which Bruges plays a central role Almost impossible!
It may well be that this added value is not yet fully known. However, what we are now
convinced of is that it will be immense. BRUGGE 2002 was able to experience it: the
many wonderful moments when we watched artists working contentedly to happily
in the Concert Hall, the public who came and visibly enjoyed the hall and the whole
building.
What can be programmed in such a challenging infrastructure We chose to logically
programme within the project that the architects wanted to produce. A concert hall
for music: that was clear, period. But also for much more: the choice to build a stage
tower made it possible to go far beyond music; we felt dance and musical theatre were
also possible. To this we added film and a series of events. And during the year itself
everything fell into line – the hall worked for everything the construction programme
had envisaged. And presumably for even more, because at the time we worriedly
avoided putting on spoken word or textual theatre in the Concert Hall. After a year’s
experience with this hall we are, however, convinced that it is perfectly able to cope
with this discipline too.
We were able to show that the Concertgebouw could/had to be a multidisciplinary
arts centre, as was the intention. The Concertgebouw is a place where a wide range
of disciplines and artistic expressions are possible in complete openness and where
a similarly varied and broad public can be reached. This is what the client and architects
wanted, and this is what they got.
11
CONCISE
Sustainable investments, fast profit
We could spend some time here looking at the list of initiatives within BRUGGE 2002
that were clearly directed at “deepening”
the city, culture in the city, the residents,
the visitors, etc. An experience that, it is
true, has to do with beauty, but also with the
possibility of becoming annoyed, of forming
an opinion, engaging, ... in short, of
simply making life a bit more fascinating.
© FRAUKE DENDOOVEN
Toyo Ito’s pavilion on the Burg
Figures do not mention this. Figures say,
for example, that you were there or that you
spent a lot or that you came from a long
way away. We repeat: however important
the figures are, the essence lies elsewhere,
where the people experienced something or
where visitors left the city with more than
when they came, only to return at a later
date. It lies where we know that culture
makes a society more pleasant and improves
the act of living together.

12
BRUGGE 2002
The new “look & feel” of an atmospheric city
As I have already said, the resonance of BRUGGE 2002 and the result in the city itself,
amongst the public that came and saw, must principally be seen in relation to our
communication. From the outset we realised that communication was hugely important.
Obviously this is always the case, but even more so in our situation. We were
faced with the task of battling against the compelling image of Bruges, away from the
image of the atmospheric city, of showing that Bruges is more than what everyone
already knows about it. This is why we resolutely went in search of an approach and
image that were far from the familiar. In each case we made considerable efforts with
specialists, until we achieved the now well-known results.
Alongside image, information, mainly via the press, also had a large part to play. The
press was partly responsible, with sufficient critical sense, for making BRUGGE 2002
a success.
Then there was also the information aimed directly at the public itself. This was
always meticulous: from the different editions of the newsletter Blauwdruk via the
unique programme guide to the bi-monthly magazine Hour by hour, and also the
many one-off publications providing the public with information.
It worked! Bruges caught the attention, different and challenging. BRUGGE 2002 was
recognised. This too is deepening: looking for and finding different ways of making
people aware of Bruges. Communication provided the figures, clearly, but it also
ensured that the project received the right content and tone. The communication of
BRUGGE 2002 followed on naturally from the programme, and was primarily a pointer
for Bruges to how things could be done differently and with what results.
For the time being, however, we must conclude that those responsible have not yet
understood that this is actually the case. Many tourist services fall back too easily on
the familiar image of Bruges. They are always concerned primarily with turnover, not
content, which can be so disruptive to quantity. It looks as if the so convincing possibilities
that BRUGGE 2002 threw up with its communication are not sufficiently visible.
And this despite the fact that the University of Antwerp was convinced primarily
by our external communication when awarding the Prize for Cultural Management
2002 to BRUGGE 2002.
It will still have to be repeated many times that you firstly have to have something that
is worth the trouble in order to obtain good sales results. And you don’t simply get a
good product - alongside insight and work this also requires lucidity and dexterity. A
good product produces good figures - perhaps more slowly, but on a more lasting basis.
© MARC MAILLARD
The hard figures
Let us now take a look at the figures.
In the rest of this report, on the following pages, the figures
are explained at various points, but for now just a little
information.
In total, BRUGGE 2002 received 1,590,629 visitors, of
whom 760,594 had paying tickets. The remainder included
the number of visitors at free events. The City of
Bruges was visited by around 700,000 people on the back
of BRUGGE 2002. 9% of all Belgians visited a BRUGGE
2002 activity - this is almost 1 in 10.
As mentioned previously: you can announce a programme
– which we did extensively – but you only really
know what it is in its entirety after the facts. Which
explains why we can only now say that in total 156 programmes
were made available, together accounting for
1,227 activities.
Freaks

It is clear that first and foremost art and
culture are about artists and their work.
Literally hundreds of artists contributed to
Bruges and BRUGGE 2002. They came
from all over the world, but most came
from Belgium. If this cultural year achieved
a high quality, this also shows the high
quality of artists we had and still have in
our country. Our thanks and appreciation
go firstly to them.
© JEROEN DALED
It is not widely known, or people are not
too quick to realise it: art and culture are
amongst the most labour-intensive sectors.
We also experienced this personally. A
great many people collaborated on the success
of the Cultural Capital. Within the
organisation BRUGGE 2002 vzw we employed
the equivalent of 119.3 full-time
units on an annual basis, not to mention
the volunteers. And that is without the literally
hundreds of other people who
worked for our cultural, commercial and
communication partners. They also helped
make BRUGGE 2002 a success.
Art circuit De Slang, as part of Octopus
© PETER JONCKHEERE
Bruges after 2002
Perhaps the nicest thing about the whole of BRUGGE 2002 was that it quickly became
clear that the project was supported by many: many cultural partners, many supporting
partners, many authorities, many sponsors, many spectators, etc.
And on top of all this we must not forget that there was a City Council that wanted a
Cultural Capital, and got one. A mayor and aldermen who believed that such a project
was not only possible, but was also necessary and that it would benefit Bruges.
This brings us to the unavoidable question of what the long-term effect of BRUGGE
2002 will be. The one question that is always asked – and rightly so, although obviously
you can only give an answer over several years. That too is gradually become an
empty, standalone quote.
Or you have to consciously do something to give the long term real chances. This is
what we tried to do in Bruges. Programmes that were begun in 2002 are being
repeated, will come back regularly or have acquired a permanent place in the city’s
cultural arena. Naturally there are the restorations and new building projects that will
continue to round out the city. And there is the cultural events policy that Bruges
wants to continue. This is why the organisation BRUGGE 2002 vzw will continue to
operate under the name “Brugge Plus” to implement this policy.
But the main thing to remain is perhaps the enthusiasm of the residents of Bruges
to be able to participate in contemporary cultural expressions, and the renewed interest
of the many visitors in rediscovering the city.
How long all this will last depends on the policy, cultural partners and public together.
In the meantime, we are looking ahead. Unquestionably!
But now we wish to express the great pleasure we enjoyed working for BRUGGE 2002.
Hugo De Greef
Intendant of BRUGGE 2002

PROGRAMME

Accents
Process and evolution
Making a programme is a process. We went about things very consciously with this
fact in mind: from the point of view of content, by analysing, prospecting, selecting,
studying in depth and concluding; from an organisational point of view, by programming,
budgeting and implementing; and from an operational point of view by
recruiting the right people, and sometimes also letting them go.
In 1999, in consultation with a small think-tank, we began to work on the basis of
Bart Caron’s bulky preparatory report. This contained an analysis of the cultural field
in Bruges and 800 project proposals submitted by local residents or cultural organisations
from Bruges and its surroundings. From this we drew seven thematic lines
for the cultural year. Hugo De Greef had at that point just started as intendant. When
Katrien Laporte and Jan Vermassen were taken on in November 1999 as programme
directors, they refined the thematic lines into seven main themes, which were to
make it possible to work in a somewhat more concrete and selective manner.
© BRODY NEUENSCHWANDER
PHOTO: JAN TERMONT & DIRK VAN DER BORGHT
By May 2000 we were busy prospecting
and working out project concepts. We
became convinced that the programme
ought not to turn into an accumulation of
disconnected components, but had to
approach the city and the idea of a cultural
capital as a whole. We expressly opted not
to work around a single theme. However,
the programme was subsumed into one
discourse, with five lines of approach:
connecting history and the present day,
building a bridge to the 21 st century,
endeavouring to leave something behind,
Hanseatic Days
moving off the beaten track, and providing
for festivities and fun. Each and every one of these inputs had to do with the context
of Bruges itself and had to offer enough openness for frontiers to be pushed back.
In November 2000 we presented this idea to the press and our partners.
15
CONCISE
Gradually we came to the realisation that we were actually building the content of the
programme around the poem “Op een dag” (One Day) that Peter Verhelst had specially
written for BRUGGE 2002. It remained our leitmotif. We were being innovative
here, too, for this approach was not that of a guiding and all-governing principle, such
as one theme or neatly demarcated disciplines, but a poem and a discourse with the
context of the city. That meant a programme with no unequivocal guideline, but with
many layers.
In the middle of 2001 the programme was virtually complete and a start could be
made on working out the details.
Teamwork
The creation of the programme was the work of an entire team. This also involved an
evolution, step by step, in terms of tasks and people. The programme department
started up in November 1999 with three people and in the course of 2000 and 2001
grew into a team of 10 programme staff.
In March 2001 Gerd Van Looy joined the team as production manager. It was his job
to see our lofty dreams fulfilled. Katrien Laporte left in June 2001. Various production
staff was taken on from November 2001 onwards, so that by the start of the cul-

tural year we were able to boast a programme and production team of 28 people,
apart from the many European volunteers and the project-related technicians who
helped in the realisation of the programme.
As the purely content-based work decreased, the allocation of tasks between the programme
and production teams became blurred. The projects were redistributed and
every project was given one project manager, who was responsible not only for quality
control, but also for the planning of the project communication, budgetary monitoring
and project implementation.
16
BRUGGE 2002
A broad programme with various points of emphasis
We arranged for a broad programme, and we felt that every selected project was worthy
of inclusion in the programme for BRUGGE 2002, Cultural Capital of Europe.
However, a number of specific areas of emphasis and focal points can be discerned
in the programme.
Of course there were the three major exhibitions, which spanned the whole year, and
called for very intensive work on the part of both our team and the city partners.
These were the year’s “blockbusters”.
One of the areas of emphasis in the programme was certainly the stimulation of artistic
creativity in various disciplines. Almost sixty percent of the projects were new or
specially made for BRUGGE 2002. We brought national and international artists to
Bruges to work in confrontation with and in dialogue with this city.
Emphasis was also placed on the extensive programme for young persons. Yet some
say that BRUGGE 2002 did not cater enough to the young... Perhaps they themselves
remained too much on the sidelines.
A major focal point was the programming in the new concert venue, the
Concertgebouw. Here we literally tried out everything: all genres of music, dance,
word, image and sound. On each occasion it was “the first time”, and these events
went off to the great satisfaction of company, artist and audience alike.
One striking aspect was the large number of projects that followed a route or itinerary,
and used the city as a stage. From a production point of view, in particular, these
projects called for far more attention, and a much larger budget, than fell within our
possibilities.
A conspicuous choice was also to include a social/artistic section in the programme,
not as fringe programming, but as a fully-fledged programme component.
Finally we would like to mention the architecture programme, since it so symbolically
gives the city a topical and contemporary character.
We opted to work with the existing cultural organisations in Bruges as far as possible.
This not only promoted the involvement of these organisations, but also ensured
that they also experienced a busy and intensive cultural year and would be able to
draw on their experience in the future. We also sought out interesting partners, from
Belgium and abroad, to create new works here. We are thinking of Dogtroep, Het
Toneelhuis, Raimund Hoghe, A Prior, Flat Earth Society,
Champ d’Action, Villanella, and also the architects Toyo Ito,
Jürg Conzett and West 8.
Architecture Day
© KRISTIEN DAEM
In the following pages we will be discussing ten different discipline
clusters. In all we programmed 156 projects, although we
have to qualify that figure somewhat, since not all projects are
alike in terms of scope. For example, Format 2002 included 19
different programmes and Jazz BRUGGE 2002 encompassed 20
different concerts. If we count all the programme activities, we
come to a grand total of no fewer than 1,227! So it was a busy
year, and one about which we would like to tell you a bit more.

Exhibitions
Three major exhibitions spanned the cultural year, and a number of smaller ones were
staged around specific themes. At any time during the year visitors were able to choose from
between one and three exhibitions, apart from the contemporary one. All told, they received
460,000 visitors.
Impressive top-quality art
Jan van Eyck, Early Netherlandish Painting and Southern Europe was the showpiece
from an art-historical point of view. Based on a concept devised by Dr Till-Holger
Borchert, with “Crossing Culture” as the keynote, the significance of the early
Netherlandish painters as world citizens and as a source of inspiration for painters
from Southern Europe was explained. These great artists were people who had come
to and settled in Bruges because the city was an economic crossroads in the 15 th century.
Thanks to them, it also turned into a place of artistic creation.
The number of works supplied on loan by foreign museums was impressive. Head
curator Dr. Manfred Sellink and the Municipal Museums played an important role
here, as did the international scientific committee. There were no fewer than 82
lenders, including all the major museums in Europe and the United States.
The decision was taken to opt for a functional design with a scenography created by
Paul Vandebotermet. He devised a well-balanced route, taking account of the large
numbers of visitors, the many guided tours and the limitations in terms of space in
the Groeninge Museum.
No fewer than 321,919 people visited this exhibition,
making it the top attraction of the entire cultural
year in terms of visitor numbers.
On the fringe of this exhibition, an international
academic colloquium on new insights into the
Early Netherlandish Painters was held on June 25 th
and 26 th . Ninety-eight academics from Europe, the
United States and Australia took part.
17
CONCISE
© DIETER TELEMANS
History for a broad public
The major summer exhibition HANZE@M4DICI
was organised as an historic stroll through Bruges’
mediaeval commercial quarter. At four locations
light was shed on Bruges’s rich history as a commercial
and financial hub between the Hanseatic
League and the trading nations of Southern
Europe. The idea for this exhibition came from
Dr. André Vandewalle of the Municipal Archive,
the concept was further developed and elaborated
by NV Tijdsbeeld (Ronny Gobyn), and the services
of Pièce Montée (Rik Jacques) were called upon for
the scenography. It was decided to opt for an accessible
presentation tending towards the educational.
On the walking route, visitors could also familiarise
themselves with a replica of the old city crane,
which students of the VTI had made to life size
and according to the old drawings. The Flemish
Masters of Business provided for a multimedia presentation,
which made the link with present-day
trade and industry in the Bruges area.provided for
Hella Haasse
© D. DEBREI
Josef Nadj

A discovery of the world, then and now
Cloistered World, Open Books was the most individualistic of the three big exhibitions.
Three basic assumptions or collections were associated with each other in a search for
the essence and development of our civilisation. The cloistered worlds of the old Abbey
of Ten Duinen, of the library collection of more than a hundred manuscripts, and of
the contemporary art of three renowned artists, became open books. The man pulling
the strings in all this was curator Laurent Busine, closely assisted by Ludo Vandamme
and the Municipal Library. The exhibition was afforded an especially tasteful, subtle
scenography by Christian Kieckens. The presentation of the manuscripts on specially
designed tables, arranged as though in a real reading room, was peerless.
18
BRUGGE 2002
Guided tours for visitors
For the visitor guided tours, a conscious decision was taken to work with a visitor
guide and not with audio guides. The Gidsenbond (Association of Guides) and the
Gidsenkring (Guides’ Circle) organised an extensive guide operation for the three
major exhibitions (and also for Attachment+). Guided tours were offered in six languages:
Dutch, French, English, German, Spanish and Italian.
The night sessions for these exhibitions enjoyed great success, with no fewer than 121
such sessions being organised. The three exhibitions also attracted royal visits on several
occasions.
There was great interest at academic level, too, with the Municipal Museums organising
almost thirty lectures on the fringe of these exhibitions.
Bruges in retrospect
In addition to these three exhibitions, we decided to have some light thrown on
Bruges’ brilliant mediaeval history by showing how people in the nineteenth century
(up to just before the First World War) viewed Bruges’ heritage.
Impact, 1902 Revisited was an exciting extra to the Van Eyck exhibition. This exposition
explained the impact of the first retrospective devoted to the Early Netherlandish
Painters, which was staged in 1902. At the time this exhibition not only signified a
milestone in the development of tourism in Bruges, but also had a major impact on
the Flemish expressionists. Impact, 1902 Revisited was put together by Eva Tahon of
the Municipal Museums.
Portrait of a city, Bruges 1847-1918 explained the various ways in which people in the
second half of the 19 th century viewed Bruges, and the impact of photography on the
creation of an image of the city. Thus, the romantic and rather conservative view of
generally French photographers was contrasted with the urge for modernisation typifying
their German counterparts.
The exhibition was conceived by Christoph Ruys and put together in co-operation
with the Bruges Heritage Unit and the Municipal Museums. As a fringe event to this
exhibition, the Van Eyck Academy from Maastricht organised a symposium on urban
development and the impact of photography.
Finally BRUGGE 2002 also received a series of 100 Zeeland portraits and the video 100
jaar Schoonheid (100 Years of Beauty). This project was in co-operation with the
Province of Zeeland.
Educational action
A solidly prepared and many-faceted educational action was developed for schools,
children and young persons. In the framework of the Van Eyck exhibition, for example,
there was the workshop “Step out of the painting for a moment”, during
“Cloistered World, Open Books” there were “Monk afternoons” for children, and in
the context of the exhibition “Portrait of a City” there was a three-day workshop for
young people, who set off into the city armed with cameras. Then there was the

© JOHAN JACOBS
Anima Eterna
© JAN FABRE
© ICTUS - PHOTO: MYRIAM DEVRIENDT
American Air
Swan Lake
© JAN DARTHET
“Culture Van” which travelled from school to school, and the “Den” in the cellar of
the House 2002 – Perez de Malvenda, which turned into a creative haven for all youngsters
in the city.

Contemporary art
The place of contemporary art in Bruges was already a thorny issue before 2002, and
remains so thereafter. Bruges is not an obvious place for modern art, with various players
and counter-players, harbouring a desire for a real arts centre, and a new, cool and clinical
white space. But by whom will this be created, and for what
20
BRUGGE 2002
Bruges is a city with a compelling historical cultural quality. This means that modern
art is faced with the permanent – and admittedly extremely fascinating – challenge of
integrating itself on an equal footing. BRUGGE 2002 showed that such integration is
possible through a diversity of initiatives, some of which have had a lasting impact.
BRUGGE 2002 deliberately opted to use the city itself as a stage. A whole host of projects
were organised at unexpected locations and in streets and squares, the aim being
to surprise Bruges residents and visitors and acquaint them with contemporary art in
the city. The projects all had a cosmopolitan slant, which latched onto and surpassed
the context of the city.
Uncertainty as richness
Attachment+ was the opening exhibition
of BRUGGE 2002. Roland
Patteeuw, the driving force behind
the Kunsthalle Lophem, created a
highly individualistic exhibition
featuring work by 56 artists, displayed
the length and breadth of
the lovely Neo-Gothic teacher
training college in the Sint-
Jorisstraat (hardly an obvious
choice as a venue). The exhibition
placed the emphasis on the evergrowing
sensitivity to time and
Concertgebouw
the process-like aspect in modern art, or how uncertainty is experienced as richness
– at once an enthralling statement in a city like Bruges. 12,531 visitors found their way
to this exhibition, which can quite simply be termed a success.
© ANIMOTIONS
Views of urban space and mobility
Brugge Inside Out and Lost Locations were two photography projects, staged in six car
parks and in the station, respectively. Bruges Inside Out displayed photos of Bruges
residents and their interiors. This exhibition
was created by Joost Goethals in cooperation
with the Municipal Academy.
The photographers included both professionals
and students.
Lost Locations was a project put on by
A Prior in co-operation with the
Nederlands Foto Instituut. Two Belgian
and two Dutch photographers travelled to
Japan to photograph urban spaces, landscapes
or situations at neglected spots.
The two projects had a huge impact, not
just because hundreds of thousands of
passers-by were confronted with it, but
also because the cultural capital was
Old and New Belgians

immediately visible upon arrival
in the city.
Station 2 Station also had something
to do with mobility. In
eighteen petrol stations on the
road to Bruges thirteen artists
created a network of art projects,
spread over the whole of
Flanders. Michel De Wilde from
the Bruges Cultural Centre and
Robin Boone viewed their project
rather as a reflection on the
complex time-space relationship,
on mobility, nomadism,
GAT
architecture, etc. The project was accompanied by a striking video on “the making of”,
an interactive web site and a road map as a catalogue.
Onderstromen/Bovenstromen (Undercurrents/Over-currents), a project by the artists’ collective
NICC, infiltrated into the city fabric and into situations considered as self-evident
through habit. It was a project that hit out.
Think of the “sham taxis” that were withdrawn
from circulation because taxis in Bruges have to
be black now, according to the city by-laws.
Spread over three presentation periods, sixteen
artists gave free rein to their creativity in everyday
situations in Bruges.
© ROLAND PATTEEUW
VENIJNIG GEBROED
21
CONCISE
Tentacles of contemporary art in the city
The frontiers of how to deal with contemporary
art in the Bruges city fabric were pushed back in
a multifaceted manner. The project Octopus,
based on a concept by Kurt Vanbelleghem, was
perhaps the most all-embracing in this respect.
It covered various long-term projects, short
interventions, a number of events and a symposium
in which the possible place of contemporary
art in Bruges was examined. As an answer
Attachment+, installation by Mario Airó
to the request for a “white box” arts hall, a modular museum and a disposable arts
hall were built. A group of Bruges artists was included in the Octopus project via the
“De Slang” (the Snake) art route. Octopus linked a contemporary section to the event
Bruges, a Riot of Colour, with the sunflowers of Honoré ∂’O and Koen Deschuyter as
an eye-catcher. And in Octopus in situ various national and international artists
worked at five locations in Bruges on the link between history and topicality.
Despite the interesting discourse, the media interest, the promotion and the presentation
of important works of art, this project did not fulfil the high expectations. This
had to do, among other things, with the decision to use unknown locations in the city,
the large number of initiatives, the unwieldy production and the fact that the team
was too small to be able to organise everything.
Small is beautiful
A smaller project, with a notable impact, was Kanttekening (Cross over the mind). Four
artists and four people with an intellectual handicap worked on an artistic project
together for a week. This immediately turned into one of the most cherished memories
of BRUGGE 2002. A film was also made about this project.

Jan Broes organised the poetic Stones Walk, an
itinerary taking in calligraphic stones, and had
the vaults of the Halles painted by various internationally
renowned calligraphers. All this
occurred in addition to and on top of his threeyearly
international exhibition A City-full of
Letters.
© JERRY DE BRIE
22
The artist Benoît provided for Playtime, a lovely
mural in azulejos in the Jan Breydel stadium,
and various smaller projects throughout the year.
Benoît was also something of the BRUGGE 2002
“in-house artist”. An exhibition was organised
in the Arenthuis with work of his on the theme
of football and on his mural in the Jan Breydel
stadium.
Station2Station
BRUGGE 2002
Crossing the frontiers of the image culture
The last period of the Cultural Capital year was dominated by film and new image culture.
WHAT A tale in free images was an exhibition with twelve video installations on
the perception of image, on voyeurism and the interpretation and manipulation of
images. Cis Bierinckx chose twelve international artists, who produced poignant
images. The exhibition was held in the attics of the Memling Museum, where the
Baro & Morel firm of architects devised a sophisticated scenography for it. Without
exaggerating, we can say that this exhibition presented video art in its new, evolved,
international reality for the first time in Belgium.
In this overview of contemporary art, mention should most certainly be made of three
artists in the exhibition Cloistered World, Open Books. David Claerbout, José María
Sicilia and Giuseppe Penone created and presented much talked-about works of art,
which were very successfully integrated into an historical context.
Modern art was given a prominent place in the programme for BRUGGE 2002, and
was presented in an original manner. The programme did not offer any permanent
answers to questions such as the place to be accorded, once and for all, to contemporary
art in a city like Bruges. However, it did relate the need for a permanent search
for that answer – actually to some extent out of the knowledge that it will never be
easy to find it here. It is precisely for that reason that Bruges is such a unique location
for contemporary art.
© RAIMUND HOGHE
© GUY KOKKEN
Raimund Hoghe
Bl!ndman

Architecture and monuments
Bruges is a city of monuments, and is full of superb architecture from down the centuries.
Due to the qualities of Bruges’ heritage, but also on account of the city’s tendency to look at
this with a degree of nostalgia, Brugge 2002 resolutely decided to be a catalyst for contemporary
architecture in this city.
The architecture association Archipel came up with the idea of giving high-quality
contemporary architecture a place on the Burg, on the site where the St Donatian
cathedral once stood, alongside examples of architecture in various styles from previous
centuries. With great unpretentiousness, the Japanese architect Toyo Ito
designed a pavilion for BRUGGE 2002 as an ephemeral space between present and
past. It became a masterly example of high-tech ingenuity in terms of stability and
materials. It floats, as it were, on the pond, which makes reference to the foundation
of the St Donatian Cathedral. From the outset the pavilion took on a great symbolic
value and an international allure. It was discussed in numerous specialist architecture
magazines.
A pedestrian bridge over the Coupure had already been the dream of a whole neighbourhood
for years. Together with the Flemish government architect bOb Van Reeth,
BRUGGE 2002 set about looking for a first-rate designer and found the Swiss engineer
and architect Jürg Conzett. The Coastal Waterways department of the Ministry of the
Flemish Community was immediately convinced and implemented this exceptional
project. Jürg Conzett designed an ingenious lift bridge in wood, natural stone and
Cor-Ten steel – wood and bluestone as a reference to the natural materials from the
Bruges area, and Cor-Ten steel because this takes on a patina that has the same colour
as the roofing tiles in Bruges.
The Canal Island, the parking place for coaches, was relaid by the Flemish Region and
the city of Bruges. A new traffic system was introduced, and a waiting square with
bathroom block and a new bridge to the Minnewater Park were built. All this was
given a striking design at the hands of the Dutch firm West 8, assisted by architects
Poponcini & Lootens.
But the project commanding the greatest impact is undoubtedly the new Concertgebouw.
As a candidate for the title of Cultural Capital of Europe, the city of Bruges
decided to build a concert hall. After an international architecture competition the
design was awarded to the Robbrecht/Daem firm of architects. The Concertgebouw
was built in a notably short period so that the opening concert of BRUGGE 2002 on
February 20 th 2002 could be held there. In the meantime the Concertgebouw has
already become an integral part of the Bruges cityscape, even though it is still having
23
CONCISE © TRUI GALLE
Orchestra of the Renaissance

© ROLAND PATTEEUW
Attachment+
24 the finishing touches put to it even now. Conductors, musicians, singers, directors,
artists and audiences are all over the moon about the excellent acoustics and the possibilities
offered by the building.
BRUGGE 2002
In order to find out how a number of renowned contemporary architects viewed the
city, the architecture association Archipel organised a cycle of lectures under the title
Architects-Artists-Visionaries. The four lectures were very well attended, especially that
involving Toyo Ito, which was held in the main hall of the Concertgebouw.
The Masterpiece is a Flemish Government Architect (Vlaamse Bouwmeester) project
aimed at enabling young artists to develop a new view of how to incorporate art into
new buildings. On the occasion of 2002, Bruges was chosen as the work area. Five
young artists from different disciplines each chose one site on which to work, from a
list of buildings. Under the supervision of Ivo Van Hove, they produced five creative
projects: a postcard project for the bathroom block on the Canal Island, a “fit-o-meter”
of words and symbols at Toyo Ito’s pavilion, a newspaper with images as a “museum
in progress”, a video about a horse and cart in the underground car park beneath the
Concertgebouw, and a choreography in a sculpture on the Coupure bridge.
A contemporary meaning for monuments and heritage
The historic city centre of Bruges was declared a UNESCO world heritage site at the
end of 2000. In the run-up to BRUGGE 2002 a great deal of restoration work was carried
out, and buildings that underwent restoration included the municipal theatre,
the Brugse Vrije, the tower of the Church of Our Lady, the reception rooms of the City
Hall and the Civil Registry Office on the Burg. For the latter project, which included
a remarkable restoration of the polychromy, the city of Bruges won the Flemish
Monument Award, 2001.
BRUGGE 2002 also hosted the official opening of the Heritage Days, 2002. This marked
the start of a ten-day festival with an itinerary taking in unknown and well-known
monuments, houses and gardens opened to the public, a contemporary programme
entitled Music and Architecture by Champ d’Action, the young people’s project
Frontsid[t]e/Back[-]side, a grand finale with plants and flowers in the city, and a festive
closing event in the 150-year-old Astrid Park.
In addition to the Heritage Days, BRUGGE 2002 also included two other national initiatives
in its programme: the heritage weekend on April 20 th and 21 st with a series of
events around the theme of “collecting” and organised by the Bruges Heritage Unit,
and the first Architecture Day, organised by the Flemish Institute of Architecture,
which included tours of BRUGGE 2002’s architecture projects.

Music
The Concertgebouw is indisputably the most important asset built in Bruges on the occasion
of 2002. The Brugge 2002 organisers were the first to be able to present programmes there.
We opted for a very wide-ranging programme. It was characterised by some experimentation
and the discovery of frontiers, but we also chose programmes that would play on this
beautiful infrastructure to the full.
In addition we also scheduled events at a whole host of sites all over the city. This
involved 39 projects in all, involving some three hundred orchestras or music groups.
More than 55,000 tickets were sold. Counting the free music events as well, we come
to a total estimate of almost 90,000 listeners - a broad public for a wide-ranging programme.
Series
We programmed a large number of series, from symphonic to vocal, from classical to
contemporary and experimental. Folk, world music and jazz were also on offer.
Homage – Creation was a series of five concerts for orchestra, with a strong classical
work on the one hand and a seldom-played Flemish creation on the other. The
Belgian National Orchestra, deFilharmonie, the Flemish Radio Orchestra, the
Flanders Symphony Orchestra and the Beethoven Academy provided for this series
and enjoyed their first acoustic experience in the Concert Hall.
These outstanding acoustics were also immediately audible during the inaugural concert
on 20.02.2002, in which Anima Eterna played the Concertgebouw in with
Haydn’s “Die Schöpfung”.
Most of these orchestras made more than one appearance, playing in other programmes
spread across the year. For example, the Flemish Radio Orchestra gave a
notable concert with Raymond van het Groenewoud and with Will Tura.
DeFilharmonie gave of its all on the KBC Acquarius Day with creations by composition
students and a closing concert with Tom Barman (dEUS). There was also a good
offering in the way of foreign orchestras:
the Wiener Symphoniker, the Orchestre
National de Lille and the Orchestra of the
Renaissance.
25
CONCISE
© JAN VERNIEUWE
The Chamber Music Hall was also immediately
beguiling, not in the least because of
the exceptional atmosphere in this “cortile”.
The Chamber Music Hall was played in by
the Spiegel String Quartet, the first in a
series of five prestigious String Quartets, the
others being the Keller, Danel, Schönberg
and Minguet quartets.
Festivals
Various festivals were organised in a specific
line or around a particular theme.
BRUGGE 2002 supplemented the
renowned festival of old music Musica
Antiqua with a couple of concerts.
Almost 14,000 tickets were sold for this
two-week festival, which comprised 27
concerts.
Jazz Brugge 2002
Sponsor visibility at the Concertgebouw
© STEFAAN YSENBRANDT

BRUGGE 2002 also conceived new festivals,
such as American Air, a festival
based on contemporary Americaninspired
music. The concept came from
Lukas Pairon and Jean-Luc Plouvier, and
the performers included Klangforum
Wien, Ictus, the Danel Quartet and the
Black Jackets Company. This was no
easy festival, but it nonetheless aroused
an interest among the public for less
familiar musical genres.
© PHILE DEPREZ
26
BRUGGE 2002
Over-stemmen (In Consort) was a two-day
Übung
festival with new interpretations of old
mediaeval polyphonic music with Bl!ndman, Grain de la Voix, Ricercar Consort and
Frederic Rzewski. Here, too, it emerged that a public for such innovative festivals has
to be built up, but with a total of some 600 listeners the event could nonetheless
point to an excellent and gratifying result.
The new Jazz BRUGGE 2002 festival scored well with some 4,000 spectators and a
considerable press interest. It brought a multitude of top European jazz musicians to
Bruges. The organisers intend to have this festival held every two years in the future.
BRUGGE 2002 also participated in the CD box “The Finest in Belgian Jazz”, with 10
leading Belgian jazz groups, published by the De Werf arts centre. One CD from the
series was presented every month in the form of a release concert. This project had
an impact far beyond Bruges and the CD box was awarded a “Choc de l’année 2002”
(Sensational CD of the Year, 2002) by the French magazine Jazzman.
One exceptional festival at the cutting edge of contemporary art and music was .WAV,
an itinerary with 19 soundscape installations taking in the canals in the city centre.
The concept was devised by Joris De Voogt, and there was co-operation with three colleges:
Le Fresnoy from Tourcoing (France), the Institut für Angewandte
Theaterwissenschaft from Giessen (Germany) and the Rits from Brussels. NEXT.WAV
gave young sound artists a platform. An exciting interaction was thus brought about
between students and renowned sound artists and soundscapers. On the fringe of
this major itinerary, Clingfilm and (K-RAA-K) presented an OFF.WAV festival, where
young artists worked with new recycling.
This project made quite a name for itself on an artistic level. Admittedly it was a difficult
business getting all projects executed correctly. On several occasions the sensitivity
of high-tech sound equipment within unusual frameworks played tricks on us
and various installations were plagued by vandalism, with some even being wrecked.
Champ d’Action created a Music and Architecture festival, which was interwoven into the
Heritage Days. Seven Belgian and international composers drew inspiration from very
different locations in Bruges. Space and sound were linked and a very diverse and clever
itinerary was created for the perception of music and architecture through the city.
The human voice in numerous musical genres is central to the well-known Institute
for Living Voice, which now had the opportunity to try out the myriad possibilities
offered by the Concertgebouw. David Moss, Meredith Monk, Lydia Lunch, etc. – they
were all won over!
In vocal music, BRUGGE 2002 continued to pull out all the stops with the soprano
Maria Christina Kiehr, the Collegium Vocale directed by Paul Van Nevel and La Petite
Bande under the direction of Sigiswald Kuijken. Each of these made for a delightful
evening, and each was sold out.

© SVEN VAN BAARLE
Impact, 1902 Revisited
© HUGO MAERTENS
De Kunstbende
© PHILE DEPREZ
27
CONCISE
Patatboem
Opera
As regards opera, we programmed Schöne Geschichten by the Prometheus Ensemble
conducted by Etienne Siebens, L’Orfeo by I Barocchisti conducted by Diego Fasolis
and Il Re Pastore by Il Fondamento conducted by Paul Dombrecht. In co-operation
with the Brussels festival Ars Musica we programmed What Next, which was performed
by deFilharmonie under the direction of Peter Eötvös. But the greatest challenge
lay in the new opera production Antigona, which BRUGGE 2002 co-produced
with Muziektheater Transparant and Salamanca 2002. The baroque orchestra
Il Fondamento conducted by Paul Dombrecht and the La Sfera del Canto choir performed
this opera by the 18 th -century composer Tommaso Traeta in a surprising production
by Gerardjan Rijnders. Antigona opened in Bruges and played a total of three
times before a packed Concert Hall.

Pop, rock and underground
BRUGGE 2002 worked with the Bruges music centre Cactus for four concerts:
Chocolat Genius, Tindersticks, Mafalda Arnauth and Marianne Faithfull, and for four
Label nights, with well-known and less well-known labels and peppered with DJs, VJs
and multimedia effects. And there was the 21 st Cactus Festival in the Minnewater Park,
with St Germain as one of the big crowd-pullers.
But the most intense music events for a young public were to be experienced on the
Stubnitz. BRUGGE 2002 brought this converted cargo ship from the German port of
Rostock to Bruges, where it played host to 170 performances by a large number of
underground groups, bands starting out, and well-known and less well-known
groups.
28
BRUGGE 2002
World music and folk
Rembetika organised three projects with world music and folk. The fifteenth edition
of the Brugges Festival had a strong programme, including Madredeus, Guo Yue,
Anouar Brehem, Koen De Cauter, and many others. There was just as much appreciation
for the festival Old and New Belgians, in which established Belgian folk was on
offer alongside new names: Jan De Wilde, Catherine Delasalle, Olla Vogala, Brise
l’Ame, Fluxus, Tango al Sur, and so on. And then there were also The Caravans, with
musicians travelling through various suburbs of Bruges for three days, to end with a
two-day happening in the Sebrechts Park.
And let’s not forget...
BRUGGE 2002 also had its own “in-house orchestra”. Flat Earth Society opened the
cultural year with a procession from Toyo Ito’s pavilion at the Burg to the
Concertgebouw. During the opening weekend they performed at a number of locations.
They also went into the prison to give a concert, worked on Patatboem and
played the tiles off the roof during the Sail sailors’ parade. As a closing event, FES
excelled con brio on the main stage of the Concertgebouw.
Finally, it should also be mentioned that a number of dance and theatre performances
were accompanied by live music. We can cite, for example, Ictus in Rosas, the
Flemish Radio Orchestra in Swan Lake, and the Madrigal Chorus in SS.
© PIERRE CONSTANT
© ANDRÉ VAN RIET & KARINA LEIJNSE
100 Zeeland Portraits

Performing arts
In performing arts, too, Brugge 2002 provided for a diverse and yet very distinctive range of
dance, theatre, new media and “performance”. We deliberately opted for innovation and for
works that had not been put on before. New creations took precedence over existing pieces,
although all of the latter were also new to the Bruges stage. Playing on a current trend and a
desire on the part of many performing artists and directors, the programmes often transcended
disciplines and combined speech, dance and music. Performances were given in various
locations; in rooms technically fitted out as theatre halls and in more unexpected places.
Innovators and trend-setters
One of the most striking projects was undoubtedly Dogtroep in the Bruges prison. The
Dutch theatre company Dogtroep is renowned for its non-traditional approach. For
four weeks the actors and theatre makers let themselves be locked up in the prison
in order to prepare a performance with the detainees, in which nobody knew who
were the prisoners and who were the actors. The life and stories of the detainees and
the potent creative experience of Dogtroep resulted in a work that made a lasting
impression. All the component aspects of this project – the preparation, creation,
presentation, and the close consultation with the Ministry of Justice and the prison’s
administration – made it an unforgettable event, which remains clearly etched in the
collective memory of the Cultural Capital Year.
29
CONCISE
Another project that left a lasting impression was the radical version of Shakespeare’s
King Lear staged by Luc Perceval and Het Toneelhuis, and co-produced with BRUGGE
2002, Schauspielhannover and Schauspielhaus Zürich. L. King of Pain left only the
L. of Lear in place, to tell a story about irrevocable decline, power leading to tenebrosity
and a body going to seed. A surprising aspect was the language that was spoken:
a specially developed artificial language – not Dutch, not German, but nonetheless
understandable through its expression.
Equally elevating was the new production SS by Josse De Pauw and Tom Jansen, produced
by Het Net. The production was based on the book De SS’ers (“The SS members”),
written in the nineteen sixties, in which the artist Armando and the journalist
Hans Sleutelaar interviewed eight anonymous
Dutchmen who chose the side of the Germans in
the Second World War. In the production a number
of these monologues are staged in a combination
of theatre, dance, choral singing and film.
The public interest in this piece was so great that
an extra performance was scheduled.
© JAN TERMONT & DIRK VAN DER BORGHT
Josse De Pauw is one of the artists who came to
Bruges on the occasion of BRUGGE 2002 in order
to do some creative work there. He became artistic
director of Het Net and launched the series
Sproken (Tales), special evenings hosted by him,
Restoration work
in which he invited young artists or artist friends
to simply “do something” on the Het Net stage.
In 2002, to mark its fifteenth anniversary, Needcompany made Images of Affection -
affection rendered in images. This cool production symbolised the search for boundaries
in presenting theatre and the business of dealing with the vulnerability of theatre
and image language. We also found this ambition reflected in many other programmes.

30
BRUGGE 2002
De Werf: productive and versatile
The arts centre De Werf had a high-profile presence in the BRUGGE 2002 programme,
with various projects. There was the start of a new jazz festival and the publication of
a ten-part CD box, there were the new creations The (e)migrants, de kavijaks (zonder
hoofdletters) [the kavijaks (without capital letters)], Het moment, Reading Lamp, the children’s
festival Jonge Snaken (Young Fellas) and the repeat performance of the dance
and music production Passages.
“Is Bruges really a suitable breeding ground for artistic activity” This was the question
to which The (e)migrants sought an answer by having artists who have immigrated
or emigrated give a rendering of their – vexed or otherwise – relationship with
this city. Again this was no traditional theatre production, but a project in which the
public moved between the Centre for Asylum Seekers and the Kruispoort and were
thus able to witness four performances or installations. The arrival in and departure
from the city were symbolically well supported by the choice of the locations and the
walk between them.
Giving a rendering of “de kavijaks (zonder hoofdletters)” had long been the pipe dream
of actor Kurt Defrancq. This book by Jozef Vantorre tells of how a large fishing family
was able to thrill entire generations of residents of Knokke-Heist. It was a compelling
solo performance that kept the audience spellbound from start to finish.
De Werf also developed a new daring project with young people, entitled The Moment.
Based on the stage play The Determined by Elias Canetti and the myth of Narcissus,
seven young people between the ages of sixteen and eighteen worked for nine
months on a production on the themes of individuality, making choices and growing
up. The teenagers received support from Ivo Opstaele, Jorre Vandenbussche and Rik De
Jonghe, but decided themselves on the content and form of their production.
Finally De Werf organised an ode to jazz composer and musician Kris Defoort before
a sold-out Concert Hall, with the repeat performance of the dance and music production
Passages and the release of the jazz CD Sound Plaza by the Kris Defoort
Quartet.
Amateur arts on the boards
Pieter Aspe is a household name in Bruges. The most widely read author in Flanders
was born in this city and lived there up until a couple of years ago. At the request of
BRUGGE 2002 he wrote a new crime novel, Vagevuur (Purgatory), the action of which
takes place in and around the new Concertgebouw. Michel De Sutter adapted this
novel into four stage plays with a heart-stopping denouement. Co-ordinated by
renowned procession organiser Etienne Mommerency the various Bruges drama
societies put on Ontmaskerd (Unmasked), a marathon of the successive plays.
Other projects by amateur companies were also included in the programme: a concert
© FRAUKE DENDOOVEN
© MARLEEN LAMOTE
Nobody - Sasha Waltz
Toyo Ito’s pavilion

with Cantores and the Japanese Pioneer Symphony Orchestra, the Dance Schools Event
with Christian Dedeene Dance Factory, the Rose Deleyn Dance School, Fedes, Ballet
Olivia Geerolf, the Tamara Jackson Dance Company and the Ramon Dance School,
Assebroek totaal with the self-made total spectacle “Fanfare” and Young@Heart, a choir
of spirited American 60-plussers, which went down very well. choir of spirited
American 60-plussers, which went down very well.
Dance
The dance scene in Flanders has a number of well-established companies boasting an
international profile. These were of course given their place on the BRUGGE 2002 programme,
alongside a number of international companies. The possibilities offered by
the Concertgebouw for dance productions proved to be impressive, certainly in combination
with music performed live. Rosas was given the chance to set the ball rolling.
Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s dance company celebrated its twentieth anniversary
in 2002. More than reason enough, therefore, for them to bring four productions to
Bruges, where Rosas had not previously been performed. The repeat performances of
Drumming and Rain, the new production April Me and the film Fase, four movements to
the music of Steve Reich were all revelations for the audience. Add to that, in the case
of “Drumming” and “Rain”, the live performance by Ictus of Steve Reich’s music, and
you’ve got a total experience resulting in nothing short of artistic ecstasy.
The production of Swan Lake by Jan Fabre and the Flanders Royal Ballet, accompanied
live by the Flemish Radio Orchestra, was also stunningly beautiful. BRUGGE
2002 was joint producer and put on the world première of this production, which
was shot through with Fabre’s own theatrical style.
Wim Vandekeybus and Ultima Vez were on hand with two productions: the repeat
performance of Scratching the Inner Fields and the new production Blush.
From Berlin came the beautiful dance production Nobody by the young German choreographer
Sasha Waltz, one of the new stars in the international dance firmament.
Meg Stuart can also be included in the latter category. With her company Damaged
Goods she brought her new production Alibi, a provocative and confrontational performance,
with hard dance passages and numerous text fragments through which
the public was addressed directly.
With her company Déjà Donné, the Czech choreographer Lenka Flory brought her
new creation In Bella Copia, a playful choreography on dreams and desires, disillusionment
and perspective.
31
CONCISE
All dance programmes enjoyed considerable public interest, with performances often
being sold out. This shows that the efforts made by the Cultural Centre in the past to
programme contemporary dance have resulted in an enthusiastic public being built up.
© GUY NOLDUS
© LUXEMBURG VZW
Golven (Waves)
The caravans

32
BRUGGE 2002
New media and technology
Dance was also present in Format 2002, a
new festival based on new media and
technology in the performing arts,
which was organised by BRUGGE 2002 together
with the Bruges Cultural Centre
(Cultuurcentrum Brugge). Peter Roose
was the curator of this multifaceted festival.
Thus we had Charleroi/Danses
with Body/Leisure, a sparkling dance
show with choreography by Fréderic
Flamand and a monumental décor by
top architect Jean Nouvel. The Belgian
youth group HushHushHush danced
Bobo in Paradise, in which hiphop was
combined with provocative, almost
mechanical bodily movements. The
German company Lilja performed the
graceful production Les Petits Poissons by
Cirque Plume
choreographer Samir Akika, in which
dancers went about tackling the physical interaction with the film medium in an
unconstrained Tarantino style. The dancers of the Japanese group Leni-Basso went a
step further here, and waged a genuine war of attrition with their bodies, in a cutting
and hypnotising multimedia production entitled Finks. And then there was Paixão by
As Palavras, which was premièred in Bruges. For this dance piece on passion,
Claudio Bernardo drew inspiration from Pasolini’s film version of the Gospel according
to Saint Matthew.
However, Format 2002 was more than dance. There were various musical performances
in which contemporary classical music was combined with projections and
images in visual combinations, such as Ballet Mecanique by the Hermes Ensemble,
Screens by Champ d’Action and Blattwerk by Arne Deforce. The celebrated IPEM
organised a three-day workshop for young composers on the theme of new technology
in music. The results were played on the last day of Format 2002, which closed
with Le Bal Digital, with various DJs and VJs, including Walter Verdin. Granular
Sythesis was in Belgium for the first time and presented the highly meditative sound
and video performance Areal.
In the field of word and image, there was the lovely, intimate but surprising performance
Les Aveugles/The Blind. The Canadian company Théâtre Ubu turned
Maurice Maeterlinck’s piece into a “technological phantasmagoria” with masks,
sound tapes and projections.
Just about the most ambitious project within Format was the new creation Philoctetes
by Eric Joris, with a text by Peter Verhelst. He drew inspiration from the Greek myth
of Philoctetes and described the war within the body against wounds and decay, and
connected to this, the human relationship with technology. It was an autobiographical
production that left a lasting impression, with Paul Antipoff, paralysed to the
neck, as actor and user of a computer-controlled installation.
Finally there was a Format circuit with various installations, such as Archive by The
Wooster Group, Pedestrian by Paul Kaiser and Riverbed, Katafalk by cie Mossoux-
Bonté and an installation by Eric Joris and his group Crew.
© CIRQUE PLUME
Format 2002 was an important experiment. On an artistic level, it was a revelation
for Bruges, and far beyond. Projects that had never before been performed or shown
were presented here. Despite the unknown content, public interest was certainly satisfying,
and the final evaluation was also extremely positive.

Science Fiction
© A PRIVATE VIEW
The latest production by the internationally
renowned artist Josef Nadj,
Les Philosophes, which was jointly produced
by BRUGGE 2002, also had
something of a multimedia aspect.
On the basis of texts by the Polish-
Jewish writer Bruno Schulz, Nadj created
a multidisciplinary production of
videos, dance and new image language
in a specially designed circular
arena. A previous production of
Nadj’s, Woyzeck, was put on in the
Municipal Theatre and the Cultural
Centre also played host to a presentation
of his expressive work.
33
Outside the lines
Another foreign artist and a very high-profile theatre maker who was included in the
BRUGGE 2002 programme was Raimund Hoghe. He stayed in Bruges for several
weeks in order to carry through his experimental project with twelve young people
aged around twenty. With much sung music – from Dalida to Bach – and few words,
and with minimum action and a moving sensuality, he was able to turn Young People,
Old Voices into a project that gave new force to experiences undergone by people, as
a result of the juxtaposition of young people and old voices.
CONCISE
Some performances were unconventional on account of the means used, the site at
which they were staged or their multidisciplinary character. Patatboem had all three
of these assets, and many more besides. In this new creation by Peter De Bie’s theatre
group Laika, tastes, smells, colours and sounds were mixed, cooked and centrifuged
into a spectacle for all the senses. Together with a couple of musicians from
the Flat Earth Society, Peter Vermeersch provided the music for this fascinating production,
which aroused great enthusiasm among a broad public.
Right at the end of the cultural year we programmed Jan Fabre’s new creation, Parrots
and Guinea Pigs, which was jointly produced by Salamanca 2002. This is a multidisciplinary
production in which Fabre clearly went further in his search for metamorphosis,
the difference between humans and animals and the transformation of the
body, and the difference between instinct and sense.
Finally we would like to think back to
The Fairy-tale Brothel. What could be
more sensually stimulating than letting
yourself be individually pampered
in an intimate atmosphere, on
a soft cushion, with your eyes closed,
and listening to stories by Peter
Verhelst whispered to you by a
caressing actor or actress This
splendid project devised by Peter
Verhelst, and produced by Het
Toneelhuis, was specially created for
BRUGGE 2002, but is now touring
with great success in the rest of
Belgium and abroad.
© NEEDCOMPANY
Images of Affection

Film and media
We cannot get round the fact that film and image culture are constantly making deep inroads
on our culture, and are increasingly playing a decisive role in shaping it. BRUGGE 2002 did
not remain indifferent to the obstinate dreams of a number of filmmakers, and saw to it that
a number of new projects were given the seed needed for them to grow and develop. Various
projects were accorded a place within the programme in various ways from the point of view
of content.
34
Creation
Q-tag, the Bruges organisation for young people and film, offered five young people
between sixteen and eighteen the chance to make their own short film. A year full of
brainstorming sessions and workshops on script writing, direction, camera, lighting,
photography and sound resulted in El Fish d’Or, a colourful, poetic and abstract short
film.
BRUGGE 2002
The tragedy of forty-eight Chinese refugees dying of suffocation in a freight container
in 2000 inspired Jan Lauwers, theatre maker and plastic artist, to make his first
feature-length film, Goldfish Game - a film about jealousy, power and lost ideals.
In the short film Het oog van de Zee (The Eye of the Sea), director Dany Deprez and
writer/philosopher Frank Van De Veire tell a love story, with a camera style evoking a
thriller and using nature as a third character. As regards the production, a deliberate
choice was made to work with the Sint-Lucas
College in Ghent and the Narafi College in
Brussels, and the actors were not professionals.
This meant an additional commitment for the project.
© TRUI GALLE
Production
The Cinema Novo film festival has been setting
itself up for years as a driving force behind the distribution
of films from Asia, Africa and Latin
America. BRUGGE 2002 decided to award two
prizes for post-production, in conjunction with
Cinema Novo. Both films were screened during the
Cinema Novo festival. Rachida even did well in the
Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival and
was subsequently shown again during the BRUGGE
2002 film month in the autumn.
Benoît
Dany Deprez and Jean-Claude Van Rijckeghem
brought a cast-iron screenplay to BRUGGE 2002,
and we immediately jumped at the chance of giving
them an initial helping hand. Thereupon the necessary
funds for the family film Science Fiction were
found quite quickly. It was a splendid film, which
was shot almost entirely in and around Bruges.
Inherent link as regards content
The following film projects came to fruition
because they had an inherent connection, as
regards their content, with other parts of the
BRUGGE 2002 programme.
Princess Astrid visiting The (e)migrants

On March 18 th 1982 Fase, four movements to the music of Steve Reich premièred in the
Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels. This was to mark the beginning of the extremely
successful international career of the dance company Rosas. To mark Rosas’ twentieth
anniversary, Thierry De Mey made a film version of this debut by Anne Teresa De
Keersmaeker. The film version of this minimalistic and repetitive choreography bears
witness to an unexpectedly lasting dynamic in a clear spatial positioning and with
poetic photography.
Les Guerriers de la Beauté is the result of a meeting between the French filmmaker
Pierre Coulibeuf and the Flemish choreographer Jan Fabre. Coulibeuf lets the viewer
lose his way in Fabre’s strange universe. This is a film as a labyrinth, in which the
onlooker is guided one moment and misled the next.
During the spring of 2002 four people with an intellectual handicap and four professional
artists set to work together during a one-week workshop, under the aegis of
the project Kanttekening (Cross over the mind). Gerard Preszow made the documentary
Duo’s in residentie on this. The film goes in search of the essence of the artistic confrontation
in the project, and results in a document that shows the misunderstandings,
clichés, distress and enjoyment of the four duos within the non-demarcated
margins of art.
35
CONCISE
Cinematic Bruges
Bruges in images. Photogenic Bruges. Bruges as a backdrop, as a document, as a
reverie.
In co-operation with the Royal Film Archive, a special and cheerfully diverse programme
of carefully restored fragments of documentaries and fiction films, promos
and advertising from yesteryear was brought together. All were shown on a Euroline
ship on the canal between Bruges and Zeebrugge. Old Films on the Water was compiled
by two newly graduated students of the RITS: Filip De Zeure (direction) and
Samuel Vanwalleghem (composition).
© HUGO MAERTENS
Cloistered World, Open Books

© HANNS JOOSTEN
© A PRIOR
Octopus
Sasha Waltz
36
BRUGGE 2002
Malpertuis (Harry Kümel) and The Nun’s Story (Fred Zimmerman) are two classic
films that were partly canned in Bruges. Both films could exceptionally be seen on the
white screen again during the BRUGGE 2002 film month. A recently restored version
of Malpertuis was screened in the presence of the director, and the talk afterwards in
De Republiek presented a genuine testimony to a piece of Flemish film history.
Workshop
BRUGGE 2002 wanted to signify a boost for the organisation of specialised workshops
and master classes, which in time could make Bruges a meeting place for artistic creation
and extra training. Not only was there the short film Het oog van de Zee (The Eye
of the Sea), but also, during Cinema Novo, a master class of several days was arranged
for students of the RITS and Sint-Lukas Brussels, which had them under the spell of
Japanese film director Masahiro Kobayashi. Young movie enthusiasts were also able
to venture to take their first steps in film making under expertise guidance during the
aforementioned short film project El Fish d’Or organised by the non profit organisation
Q-tag.
Coming across images
Throughout the year the public had the opportunity to see all kinds of short film projects.
A series of wide-picture screens at various sites, such as the House 2002 and the
Culture Desk, together with other temporary locations in the inner city and the outdoor
screen at the Concertgebouw, acted as public screening sites. During the cultural
year a fascinating dynamic of experiment, young talent and less well-known talent
was on display at these sites. For example, there was the short film cycle put on by
Cinema Novo in the city, in which seven short films from Africa, Asia and Latin
America were given a public forum. Format 2002 presented the unforgettable
Pedestrian at and around the Concertgebouw, David Neirings had his images permeated
by urban spatiality rotating on the screens during Station2Station, and young
Europeans brought one minute’s worth of early film experiences to the screen every
evening for a week during the school project Seven Joys/Seven Senses, and so on…
New media
New media were not the most striking part of the programme, but they were present
in various projects, for example in the KIR festival, with an Internet project with
Honoré ∂’O and a multimedia installation with Mo Becha and David Neirings.
There was The People Network (see Literature and Debate) and the project ’t Kl!kt, an
Internet project for the neighbourhoods, and there were website projects here and
there, but an up-to-the-minute awareness of the new media and technological applications
in art appeared to be practically non-existent. However, new technology and
media were the explicit point of departure for the new festival Format 2002, which was
organised in co-operation with the Cultural Centre.

Neighbourhood and world
More than any other cultural projects, participation-based projects are open to involvement,
dialogue, interaction, time intensiveness, and a faltering search for balance between creativity,
quality, involvement and accessibility. Despite a lively neighbourhood and community
life in Bruges on the one hand, and a solid package of cultural and artistically minded
initiatives on the other, the two worlds seemed to exist disassociated from each other. In any
case, participation in the current sense of the word was not very noticeable in Bruges at the
end of the twentieth century.
It was very much BRUGGE 2002’s intention to make socio-artistic projects possible
within its field of action. To this end a full-time programme employee was recruited.
BRUGGE 2002 was on the one hand fearful of a superficial and quantitative participation
discourse and on the other hand of the detrimental side effects that all socio-cultural
or socio-artistic initiatives that are of an overly one-off or short-term character
leave behind in community life. Therefore dialogue and confrontation were by no
means avoided. What was actually done with the projects at the end of the day
depended as much on the effort put in in the field as the work done by the BRUGGE
2002 team. It has always been our conviction that there is no point at all in setting
up projects in which there is no basic dynamic among the organisations or in the
neighbourhoods themselves. And fortunately we were never averse to a generous
dose of festive content.
37
CONCISE
Under the title “Neighbourhood and World” we can distinguish three kinds of project:
• BRUGGE 2002 initiatives in which co-operation was sought with neighbourhoods
and cultural partners (“Wijk-Up” [a play on words with the English, using the
Dutch word “wijk” meaning “district”], “Streets of Style”).
• Initiatives originating from middlemen, often action groups or amateur companies
developing a large-scale event in dialogue with BRUGGE 2002 (Bridges with the
South, Solidarity Day, Amateur Art Week, Assebroek Totaal, Dance schools, etc.).
• Initiatives for which organisers sought co-operation with BRUGGE 2002 in order to
go about thinking and working on the basis of participation and reflection (’t Kl!kt,
Oral History, Congress “On soon… and now”).
Most of these projects were very successful and
moreover mobilised thousands of people. As
regards participation and action to break down
barriers, this is certainly of importance. Via these
projects, for example, many hundreds of people
came into contact with the Concertgebouw, the
Public Library or one of the many BRUGGE 2002
initiatives.
© JEAN GODECHARLE
The most all-embracing project was certainly
Wijk-Up. In three Bruges districts – Sint-Pieters,
Zeebrugge and Sint-Jozef – a genuine festival was
organised, lasting five days in each case and
including a whole host of activities. Some were
organised in the three districts, whilst others were
specifically organised in and by a particular district.
The Escale Circus Tent was the constant feature,
travelling from one neighbourhood to another.
The “Cinemobile” was also deployed three times.
The (e)migrants

On each occasion the official opening in the three districts featured speeches by local
residents and a self-chosen cultural programme. In Sint-Pieters this was the Flat
Earth Society with a tattoo fanfare, in Zeebrugge an art route was mapped out and
Sam Louwyck provided for a dance and motion theatre, and in Sint-Jozef Johan
Debruyne had put together an arts itinerary with work by artists who had been working
in the district for many months. People played “Push Corner”, a special game of
football played with a square ball, devised by the contemporary artist Fabrice Hybert.
The three weeks of Wijk-Up also saw the Kamishibai touring round. This narrative
bicycle gathered stories that eventually resulted in three splendid children’s books
with stories from the three districts. But the programme was even more wide-ranging
than that, with free platforms, discover-the-star competitions, children’s performances,
local dance, and above all a festive feel.
38
BRUGGE 2002
Streets of Style also worked on that festive feeling and put the Langestraat in Bruges
in the spotlight for an entire weekend. This street is described as one of the most
diverse streets in Bruges – you find all kinds of businesses here, from expensive
restaurants to cybercafés. An open-topped bus took visitors past flamboyant tableaux
depicting facts, legends and falsehoods, with actors from the districts playing the part
of local noblemen or village idiots. More serious was the “off” section, where residents
and traders, local service centres and organisations opened their doors so that
visitors could come and meet them and find out about them and their activities.
’t Kl!kt was a remarkable project for a cultural capital. With this initiative we wanted
to give semi- and unskilled persons the chance to participate in BRUGGE 2002. On the
one hand people from this target group were familiarised with new means of communication
such as the Internet and e-mail, by means of training and exchange of
experiences. On the other hand the BRUGGE 2002 programme was used as the opportunity
to communicate to people and, moreover, to prompt these people then to take
part in that programme. Many who would otherwise not have stepped into the
Concertgebouw or visited an exhibition, now did just that, because they felt they were
better prepared and could arrange to go together.
With “Wijk-Up” and Streets of Style, BRUGGE 2002 experimented with new forms of
popular culture, something to which people are currently asking for considerable
attention to be given, and rightly so. We opted for projects that came into being in dialogue
with and face to face with the residents, but which also contained an extra value
– be it artistic or otherwise – in respect of the familiar and the everyday.
© PETRI VIRTANEN, KIASMA MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
© A PRIOR
Peter Jonckheere (De Slang, as part of Octopus)
Brian Eno (.WAV)

Literature and debate
BRUGGE 2002 never nurtured the ambition of offering a large-scale or representative programme
of literature. However, we did want literature and reflection to be present throughout
the year’s programme as a leitmotif and as a quietly palpable inspiration. The fact that
we opted for a poem as the theme and guiding principle for Brugge 2002 is an example of
this. Never before has poetry been able to convey an entire cultural programme to the public
so naturally.
From contemporary myths, to bedside literature and the fairy-tale brothel
We had the pleasure of hearing the opinions and ideas of European great masters in
the letters, who exchanged thoughts on the subject of myth and reality in today’s
Europe in a series of seven international literary meetings under the title The myth of
Europe. Among the guests, the cycle boasted such luminaries as Bart Moeyaert, Kader
Abdolah, Moses Isegawa, Jef Geeraerts, Andreï Makine, Adriaan Van Dis, Hella
Haasse, Orhan Pamuk, Jonathan Coe, Ben Okri, Julia Kristeva, Pierre Mertens, H.M.
Enzensberger and Cees Nooteboom, with Jean-Pierre Rondas as moderator.
There was the everyday reflection and the biography of the passer-by that would
become history in The People Network, connecting cultures, a multimedia network project
that was staged simultaneously in Berlin, Amsterdam and Bruges.
39
CONCISE
There was the book festival for children: Under cover, the official opening of the
Flemish Young Persons’ Book Week.
There was the intimacy of reading and listening sessions in which actors opened
their bedside table literature for the audience in the De Werf theatre house. In this
series, entitled Reading Lamp, we were given a glance at the bookshelf of seven
Flemish and Dutch theatre companies.
And then there were also the individualistic excesses of the Bruges literary group ’t
Venijnig Gebroed with GAT, a literary experience which rewrote a local legend in a
multidisciplinary itinerary through the city.
There was room to play on moments of surging inspiration, such as the crossover
between Wijk-Up, the Heritage Unit project on oral heritage and the children’s programme
in co-operation with Art Basics for Children (ABC), out of which grew three
© GAL
© PATRICK DE SPIEGELAERE
The myth of Europe
Potterierei, Bruges

kamishibai books, in which popular culture merged with children’s literature.
And we haven’t yet mentioned Peter Verhelst’s Fairy-tale Brothel, in which visitors
were told a story in the context of a total experience pleasurable to the senses, and
emerged with a warm tingling sensation.
40
BRUGGE 2002
Reflection and debate
Reflection was on the agenda in a very specific manner on many occasions, in the
form of debates, conferences, lectures and exchanges of thoughts on all matters
through which culture has ever attempted to save the world.
These included the lecture cycle Vives 2002 (in co-operation with the Adult Education
Centre and the College of Europe) on the underprivileged, culture and urban development,
and Na de beeldenstorm (After the Iconoclasm), a three-day symposium
(organised by the non-profit organisation Moritoen) in which thinkers reflected on
spirituality and the giving of meaning today. A colloquium and lecture cycle on photography
and urban development was held in the framework of the exhibition Portrait of
a City. A lecture cycle entitled Architects, artists, visionaries was put on by the architecture
association Archipel, and saw leading architects come to talk about their vision
of the role of contemporary architecture in a city like Bruges. There were lectures by
the grouping Christians 2002 and an international colloquium Right to Culture, in
which experiences and thoughts were exchanged on cultural integration in our
European education. And finally Bruges was host city for a number of conferences in
2002, such as the European Oxfam Conference on Fair Trade, the conference on cultural
tourism organised by the Catholic University of Leuven and Toerisme
Vlaanderen (the Tourist Office for Flanders), the international congress of Europa
Nostra, etc.
Octopus
© PATRICK DE SPIEGELAERE

Youthful impatience
We were warned... Warned that young people here yell themselves hoarse year after year to
no avail, that youth centres go bankrupt, that there are no rehearsal rooms or party halls,
or that those that do exist are insufficient or over-regulated, that cinema seats are guaranteed
to be torn up, and that nothing else happens... That once you reach eighteen, you slam
the door behind you and head off to Ghent, Antwerp or Brussels, never to go back... That
things are really going badly wrong for young people in Bruges.
Pressed between facts and discourse, BRUGGE 2002 decided to set about working on this
unmanageable field. The mere fact that BRUGGE 2002 recruited three full-time youth
programmers in its team put the youth programme at the top of the list of priorities!
Hijack the city
Now, a dissatisfied rumbling youth scene is of course in itself no unusual phenomenon.
As a matter of fact, it is a somewhat essential ingredient. An initial major task was
therefore to give these voices a mouthpiece – a podium and a forum for youth culture.
The motto and the framework for this was Kaapstad (literally the city name “Cape
Town”, but a play on words with a double meaning of “Hijack City”): for an entire
month youth culture had a central place in BRUGGE 2002. The festival site bristled
with activity, with workshops and presentations: music, video art, fashion, stand-up
comedy, film etc. The site was located between the German concert ship Stubnitz,
a transit shed, a container site and the Entrepot (Warehouse) building, the future
youth centre. The Stubnitz was the central focus of attention. Over more than three
weeks some one hundred and twenty Belgian groups and acts and fifty or so foreign
bands appeared here.
In the city and at numerous organisations the final touches were simultaneously
being put to various youth productions: drama performances (Beet, Sorry dat..., Het
moment,…), a short film (El Fish d’ Or), and a surprising international project that saw
eight gables in the city decorated with highly individualistic creations on the theme
of heritage and architecture (Frontsid[t]e/Back[-]side).
41
CONCISE
“Kaapstad” was certainly not the success that we and many others had dreamed of,
but it was important enough as a statement and experiment for people to realise from
now on that Bruges and young people
do indeed belong together. By November
2002 Bruges had progressed perhaps a
decade in respect of 2000. The Den
Dwarskop youth centre was saved from
bankruptcy, the new Regional Centre for
Youth Culture is to occupy the Kaapstad
site, and over the past two years venues
and resources have been earmarked for
youth organisations, unforgettable projects
have been reviewed, a standing con-
King’s College Choir Cambridge
cert hall for pop and rock concerts has
been built on, the new youth work policy
plan has entered into force, and so
on. Many steps have been taken, with a
lot of seeking and stumbling along the
way – although on falling we always
gleaned something for what came next
when we got up.
In Bella Copia
© LENKA FLORY

However, in addition to this specific programme, which was very intensive from a
budgetary, organisational and productional point of view, the idea was also to hijack
the city and turn it into a “Place To Be”. The message was that youth events that draw
a full house in Antwerp, Ghent or Brussels can also be successfully staged in Bruges.
The Kunstbende (Art Gang) finale travelled to Bruges and won over the Concertgebouw
with verve, as did various other children’s art festivals: Kunstkoters (Art Kids),
Oorsmeer (Ear Wax) and Onder dak (Under Cover), the opening of the Flemish Young
Persons’ Book Week 2002.
42
BRUGGE 2002
How culture drove into our schools
BRUGGE 2002 was also driven by a wider social concern about the place of culture in
our day-to-day lives and more especially within school walls. We outlined a series of
projects that set about using culture as a method of learning, in various different
ways.
For primary schools there was the Culture Van, which literally drove into Bruges’s
playgrounds as a travelling taster of the Cultural Capital. It was a workplace where
children could think about art and culture in an active and creative manner.
Furthermore the project Kabba was developed, involving a bag full of culture custom
designed for children and aimed at enabling them to find out about the city, actively
and on the basis of their own world of experience, in three thematic walks. With suitable
pride this can be described as one of the direct hits and a pioneering children’s
project for an up-to-the-minute perception of the city. More than 3,316 children set off
with this culture bag, and the project is to be continued in the future.
For secondary schools, the project KIR was organised, in which six trios of schools,
companies and artists entered into dialogue with each other for a whole year. In this
sense KIR was a pioneer in terms of new joint ventures, and ushered in sector-foreign
issues to sectors that were brought face to face with each other for the first time
in such a concrete manner. Issues such as globalisation, internationalisation, company
missions, and educational forms and content were adopted as underlying reflection.
KIR worked with a range of training levels and deliberately set itself up as a
“guinea pig” for new ways of integrating culture into our education system. On
account of the wider relevance, the project was also followed up scientifically and led
to the organisation of an international
symposium, entitled
Right to Culture.
From May 2 nd to 12 th these and
other education projects –
including the international artistic
workshop project Seven joys /
Seven senses with a hundred and
fifty students from seven countries
– unveiled their results
before a broad public in the KIR
festival, an education-cum-culture
festival that established
itself at sites throughout the city.
Thoughts that had occupied the
minds of dozens of young people
for a whole year could thus
come into interaction with the
outside world.
Bl!ndman
© GUY KOKKEN
© KIK-IRPA BRUSSELS
Portrait of a City, Bruges 1847-1918

Events
We never denied it: BRUGGE 2002 also gladly embraced “events” in its programme from the
word go. The cultural year was to be peppered with festive classics and examples of show and
spectacle that were the reason for a great many people (some 750,000, by our estimates)
gathering in the city.
Nonetheless, popular festivals and events were not to be the reason or excuse for the
programme losing anything in terms of quality or innovation. For every event included
in the BRUGGE 2002 calendar, the criterion was the question as to how this could
create a surplus value for the total project.
Established values
First and foremost there was a series of traditional events and happenings in which
the organisers, in consultation with BRUGGE 2002, sought an updating or a festive
extra in order to strengthen the annual programme. We are thinking here of the
Procession of the Holy Blood, the Pageant of the Golden Tree, the Grand Finale of the
Flanders Day Commemoration, Sail 2002 and the Green Weekend. The organisers of the
Procession of the Holy Blood and the Pageant of the Golden Tree undertook to give
the concept of the cortège a major brush-up in terms of content and/or scenography.
In practice, however, this was limited to an endeavour to carry out a more far-reaching
or fundamental modernisation. For large-scale public events such as Sail and the
Green Weekend, the traditional programme was supplemented in 2002 with less obvious
contemporary ingredients. For example, Peter Vermeersch’s Flat Earth Society
graced the Sail 2002 event with its music, and the Green Weekend, BRUGGE 2002,
a riot of colour, made room for contemporary green creations and installations.
43
CONCISE
New for Bruges
Then there were single initiatives that came into being to mark the Cultural Capital
Year or were brought to Bruges as a one-off. The summer festival Klinkers presented
Freaks, an unusual – to say the least – multimedia “circus-cum-theatre performance”
by Theater Froe Froe, and organised an exuberant closing party with Benenwerk
© TOYO ITO
Toyo Ito’s pavilion – preliminary sketch

© RANDOALD SABBE
© MARK MORRISROE
Bite (there’s only a bit missing)
44
(“Leg Work”). Benenwerk was a sparkling summer’s night filled with music and dance
at and around eight different stages in all corners and squares of Bruges’ city centre.
A swinging popular festival for thousands of partygoers!
BRUGGE 2002
In co-operation with the city of Bruges a splendid series of new thematic walks was
conceived in 100 stories. These were published under the title The other side of Bruges.
The four walks guide the visitor along mysterious and less well-trodden paths
through the history of Bruges.
Another prominent happening in 2002 was the 22 nd edition of the annual international
Hanseatic Days of Modern Times, which took place in Bruges. It turned into a
major four-day international gathering of the Hanseatic towns with a varied programme
of cultural, tourist and economic activities. Thanks to the dynamic of the
Cultural Capital’s programme it was possible to move away from the traditional way
in which such meetings are viewed.
Party with a capital P
Furthermore there were of course the exclusive and unforgettable festive moments
specific to the one-off title of Cultural Capital of Europe, and among these we can
undoubtedly cite the large-scale opening party and the official closing events.
Meanwhile, the grand finale of the opening week, O-dag, can proudly boast the title
of “biggest and best day in terms of public interest”. On this day 11,539 tickets were
sold and more than thirty different activities were on offer for a public ranging from
toddlers to cultural connoisseurs, and from young tyrants to high-spirited party animals
- all played out in the most bizarre weather conditions. This day was topped off
in the evening with a Japanese Edo fireworks display on ’t Zand.
Another exceptional festive event in 2002 was Cirque Plume, which pitched its tents
at the edge of the city. Almost 10,000 people bought a ticket to see this French
troupe’s magnificent circus show Récréation.
For the closure, the decision was taken to organise a smaller-scale public occasion on
the Burg square. With musical accompaniment, a visual look back at the year on a
large screen and a full glass in everyone’s hand, some 2,500 Bruges residents and
BRUGGE 2002 partners together thus brought the curtain down on the successful cultural
year in the city centre.
The “Events” part of the programme was perhaps not the greatest showcase of
BRUGGE 2002, but many thousands of visitors did find their way to the Cultural
Capital on these occasions, for a day of unforgettable enjoyment. And after all, were
not festive celebration and lightness one of the main themes that were supposed to
shape the programme

Publications
Catalogues were published for various exhibitions and projects. To this end we organised a
unique kind of co-operation with a number of publishers. The idea came from the Ludion
publishing house, which also provided for the co-ordination and worked together with the
publishers Lannoo and Stichting Kunstboek. The publication policy was built around three
key publications and a number of special publications. Each of the three major exhibitions
had a catalogue and a spin-off product in the form of a magazine. From a budgetary point
of view, the publication policy was viewed as a whole, whereby the less obvious publications
could be financed thanks to the revenue from the other publications. The final profit appropriation
was fifty/fifty for the publisher and Brugge 2002. In all, 15 books were published.
In addition, there were also projects that assumed responsibility themselves for their own catalogue.
The management and distribution was then settled on a per-project basis. Thirteen
publications were produced in this way.
45
The full list of publications is presented below.
Key publications
CONCISE
| THE AGE OF VAN EYCK. THE MEDITERRANEAN WORLD AND EARLY
NETHERLANDISH PAINTING 1430–1530
Till-Holger Borchert (ed.)
Ludion ■ Dutch, French, English, German ■ Hardback & paperback ■ 24 x 30.5 cm ■ 272 pp.
380 colour illustrations ■ NL (SC) ISBN 90-5544-392-1 ■ NL (HC) ISBN 90-5544-393-x
E (SC) ISBN 90-5544-396-4
| DE EEUW VAN JAN VAN EYCK
BEAUX ARTS COLLECTION/LUDION FOCUS
Fieke Tissink
Ludion ■ Dutch, French ■ Paperback ■ 24 x 30 cm ■ 48 pp. ■ 52 illustrations, with 36 in colour
NL (SC) ISBN 90-5544-399-9
| VAN HANZEKOOPLUI TOT MEDICIBANKIERS
Brugge, wisselmarkt van Europese culturen
[From Hanse merchants to Medici bankers
Bruges, crossroads of European cultures]
Dr. André Vandewalle
Stichting Kunstboek ■ Dutch, French ■ Hardback and paperback ■ 30 x 24.5 cm ■ 192 pp.
170 colour illustrations ■ NL (HC) ISBN 90-5856-055-4 ■ NL (SC) ISBN 90-5856-054-6
F (HC) ISBN 90-5856-053-8 ■ F (SC) ISBN 90-5856-058-9

| HANZE@M4DICI
BRUGES, CROSSROADS OF EUROPEAN CULTURES
Visitor’s guide
Dr. André Vandewalle
Stichting Kunstboek ■ Dutch, French, English ■ Paperback ■ 24.5 x 30 cm ■ 48 pp.
60 colour illustrations ■ NL (SC) ISBN 90-5856-072-4 ■ F (SC) ISBN 90-5856-073-2
E (SC) ISBN 90-5856-056-2
46
BESLOTEN WERELD, OPEN BOEKEN
Middeleeuwse handschriften in dialoog met actuele kunst
[Cloistered World, Open Books)
Mediaeval manuscripts in dialogue with contemporary art]
Laurent Busine, Noël Geirnaert, Ludo Vandamme, Hilde Lobelle, et al.
Lannoo ■ Dutch, French ■ Hardback ■ 24 x 30.5 cm ■ 192 pp. ■ NL (HC) ISBN 90-209-4716-8
F (HC) 90-209-4717-6
BRUGGE 2002
| OKV – BESLOTEN WERELD, OPEN BOEKEN
Middeleeuwse handschriften
Lannoo ■ Openbaar Kunstbezit in Vlaanderen ■ Dutch, French ■ Paperback ■ 28 x 22 cm ■ 40 pp.
NL (SC) ISBN 90-209-4939-X ■ F (SC) ISBN 90-209-4941-1
Special publications
| OMTRENT BRUGGE
Indrukken en Gedachten
[About Bruges
Impressions and Thoughts]
Bart Caron, Lieve Jaspaert (ed.)
Stichting Kunstboek ■ Dutch ■ Paperback ■ 17 x 24 cm ■ 168 pp. ■ ISBN 90-74377-87-4
| ATTACHMENT+
Onzekerheid als rijkdom
[Uncertainty as a resource]
Roland Patteeuw
Lannoo ■ Dutch ■ Paperback ■ 15 x 21 cm ■ 256 pp. ■ 250 illustrations ■ NL (SC) ISBN 90-209-4718-4
| OFFICIUM
Gezongen getijdenboek
[Sung breviary]
Ignace Thevelein
Lannoo ■ Dutch ■ Paperback ■ 20 x 25.2 cm ■ 96 pp. ■ NL (SC) ISBN 90-209-4767-2

| BRUGGE OP ZIJN KANT
Illustrated walking guide in 100 stories
[The other side of Bruges
Discovering Bruges in 100 stories]
Brigitte Beernaert, Jan D’hondt, Bernard Schotte, Ludo Vandamme
Stichting Kunstboek ■ Dutch ■ Paperback ■ 11 x 23 cm ■ 240 pp. ■ 118 colour illustrations
NL (SC) ISBN 90-5856-059-7
| DISCOVERING BRUGES: 33 STORIES OF THE OLD CITY
BRUGGE 2002
Brigitte Beernaert, Jan D’hondt, Bernard Schotte, Ludo Vandamme
Stichting Kunstboek ■ Dutch, French, English, German, Spanish ■ Paperback ■ 11 x 23 cm ■ 72 pp.
72 colour illustrations ■ NL (SC) ISBN 90-5856-069-4 ■ F (SC) ISBN 90-5856-070-8
E (SC) ISBN 90-5856-071-6 ■ ISBN D (SC) ISBN 90-5856-064-3 ■ S (SC) ISBN 90-5856-063-5
| OCTOPUS
Archive
Ward Daenen, Kurt Vanbelleghem
A Prior ■ English ■ Archive box with photos, booklets, brochures, multiples, etc. ■ 24 x 33 x 8 cm
| CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE IN BRUGES
NIEUWE ARCHITECTUUR IN BRUGGE
Marc Dubois
Stichting Kunstboek ■ Multilingual edition: English, Dutch ■ Paperback ■ 22.7 x 22.7 cm ■ 84 pp.
± 60 illustrations ■ N (SC) ISBN 90-5856-068-6
47
CONCISE
| BRUGGE, PORTRET VAN EEN STAD 1847–1918
[Bruges, portrait of a city, 1847–1918]
Christoph Ruys
Ludion ■ Dutch, French ■ Hardback ■ 27 x 22 cm ■ 144 pp. ■ 91 illustrations in two-colour process
N (HC) ISBN 90-5544-427-8 ■ F (HC) ISBN 90-5544-417-0
| ONDERSTROMEN/BOVENSTROMEN
[Undercurrents/Over-currents]
Interventions in Public Spaces
NICC West-Vlaanderen
Ludion ■ Dutch, English ■ Paperback ■ 19.5 x 26.5 cm ■ 112 pp. ■ 185 illustrations
ISBN 90-76884-03-X
| DE MYTHE EUROPA
Bart Moeyaert, Kader Abdolah
Het Beschrijf Brugge 2002 – Openbare Bibliotheek Brugge ■ Dutch ■ Paperback ■ 11 x 15 cm
44 pp.

Project publications
| IMPACT 1902 REVISITED
Early Flemish and Ancient Art Exhibition, Bruges, 15 th June – 15 th September 1902
Piet Boyens, Veronique De Boi, Benoit Kervyn de Volkaersbeke, Eva Tahon
Openbaar Kunstbezit in Vlaanderen ■ Dutch, French, English ■ Paperback ■ 15 x 21 cm ■ 80 pp.
54 illustrations ■ ISBN 90-76099-43-X
| BRUGGE INSIDE OUT
An intimate portrait
Joost Goethals, Josse De Pauw, Johan Debruyne, Luc Rabaey
Fotohuis Brugge ■ Dutch, French, English ■ Hardback ■ 26.5 x 26.5 cm ■ 93 pp. ■ 100 illustrations
48
| TOYO ITO BUILDS THE BRUGES 2002 PAVILION
Hera Van Sande
Stichting Kunstboek ■ English ■ Paperback ■ 15 x 30.5 cm ■ ISBN 90-5856-076-7
BRUGGE 2002
| LOST LOCATIONS
Kurt Vanbelleghem, Ward Daenen
A Prior ■ Photo book ■ Hardback ■ 34 x 24 cm ■ 22 pp. ■ 34 illustrations
| KABBA
Tomas Creyf (text), Pieter Gaudesaboos (illustrations)
Lannoo ■ Children’s walking guide ■ Dutch ■ soft-cover with rings
| KANTTEKENING
Autour de la marge – Cross over the mind
Carine Fol
Art en Marge ■ Dutch, French, English ■ Paperback ■ with CD-ROM ■ 26 x 21 cm ■ 68 pp.
41 illustrations
| EEN STAD VOL LETTERS
[A city-full of letters]
Seventh International exhibition of contemporary calligraphy
Jan Broes
Dutch ■ Hardback ■ 22.5 x 28.5 cm ■ 160 pp. ■ 195 illustrations
STATION2STATION
Michel Dewilde, Robin Boone
Geocart ■ Dutch, English ■ Road map ■ 13 x 24.5 cm ■ 13 illustrations
| BABY POP EN BILLYBOEF
Pascale Platel (text), Steve Michiels (illustrations)

Lannoo ■ ABC ■ Kamishibai children’s book ■ Dutch ■ Hardback ■ 24 x 23 cm ■ 13 pp.
11 illustrations ■ ISBN 90-209-4987-X
| ENGELTJES OP ZONDAG, BOEFJES IN DE WEEK
[Angels on Sunday, rascals during the week]
Gerda Dendooven
Lannoo ■ ABC ■ Kamishibai children’s book ■ Dutch ■ Hardback ■ 24 x 23 cm ■ 14 pp.
12 illustrations ■ ISBN 90-209-4987-X
| DJUK, HET KOLENPAARD VAN FORT LAPIJN
Henri Van Daele (text), Klaas Verplancke (illustrations)
Lannoo ■ ABC ■ Kamishibai children’s book ■ Dutch ■ Hardback ■ 24 x 23 cm ■ 14 pp.
12 illustrations ■ ISBN 90-209-4988-8
| HENRIETJE TUF TUF OF DE NAFTEMAKER
Een merkwaardige levensgeschiedenis in Zeebrugge
[A remarkable life story in Zeebrugge]
Hendrikus De Clerck (1872-1954), Koen Broucke (drawings)
Ubicumque ■ Dutch ■ Paperback ■ 13.5 x 17.5 cm ■ 112 pp. ■ 66 illustrations
| DR. OXYMORON
Alain GéronneZ
BRUGGE 2002 (Sint-Jozef) ■ Adaptation of Jules Verne’s Doctor Ox ■ Dutch ■ Paperback
13 x 19.5 cm ■ 144 pp.
49
CONCISE
| THE FINEST IN BELGIAN JAZZ
Defoort-Turner-Black Sound Plaza; Erik Vermeulen; Bert Joris Quartet; Philip Catherine;
Ben Sluijs Quartet; Octurn; Nathalie Loriers Trio + Extensions; Aka Moon; Greetings from
Mercury; Brussels Jazz Orchestra
CD box with 10 CDs + publication
De Werf ■ ISBN 90 – 807 – 378 – 1 – X
| MULTIPLE VOICE
Bl!ndman Saxophone Quartet
CD
Universal Music Belgium
| EUFORIA
Madredeus & the Flemish Radio Orchestra
Conducted by Bjarte Engeset
Recorded live at Stadsschouwburg Brugge April 4 th , 2002
Double CD & DVD
EMI – 7243 5 41066 2 0

COMMUNICATION

THE CHALLENGE: TO HAVE AS MANY
PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE SHARE IN
THE ENTHUSIASM THAT ARTISTS
ARE WORTHY OF
Making an evaluation of communication in a project like BRUGGE 2002, Cultural Capital
of Europe is no easy business. The complex task falling to the communication department
consisted in channelling the abundance and diversity of information and objectives. How,
when and in respect of what should the various target groups be informed, made aware
and/or motivated That was the central question that formed the keynote for the communication
policy. Moreover, these various assignments were given different shades of emphasis
according to the phase of the project in which they were carried out. In this overall evaluation
we shall limit ourselves to looking at a few of the important main themes running
through the communication, and the strengths and weaknesses thereof.
The communication policy:
a child of many fathers…
From as early as 1995 the Bruges city council was already carrying out a kind of preliminary
communication campaign. A campaign aimed at the general public and a
European press and lobbying campaign saw to it that Bruges’ candidacy for the title
“Cultural Capital of Europe” was on everyone’s lips. This phase ended with a happening
at the Markt on November 13 th 1997.
In 1998 Bart Caron was given the task, as “cultural researcher”, to outline this cultural
project in greater detail in terms of content, in close consultation with numerous
institutions and organisations in the cultural and economic sector. On May 28 th
1998 the title of Cultural Capital was awarded to Bruges. The final report of the
preparatory phase was subsequently also communicated to the press and public.
On June 1 st 1999 intendant Hugo De Greef set to work with his five-strong team, and
from then on work was carried out – under his supervision – on the development of
a communication policy. A communication department was put together under the
leadership of Tine Verschaeve and later Kristine Demulder (ad interim). They did a
large amount of work through to the end of 2000 and continued assembling the
team of communication staff, among other things. Besides the press officer, an officer
responsible for domestic promotion was recruited, as well as a production manager
and sponsorship manager. Toerisme Vlaanderen (the Tourist Office for
Flanders) seconded a staff member to
prepare and outline Toerisme
Vlaanderen’s tasks and objectives
“from the field”.
When Reinhilde Weyns began work
as communication manager in
September 2000, a great deal of
preparatory work had already been
done. From this point on, the communication
had to gain momentum,
and for this reason three press
employees, a production employee
and a staff member for domestic promotion
were added to the communi-
European Biennial for Graphic Art
51
CONCISE
© BERT KELLER

cation department. A project and tourism co-ordinator concentrated on fleshing out
the tourist prior conditions.
External experts and suppliers were also important to the process of elaborating the
communication for BRUGGE 2002. The advertising agency LG&F positioned the
BRUGGE 2002 “brand” for the general public at home and abroad. The graphic bureau
Megaluna was responsible for the immaculate production of the programme book,
the spin-off magazine “Hour by hour”, and this final report. Finally there was the
advertising agency d’Artagnan, which handled the project communication in splendid
fashion throughout the cultural year.
52
We are convinced that the most important condition for a successful communication
policy is enormous flexibility and people who make a personal commitment. The
political basis, the intendant and the artists were also essential ingredients in an
effective communication strategy.
BRUGGE 2002
From communication strategy to action
In order to be able to arrive at a concrete action plan, the intendant had to be able to formulate
the project’s objectives in minute detail with the Bruges city council, and together
they also had to have a concerted view of the communication. Within the total project budget
they also had to be able to make the correct estimate to enable an adequate communication
budget to be earmarked. Only then could the communication department map out a
strategy and implement it efficiently in practice.
A strategy custom-designed for Bruges
A major trump card in the whole communication process – but also a challenge –
was the city of Bruges itself. Every year around three million tourists visit Bruges. On
the one hand, the assignment consisted in motivating these people to discover and
learn about a different side of Bruges, whilst on the other hand we also wanted to
urge those tourists interested more in culture to spend a couple of days in Bruges.
The preconceptions of a “corny”, “dead” city proved to be very persistent, but the large
number and diversity of projects and the timely planning and organisation were
major assets in meeting this challenge.
The broad outlines and tone of the communication were determined within an integrated,
all-embracing communication plan, although enough room was nonetheless
offered to the many projects with their own organisational structure for them to bring
their own specific characteristics to the fore.
© HERMAN SORGELOOS
© JORIJN NEYRINCK
Frontsid[t]e/Back[-]side
Josse De Pauw

The preparatory phase: awareness raising
In the run-up (2000-2001) to the start of the cultural year, a “branding” campaign
was launched in order to familiarise the general public with the BRUGGE 2002
“brand”. To this end, the advertising agency LG&F developed two campaign images
in which old and contemporary elements of Bruges were interwoven. These images
appeared on flyers for the public and for the professional travel sector, and on postcards
and posters.
In the meantime the promotional partners, PR target groups, and the local, national
and international public were informed of the preparations for BRUGGE 2002. This
was done, among other things, through the newsletter “Blauwdruk” (Blueprint) and
by means of information sessions and briefings for local residents.
All these efforts met with positive reactions from both the public and the cultural
partners.
There did develop an almost classic but unnecessary field of tension between tourism
and culture. The cultural project sometimes seemed to be viewed as having a threatening
effect for the partners in the tourist sector (both the official and private partners),
and as a result the partnership with the tourist sector was often overly awkward.
It proved to be difficult to promote the formation of a new image of Bruges
through the tourist channels.
53
CONCISE
Start of the project communication
In this preparatory phase a whole host of communication tools had already been
developed. The idea was to present the whole programme, and then to select from
that large range a number of leitmotifs and highlights. Considerable attention was
paid in particular to the opening weekend and the three major exhibitions – “Jan van
Eyck, Early Netherlandish Painting and Southern Europe”, “HANZE@M4DICI” and
“Cloistered World, Open Books”.
A list of the most important communication media in this phase:
• As of the beginning of 2001 the professional travel sector was actively plied with,
among other things, the so-called trade flyer in seven languages (NL-F-D-E-SP-
IT-JP). This contained a number of highlights of the programme, with practical
information on reservations.
• For the public, a canvassing leaflet was available from February 2001 (NL-F-D-E).
• On 20.02.2001 the revamped web site was launched in three languages (NL-F-E).
• A promotional film of half an hour (NL-F-D-E-SP-IT-JP) presented BRUGGE 2002
in general terms, and apart from highlights in terms of content, also conveyed
something of the atmosphere of the event.
© JAN TERMONT
© LAURE-ANNE JACOBS
Heritage Days 2002
Wijk-Up

© PATRICK DE SPIEGELAERE
54
BRUGGE 2002
• In September 2001 the major BRUGGE 2002 programme book was published in
four languages (NL-F-D-E), with a total print run of 650,000 copies. This book
covered the entire programme, with all kinds of practical details and tourist
information.
• Dovetailing with this, a canvassing leaflet for the public was printed (in NL-F-D-
E-SP-IT).
• From November 2001 to February 2002, ten press conferences were given
abroad, in co-operation with Toerisme Vlaanderen. On these occasions a comprehensive
press file and innovative visual material on Bruges were handed out.
• Throughout the preparatory phase, BRUGGE 2002 was also in attendance, with a
promotional stand or with information and promotional material, at various
trade fairs and events at home and abroad.
The umbrella launch campaign brought the communication to cruising speed. There
was an initial media wave in November 2001, which was repeated in February 2002,
just before the opening of the cultural year. The campaign, with entertaining images
and slogans, above all conveyed the “not-to-be-missed” feeling of BRUGGE 2002, and
hit the mark.
A professional media planning firm outlined an optimal media plan – to good effect.
Partly thanks to the far-reaching deals made with the BRUGGE 2002 media partners,
this campaign had a palpable effect in a short space of time. The bus-shelter posters
at all major NMBS/SNCB railway stations and the radio and TV commercials did not
miss the target, either. BRUGGE 2002 was the talk of the town in Flanders. The challenge
now was to substantiate this during the course of the cultural year.
Action! The main cornerstones
of the communication for
Brugge 2002 during the year
The opening festivities and the three major exhibitions were the most important cornerstones
for the entire communication planning during the cultural year. These initiatives generated
the bulk of the ticket sales, and most of the communication resources therefore targeted them.
Press action: a priority task
Free publicity was an obvious priority for the BRUGGE 2002 communication department.
Hence we paid great attention to well-developed press conferences and correct
and efficient journalist databases. We also took account, to as great an extent as possible,
of the sensitivities of the regional press vis-à-vis the national press, and an
extremely careful approach was adopted as regards scoops.

© DIMITRI VAN ZEEBROECK
Domestic press campaign
PHASING
The press campaign was implemented in various
phases.
• 1. From May 1998 to the first half of 2000 the
emphasis lay chiefly on making the people of
Bruges, West Flanders and Flanders as a whole
aware of the fact that Bruges had been proclaimed
Cultural Capital of Europe, and providing them
with information on this.
Eavesdropper
• 2. From the second half of 2000 to the first half
of 2001, the population (local and national) was
informed of the progress being made, the range of ideas behind the cultural capital,
the infrastructure and the preparatory initiatives.
• 3. In the second half of 2001 and in 2002 the emphasis was placed on the programme
and project-related communication (local, national and international).
PRESS ACTIVITIES
The BRUGGE 2002 press department co-ordinated the press activities relating to the
entire BRUGGE 2002 project (and thus not for each separate project). However, partners
could at all times ask for assistance and support for their press actions. Press
sessions were organised at regular intervals, to look at the project in general, but also
major programme components, for example the architecture projects or what was on
offer in terms of music. The press information on the three major exhibitions was
also co-ordinated centrally.
55
CONCISE
Journalists (local, regional or national) were invited to Bruges on important occasions.
There were ten major press conferences:
• February 3 rd 1999: presentation of the final report by Bart Caron, entitled “An
analysis of the cultural field” (City Hall)
• March 31 st 1999: appointment of Hugo De Greef to the post of intendant (City
Hall)
• September 27 th 1999: presentation of the logo, the thematic lines and the new
team (Municipal Theatre)
• March 31 st 2000: presentation of the sponsors (Provincial Government Palace)
• October 24 th 2000: presentation of the programme discourse (College of West
Flanders, Teacher Training Department)
• September 24 th 2001: presentation of the programme for the cultural year (City
Hall)
• March 14 th 2002: Jan van Eyck, Early Netherlandish Painting and Southern
Europe (Groeninge Museum)
• May 29 th 2002: HANZE@M4DICI (Provincial Government Palace)
• August 14 th 2002: Cloistered World, Open Books (Episcopal Seminary)
• June 3 rd 2003: Presentation of the BRUGGE 2002 final report (City Hall)
These press conferences were able to count on a sizeable response from the press.
For various other, more specialised subjects, the press was invited on a selective basis
(either the specialist trade press or the regional press). In 2001 there were thus 17
press activities, whilst in 2002 invitations were extended to the press (local, regional
or national) on 57 occasions.
Since the national press nonetheless seemed to regard Bruges as being rather a long
way away for journalists to come in person, the press department attached great

importance to press releases. In 1999, 2000 and 2001, 18 press releases were issued,
whilst during the cultural year itself a total of 67 such communiqués were released.
There were of course also many direct contacts, mainly by telephone. Journalists visiting
Bruges were guided through the programme and, on request, one of the press
staff members would visit a number of relevant sites with them.
56
BRUGGE 2002
CO-OPERATION WITH THE REGIONAL PRESS
BRUGGE 2002 had separate co-operation arrangements with a number of local media.
For example, the regional television channel Focus broadcast a five-minute “2002
News” bulletin every working day from February 20 th to the end of June 2002. Radio
2 West-Vlaanderen carried a weekly 2002 News programme and a monthly live
broadcast on the BRUGGE 2002 programme. BRUGGE 2002 also had a separate agreement,
aside from the usual news gathering, with the newspapers Brugsch Handelsblad
and De Streekkrant and with the monthly culture magazine EXit.
International press activities
The major international press activities were always jointly organised by Toerisme
Vlaanderen with its network of offices abroad, Toerisme Brugge (the Bruges Tourist
Office) and the BRUGGE 2002 organisation. Toerisme Vlaanderen was responsible for
the logistical and financial support, but drew up the planning in consultation with
Toerisme Brugge and BRUGGE 2002.
Three tools were important for the international press activities:
PRESS CONFERENCES ABROAD
Ten international press conferences were held between November 20 th 2001 and
February 5 th 2002: in Hamburg, Cologne, Tokyo, London, Vienna, Madrid, Paris,
Lille, Milan and Rome.
During these press conferences mayor Moenaert, intendant De Greef and press officer
Jaspaert explained what BRUGGE 2002 was all about. The journalists were given a
detailed press file on the programme.
BRUGGE 2002 would not have managed to secure the same response from abroad without
the co-operation of Toerisme Vlaanderen and its representative offices abroad.
However, for BRUGGE 2002, the international offices placed too great an emphasis on
city marketing and tourism. The organisation received few opportunities to push
through intrinsic priorities, as a result of which the specific and individual character of
the cultural year was given little chance and was not showcased to full advantage.
© HERMAN SORGELOOS
© MEPHISTO
Thierry De Mey

PRESS TRIPS TO BRUGES FOR JOURNALISTS
Four press trips to Bruges were organised, in which a total of 537 foreign journalists
took part.
1. February 23 rd 2002: “O-dag” (“O-day”), the start of the cultural year
2.March 13 th -15 th 2002: Focus on “Jan van Eyck, Early Netherlandish Painting and
Southern Europe”, with attention also given to “HANZE@M4DICI” and
“Cloistered World, Open Books” (preview), architecture projects (including the
Concertgebouw), Attachment+ and the restored Municipal Theatre
3. May 23 rd 2002: HANZE@M4DICI
4.August 14 th 2002: Cloistered World, Open Books
The response to these press trips was very good, as had been expected. Despite the
preponderance of journalists from the tourist press, the cream of the cultural press
from neighbouring countries was also in attendance on each occasion – resulting in
an impressive number of press articles (1,540 as at 27/11/2002) appearing in the
quality foreign press.
The international press planning came up against one problem. The opening of “Jan
van Eyck, Early Netherlandish Painting and Southern Europe” did not coincide with
the opening weekend, and as a result Toerisme Vlaanderen was not able or prepared
to support the opening weekend internationally. The Toerisme Vlaanderen office in
New York could not be convinced of the importance of BRUGGE 2002 for the
American market. Even in spite of the 11 September syndrome, this seemed to us to
be a missed opportunity.
57
CONCISE
CONTINUOUS ACTION
In the case of events that would be able to rely on an international response, such as
the start of the cultural year and the opening of the major exhibitions, the international
press was informed by e-mail. More information was sent by post to a selection
of the most important press addresses. A pool of around 475 foreign journalists
received the activity calendar by e-mail every two months.
In addition, foreign journalists came to Bruges throughout the year – mostly on their
own initiative, and some via Toerisme Vlaanderen, which paid for their trip out of its
budget.
FOREIGN PRESS INTEREST SUMMARISED IN FIGURES
In 2002, 958 requests were received from the press. Four hundred and eighty-nine
journalists found their way directly to the BRUGGE 2002 press department and 469
© REINHILDE TERREYN
De Onderneming (as part of “Leeslamp”)
Alibi - Meg Stuart/Damaged Goods

Koninklijk Filharmonisch Orkest van Vlaanderen
© JOHAN JACOBS
journalists came via Toerisme Vlaanderen. The greatest press interest came from
France, followed by Germany and the Netherlands, Spain and Great Britain. The
action in Austria, the USA, Italy, Denmark, Switzerland and Sweden also bore fruit.
Requests were also received from Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, the
Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Japan, Latvia,
Lebanon, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine,
and Uzbekistan.
BRUGGE 2002 became a talking point in all major international media, albeit mostly
on a once-only basis. Considerable attention was paid in particular to “Jan van Eyck,
Early Netherlandish Painting and Southern Europe” and the three architecture projects
(Concertgebouw, Toyo Ito’s Pavilion and the Coupure Bridge).
Conclusion
The Cultural Capital concept is a well-known formula, so BRUGGE 2002 could automatically
count on press interest from at home and abroad. As regards the foreign
press, most interest was shown by the press from neighbouring countries and countries
that had recently organised a Cultural Capital Year or were scheduled to do so in
the near future.
The press department collected 5004 domestic press articles on BRUGGE 2002
between May 1998 and November 2002. Via Toerisme Vlaanderen, the press department
received 1,540 articles on BRUGGE 2002 that had appeared in the international
press.
Domestic promotion: a coherent discourse
The media campaign
The media plan made provision for three major media waves during the cultural year.
For the three major exhibitions, all the communication tools were deployed a few
weeks before the opening on each occasion. For the development of this project communication,
the services of the Bruges advertising agency d’Artagnan were called on.
They were given the task of giving the exhibitions a face and a recognisable style. The

communication strategy and
planning for these three exhibitions
was worked out by the
BRUGGE 2002 communication
department and d’Artagnan, in
close consultation with the
management of the Municipal
Museums. This smooth cooperation
resulted in three
much talked-about campaign
images.
These images appeared as busshelter
posters and banners in
the major NMBS/SNCB railway
stations in Flanders and
The Fairy-Tale Brothel
Wallonia, thanks to the very
comprehensive media deal
with the NMBS/SNCB. They
were also to be seen on posters
in shops in Bruges, on strikingly-clad
De Lijn buses, in
radio and TV commercials on
Radio 1, Klara, Radio 2, Canvas,
TV1 and RTBF, and in advertisements
in De Standaard and
Het Nieuwsblad, Le Soir, La voix du Nord and in the magazine Knack.
On top of this, canvassing leaflets for these exhibitions were disseminated in large
print runs and in four languages (in as many as six languages in the case of “Jan van
Eyck, Early Netherlandish Painting and Southern Europe”), the museums developed
merchandising products, and catalogues and spin-off publications were sold. De
Standaard, together with BRUGGE 2002 and a commercial partner, developed largescale
campaigns targeting the public for each of these three exhibitions, which generated
necessary additional media interest – and consequently ticket revenue.
© PATRICK DE SPIEGELAERE
© TRUI GALLE
59
CONCISE
The other projects in the panoply of events on offer in the context of BRUGGE 2002
were ranked according to size and capacity. They could also call on the whole range
of BRUGGE 2002 communication tools. A selection was made from among these
tools, depending on the duration, nature, budget and importance of the project in the
overall programming. This occurred in close consultation with the programme director
and the intendant of BRUGGE 2002. Thus, for example, the contemporary art exhibitions
Attachment + and Octopus, the youth month Kaapstad, the sound art itinerary
.WAV, the video exhibition WHAT and the multimedia festival Format 2002
received special attention in the media planning.
Press sessions were organised by BRUGGE 2002 on an ongoing basis for small and
large projects, and flyers or programme sheets, leaflets, postcards, etc. were prepared.
The other projects were also carefully, clearly and specifically included in the general
communication media.
Communication in the city: House 2002
In the splendid, recently restored House Perez de Malvenda, at Wollestraat no. 53, a
central and multifaceted meeting place was created. Anne Mie Minten was appointed
co-ordinator. Three sponsors were responsible for providing for a contemporary
decoration of the building: B Design and Fractal provided for the furniture and

60
BRUGGE 2002
design, whilst the lighting was the work of Modular.
De Brugse Boekhandel sold exhibition catalogues,
background literature and various merchandising
products in the BRUGGE 2002 store. At the BRUGGE
2002 information desk a team of local and
European volunteers provided visitors with information
on everything that was going on in the BRUGGE
2002 programme.
At the rear, on the ground floor, the B.V.B.A. Koyot
ran the B-Café, which soon turned into “the place to
be” for anyone wanting to rub shoulders with artists,
members of staff and members of the public.
The sponsors had the chance to receive guests in the
VIP room. The two rooms on the upper floor played
host to book presentations, receptions, BRUGGE
2002 activities and welcome receptions for groups
in the framework of the public network.
The profile of the visitors coming to the information
desk was diverse, but for the most part they were
Flemings. The remainder consisted chiefly of
German, British and French visitors.
The House Perez de Malvenda will continue to be
used by the non-profit organisation Brugge Plus
after the cultural year to support activities in the
framework of Bruges’ cultural events policy.
Old films on the water
© STEFAAN YSENBRANDT
© JOHAN JACOBS
International promotion: a different story
Peter Verhelst
For the international press action and promotion,
three partners joined hands: Toerisme Brugge, Toerisme Vlaanderen and BRUGGE
2002 vzw. The basic principles of the co-operation were the generation of “free publicity”,
the concluding of joint promotions with foreign tour operators and various
media, and targeted actions aimed at tourists interested in culture and tourists on a
holiday stay. Paid advertising was only considered when a sufficiently attractive
agreement could be reached with a media partner.
The international promotion was characterised by three main phases.
In an initial phase – 2000 and 2001 – the professional travel sector was plied. The
idea here was principally to devote attention to the BRUGGE 2002 project by means of
“product placement” in travel brochures. Preference was given to packages in which
foreign tour operators included a part of the BRUGGE 2002 programme.
This was supplemented, from the end of November 2001, by the international press
conferences and foreign press trips referred to above.
In a third phase BRUGGE 2002 was promoted through targeted actions aimed at the
public. For this, efforts were made to strive for joint promotions with a trade or media
partner, for example mailshots to a tour operator’s customers, special newspaper supplements,
posters in metro stations, etc.
The main themes of the promotion in the trade and to the public were outlined by
the Marketing and Promotion Working Group, on the basis of the recommendations
of the Accommodation Working Group (see “Bruges as an opportunity for hotelbased
tourism”). But implementation was in the hands of the international offices of
Toerisme Vlaanderen and the trade unit of Toerisme Brugge. To this end Toerisme
Vlaanderen, Toerisme Brugge and BRUGGE 2002 brought together an extra “pool

61
CONCISE
© RUUD GORT
Dogtroep
budget” of BEF 30 million (4 743,680.60), on top of their regular operating budget,
for the preparation of promotional material for various target groups and markets.
As was to be expected, tour operators specialising in cultural tours showed great
interest in this cultural event being staged in their favourite city-trip destination,
Bruges. The traditional travel sector (incomings, tour operators and hotels) also saw
in BRUGGE 2002 a welcome new reason for promoting this “classic” destination. The
timely availability of promotional material containing all the practical information
contributed to the success of the actions in this sector, at least in absolute figures.
We should point out, however, that our enthusiasm for some international promotional
campaigns was not all that great. In certain countries, it was decided all too
quickly to go for direct result, by having the promotional campaigns stress the wellknown
tourist product of Bruges. The message of BRUGGE 2002 was used merely as
a stepping stone in some countries, and not as a product worthy of promotion in its
own right. Even the numerous efforts of Toerisme Vlaanderen were unable to create
a real shift in the traditional modus operandi of the professional travel sector.
However, we must conclude that those partners that did fully go along with the creation
of a distinct profile for BRUGGE 2002 achieved excellent results. This immediately
shows that the search for maximisation of volumes can also be pursued with a
strong discourse in terms of content. The tourist sector is still overly eager to work on
the basis of quantity. If a product has the effect of improving quality, the tourist sector
should support this to the hilt, in the knowledge that this could lead to lasting
results, but that figures giving cause for jubilation can perhaps not always be presented
straight away.

The public network
Introduction
Nobody is obliged to participate in culture, but the culture participation policy aims to at
least give people the chance to take part. Barriers that have an obstructive effect are brought
down. Bruges wanted not only to enable people to participate in culture, but also – if so
desired – to give them the capacity to deal with culture. Therefore a specific experiment was
devised to promote participation: the public network.
62
BRUGGE 2002
A labour-intensive grass-roots method
We wanted to make the decision to come to Bruges that little bit more self-evident for
everyone. Therefore contact persons were sought in the municipalities within a
radius of 50 km of Bruges. Both in the provinces of West and East Flanders and in
Zeeland, we found people who were prepared to commit themselves. They wanted to
convey their own enthusiasm to the general public in their own area, and stimulate
and mobilise these people in groups.
The co-ordinator of the public network was Bram De Vos. He found, coached and
supported the contact persons and kept his finger on the pulse of the network. The
Minister of the Government of Flanders for Culture, at that time Bert Anciaux, gave
this initiative financial backing and accorded it a place within the range of participation
projects that were starting up here and there in Flanders.
By the start of BRUGGE 2002 contact persons were active in all municipalities of the
originally defined public network region, and some were active in various municipalities.
The contact persons based themselves on their own contacts, interests and
communication channels. Some used the official municipal channels, such as the
municipal information sheet or the municipality’s web site. Others distributed the
documentation on BRUGGE 2002 via their association or company. BRUGGE 2002 concluded
a co-operation agreement with the bus company Eltebe, which carried people to
Bruges at attractive prices.
BRUGGE 2002 supported the contact persons’ networking activity with the necessary
material (brochures, programmes, etc.), and the co-ordinator gave more than seventy
information sessions. The co-ordinator also answered questions posed by the contact
persons every day, by telephone or e-mail, and a general e-mail with the latest
information was sent to all members of the network twice a week. When a group
headed into the city, it could call on the co-ordinator to welcome it there. This mainly
occurred in the House 2002 – Perez de Malvenda, where the group would be given
a custom-made introduction to the event that they would be attending.
© KONINKLIJK MUSEUM VOOR SCHONE KUNSTEN ANTWERPEN
Brugge Inside Out
© STEDELIJKE ACADEMIE VOOR SCHONE KUNSTEN - DKO
Jan van Eyck, Early Netherlandish
Painting and Southern Europe

A balance of a year-long public network
All told, the public network was active for 321 days in 2002. One hundred and twelve
contact persons put their shoulder to the wheel of this initiative.
28 of them limited themselves to disseminating information on BRUGGE 2002
and raising the awareness of the residents of their municipality;
84 of them organised at least one group visit to BRUGGE 2002;
56 of them organised more than two group visits;
14 organised four or more group visits;
26 visited the three major exhibitions with a group.
In the form of organised group visits alone, 12,714 people visited the Cultural Capital
through the public network. There were two major public network days, to which all
contact persons were invited.
Survey and research report
In September 2002, Lien Phlypo of the Department of Applied Social and Cultural
Studies of the University of Ghent conducted surveys among groups who had visited
the public network. From the 250 reply forms, it emerged that 97.5% of the respondents
were satisfied with the introduction that they received from the co-ordinator,
95.6% showed themselves to be satisfied with the cultural activity that they had
attended in the framework of BRUGGE 2002 and 95.1% were satisfied with the local
contact person. 97.7% said that they were satisfied with the information sessions that
had been organised. 80.9% said that they had got to know people from the vicinity
better thanks to the public network, whilst 84.4% of the respondents stated that they
had met new people through the network. These are handsome results, from which
we can conclude that the network achieved its goal: to increase participation and stimulate
the formation of a community.
63
CONCISE
A future
It very much remains to be seen whether the public network will be continued.
The network has actively developed in the region and the province. BRUGGE 2002 has
provided the proof that the public gains access to cultural events through the network
and that the working method results in an enthusiastic response. The network exists
now, and the contact persons are there. We are of the view that it would be useful for
the province of West Flanders to give these instruments continuity. In this respect we
already contacted the competent provincial policy makers and civil servants in 2002,
but to our great regret they did not agree with the idea of continuing with the public
network. A continuation could have had a positive effect on the many initiatives in
West Flanders. For us – and certainly also for the many contact persons – this is a
missed opportunity, to say the least.
© LUKE NOORDHOEK
100 Zeeland Portraits

BRUGGE 2002 as an opportunity
for (hotel-based) tourism
64
BRUGGE 2002
Introduction
In Bruges the limited space caused by a mediaeval street pattern combined with increasing
visitor numbers every year is exercising ever greater pressure on the other urban functions
and the quality of life. Back in 1990 a study prompted the city council to give shape to the
tourist development within a core zone, the so-called “golden triangle”. That same study
emphasised the advantages of a policy oriented towards hotel-based tourism for an improved
quality of life and a greater economic added value. The policy indicated this recommendation
as a top priority, but the implementation failed due to the lack of a genuine accompanying
action programme.
BRUGGE 2002 was to take up this thread again. It drew the card of hotel-based
tourism, partly because this helps the participation in and experience of culture, partly
because it was thereby underwriting a strategic choice that offered most guarantees
in the long term for sustainable tourist development. BRUGGE 2002 has an immediate
tourist multiplier effect, but it is also a pivotal moment for the perception of
Bruges as a living cultural city and tourist draw after 2002. In the framework of
BRUGGE 2002 targeted initiatives were started up to strengthen the image of Bruges
as a city to stay in.
The impact of BRUGGE 2002 on (hotel-based) tourism
The city of Bruges, Toerisme Vlaanderen and BRUGGE 2002 commissioned the market
research bureau WES to carry out an impact study on the BRUGGE 2002 event.
This study is admittedly a snapshot in time, but it can put the place of this kind of
large-scale culture project in a clearer perspective. It could possibly also be the forerunner
of a tourist policy plan that should further outline the strategic path to be followed
in the coming years.
The WES study reports that during the cultural year Bruges received visits by
3,050,000 day-trippers and 556,000 tourists staying in Bruges for more than a day
for recreational purposes. The number of overnighting tourists is 9% up on 2001. It
can be said that the impact of BRUGGE 2002 on the public can be termed sizeable: it
emerged that 21% of overnighting tourists and 23% of day-trippers had been influenced
by the activities of BRUGGE 2002 in their choice of Bruges as a destination.
Total spending by the day-trippers and recreational
overnighting tourists during the period of the
cultural year is estimated at almost EUR 213 million.
Based on the percentage of overnighting
tourists and day-trippers that visited Bruges on
account of BRUGGE 2002, the WES study concludes
that the Cultural Capital generated a surplus
of EUR 42 million at most in spending, with
EUR 25 million accounted for by overnighting
tourists and EUR 17 million by day-trippers. This
is an increase of 25% at most. The expenditure
surplus was chiefly to the benefit of restaurants
and cafés (EUR 18 million), accommodation
(EUR 10 million), small traders (EUR 8 million)
and attractions (EUR 5 million).
Michael Franti (Cactus Festival)

However, the WES study only reports on the public impact and spending within the
recreational/tourist market segment and in the period during which Bruges was
Cultural Capital, i.e., from February 20 th to November 17 th 2002. In terms of numbers
and expenditure the total would therefore be higher when all market segments (i.e.,
also conference and business tourism) are taken into account on an annual basis.
If we look at the issue of overnighting tourists according to origin, the WES study
gives quite a comprehensive view for Bruges in the period during which it was
Cultural Capital.
On the basis of the NIS statistics, albeit for the first nine months of the year, we note
a spectacular increase for Bruges in the number of visitors from France, the
Netherlands and Germany (+ approx. 98,000 overnight stays). A surprising element
is the increasing interest in Bruges on the part of domestic tourists (+ approx. 19,000
overnight stays, up 18.4%). One downer is the sizeable decrease registered for the
British market (- 23,000 overnight stays, down 7.1%), since this is an important (the
largest) market for Bruges. A sharp fall in the American market (down 17.5%) and a
slight increase in the Japanese market (up 2.4%) are also worthy of note.
As was assumed before the start of BRUGGE 2002, and despite all the efforts, day tripping
remained exponentially greater in scope than overnight tourism, whereas the
economic surplus for Bruges is chiefly produced by overnight tourism. BRUGGE 2002
has left a clear mark on the issue of recreational tourism.
65
CONCISE
In the field of recreational city trips and mini-breaks, Bruges has strengthened its
position in respect of the other Flemish cities of artistic interest – Ghent, Antwerp
and Brussels. And one not-insignificant factor is that a large number of visitors,
including some day-trippers, are considering taking a (or another) short holiday in
Bruges in the years to come.
Tourist market position
Contextual success factors
Availability and affordability of the accommodation on offer appear to have been the
Achilles heel of the Bruges hotel sector for years. It is accepted that the room rates
cause potential customers to turn to other cities, a trend that promotes day-excursion
tourism in Bruges. At the request of BRUGGE 2002 the hotel sector made a “noncommittal”
undertaking not to implement any unwarranted price hikes in 2002. A survey
by the non-profit organisation Hotels Brugge & Regio revealed that room rates rose
by an average of 5.09% in 2002.
© A PRIOR
© PATRICK DE SPIEGELAERE
Lost Locations
Amparo Cortés (Old and New Belgians)

© JAN VERNIEUWE
66
BRUGGE 2002
Juan Luis Vives
Compared with the current market rates in comparable
European cities, Bruges’ hotels are relatively
cheap, but in relation to the other Flemish
Rosas
“art cities”, they are still rather expensive. The sense of awareness displayed by the
hotel sector was thus praiseworthy, but too noncommittal for one to be able to speak
of a genuine improvement in the competitive position. Other less expensive forms of
accommodation in Bruges, such as youth hostels, are also accentuating the competition
problem.
It was expected that it would not always be possible to have the extra demand created
on account of BRUGGE 2002 accommodated in Bruges. Therefore it was decided to
opt for an “overflow system”, under which Toerisme Brugge saw to it that the extra
demand would be referred, step-by-step, to the Bruges vicinity, the coast and the other
art cities. However, for the most part the extra demand could be catered for on the
basis of the existing capacity in Bruges, and the “organised overflow” via Toerisme
Brugge remained fairly small. This fact, combined with the conclusion that the number
of overnight stays in Bruges had risen, should mainly have been to the benefit of
the “quiet” midweek. Yet the centre of gravity in terms of stays was still at the weekend.
© HERMAN SORGELOOS
The WES study reveals that 35.6% of the day-excursion tourists who visited Bruges in
2002 were lodged somewhere else (the coast or another art city) and returned there
after their day excursion. This “non-organised overflow” shows that many visitors
passed over Bruges as a city in which to stay. This also applies to a large section of the
professional travel industry, which continued to experience problems in finding sufficient,
affordable accommodation. The result was that many tour operators included
BRUGGE 2002 amongst their offers, but coupled this with a stay on the coast or in
another art city.
Availability and affordability thus remain an important area to which attention
should be devoted in respect of the further development of hotel-based tourism.
Project-related success factors
THE BRUGGE 2002 PROGRAMME
The WES study shows that the tourist season in 2002 began earlier than in other
years, thanks to BRUGGE 2002. For the accommodation sector, it was important for
establishments to be able to exploit the less successful midweek period as well.
Despite programme-related and budgetary restrictions, BRUGGE 2002 capitalised as
much as possible on the tourist potential, and especially that of hotel-based tourism.
The idea was to present the city in a different way, and to do so above all at those times
of the week when the city still offered room for visitors to be welcomed and accommodated.
The greatest impact was felt on account of the three major exhibitions, with
an exhibition on the programme every single day between mid-March and the end of

© ANIMOTIONS
Concertgebouw
the cultural year. Preliminary research had indicated that these crowd-pullers represented
an enormous potential for overnight tourist stays.
INTERNATIONAL PROMOTION
The international canvassing for a project like BRUGGE 2002 cannot be disassociated
from general city marketing. Therefore it was decided to strengthen the image of
Bruges as a city to stay in. The major exhibitions were to act as major “draws” here.
The promotion abroad concentrated on the neighbouring countries, plus Italy, Spain,
Austria, the USA and Japan – important markets for hotel-based tourism in Bruges.
There were three main target groups: the professional travel sector (the “trade”), the
public and the press. The campaigns set in train for these respective target groups
were each given a different slant in terns of the technical marketing approach adopted.
Thus, the promotion aimed at the public included as a leitmotif the message “take
your time to visit Bruges”, with the aim of fostering city trips or short breaks. In the
communication targeting the trade, which was aimed primarily at tour operators running
cultural tours, the emphasis was placed on the availability and affordability of
the accommodation. The press action, meanwhile, focused on the creation of an overall
image of Bruges and BRUGGE 2002.
The WES study indicates that there was very great appreciation for the communication
by and about BRUGGE 2002, which was regarded as strategically well thought-out
and innovative.
COMMERCIAL PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
BRUGGE 2002 offered the professional travel sector various “building blocks” that
could be offered as part and parcel of specific holiday packages. The sector eagerly
took advantage of these.
The most innovative of these was the BRUGGE 2002 Pass. For a democratic price visitors
could do justice to what the Cultural Capital had to offer, for three days. The
BRUGGE 2002 Pass was intrinsically a good idea, but it did not properly get off the
ground. The reasons for this were the fact that the price advantages obtained by the
pass-holder were too small, the handling was too complex, and the range of extras on
offer was relatively limited. As regards the latter, for example, the permanent offer in
terms of museums in Bruges was not included. The period of use (three days) also
prevented the customer from making optimal use of this special pass. Nonetheless

this formula has potential for the future, certainly in the accommodation sector. In
the end 1,513 BRUGGE 2002 Passes were sold, which is quite a large number compared
with the traditional tourist package arrangements.
ON-SITE RECEPTION AND PROVISION OF INFORMATION
As regards tourist satisfaction with the welcome given and the information provided,
Toerisme Brugge was given a score of 2.9 out of 5. The hoteliers were given a slightly
higher score by the tourists staying in Bruges: 3.5 out of 5 for the welcome and 3.3
out of 5 for the information supplied. The WES study points to the problem of the
fragmentation of the points of contact for the visitor. It might have been better to have
had all the information services and ticket sales centralised in one entity, as had been
considered before the start of BRUGGE 2002.
68
BRUGGE 2002
The representatives of employers, employees, Horeca Vlaanderen (the Flanders association
for the hotel, restaurant and catering sector) and BRUGGE 2002 joined forces
to optimise the “front-line reception services”. Employees in the hotel, restaurant and
catering sector were prepared for BRUGGE 2002 by means of a targeted training initiative.
The emphasis lay on a customer-friendly approach and the provision of information.
This initiative proved to be a great success.
With a view to being able to deal with requests from tour operators in a professional
manner, a “trade unit” was set up within Toerisme Brugge. This unit should have
started up on April 1 st 2001, but in fact eventually became operational on September
1 st 2001. The trade unit had to face a number of teething problems, but once up and
running it formed an important link in the BRUGGE 2002 action. The professional
travel sector could contact it for specific trade information, promotional material and
tickets at professional rates. The know-how and contacts that this unit built up during
the cultural year remain within Toerisme Brugge and are to be further exploited
after 2002.
The relationship between BRUGGE 2002 and the tourist sector
The apparently logical synergy between culture and tourism is in reality not so selfevident.
Contacts between the tourist sector and the cultural world appeared to be
barely existent, if existent at all, on the eve of BRUGGE 2002. Mutual understanding
was often lacking, too, inter alia on account of insufficient knowledge and perception
of each other’s problems and feelings.
Under the impetus of the tourism co-ordinator, Dieter Dewulf, BRUGGE 2002 brought
public and private players from both sectors together in the “Accommodation”,
© HONORÉ ∂’O
KIR - Artists in residence

“Marketing and Promotion” and “Reception” working groups. Frequent consultation
led to at times diverging standpoints being brought closer together and specific projects
coming into being, such as the Hotel-based Tourism Action Plan and the project
focusing on primary welcome and reception services. In addition to this working
group consultation, six information meetings for the accommodation sector and the
tourist offices were organised, in which the programme, the tourist prior conditions
and ticket sales were explained. The accommodation sector and the tourist offices
were kept abreast of BRUGGE 2002 on a continual basis through newsletters.
The communication between BRUGGE 2002 and the tourist sector, and the providers
of accommodation in particular, was quite intensive. As is shown by the impact study
conducted by the WES, these efforts were very greatly appreciated and also resulted
in a certain mutual rapprochement. It is the task of the city, and Toerisme Brugge in
particular, to keep working on the communication and relations with the other
tourism partners.
69
Sponsorship action
Figures
BRUGGE 2002 was supported by many public authorities, which together contributed
4 15,576,593.93 (BEF 628,358,251), or a good 57% of the revenue of BRUGGE 2002.
Anyone familiar with the cultural sector will know that the percentage of government
grants is usually a lot higher. Within Bruges 2002’s total turnover of 4 27,167,033.70
(BEF 1,095,915,422.75), the revenue in cash sponsorship covered 4 4,232,320.02
(BEF 170,731,366) of the total budgeted revenue, and sponsorship in kind and media
sponsorship represented a total value of 4 2,096,198.32 (BEF 84,560,431). The sponsor
programme thus accounted for a total of 4 6,414,800.34 (BEF 258,772,404) in
funds, or a good 23% of total revenue.
CONCISE
Categories of sponsors
The chief sponsors were the first and most important partners of BRUGGE 2002. They
were of central importance in the communication, and supported the entire BRUGGE
2002 project from the very outset. In the communication they also associated themselves
with one important project or theme, eight of them choosing one of the major
exhibitions.
Chief media sponsors, who were also involved from the very first preparations of the
© HANS THEYS
© JAN VERNIEUWE
© JAN DARTHET
Jürg Conzett’s bridge over the
Coupure - scale model
Opening of the Cultural Year
in the presence of HRH King Albert II
Masterpiece for young artists

Music and Architecture
© MICHAEL MAIERHOF
Replica of the historic city crane
© STEFAAN YSENBRANDT
project, made media space available via their specific channels.
Associated sponsors supported a number of BRUGGE 2002 projects, grouped under a
single name, or not.
The project sponsors backed one particular project in the BRUGGE 2002 programme.
BRUGGE 2002 had 46 sponsors in all. Twenty-six of these sponsors provided their
contribution in the form of cash, and as many sponsors opted for sponsorship in
media space or in kind. (Some sponsors opted for combined sponsorship in cash and
in kind.)
Substance of the partnership
A sponsorship agreement is a question of give and take. The company is actually buying
a product that is to a large degree tangible. In the case of BRUGGE 2002, this
amounted to a number of representative activities (night sessions, for example), tickets
for various events and other products (guided city walks, use of the VIP room,
invitations to openings, etc.) and visibility in the communication for BRUGGE 2002
(advertisements, logo mentions, on-site visibility, etc.). In addition to this tangible
result, there is the incalculable, but perhaps most valuable result: the creation of an
image.
Returns
The most tangible part of the sponsor return was undoubtedly the night sessions.
The sponsors booked 75 night sessions, almost exclusively on the occasion of the
three major exhibitions. This is understandable – these were top exhibitions that
offered ample possibilities to captivate a broad public. However, it is a pity that the
sponsors did not take any notice of smaller, but equally worthy projects such as
Attachment+, WHAT A tale in free images, Octopus or .WAV. Nonetheless, both the
sponsors and their guests were very pleased with the night sessions.
In all 28,833 tickets were made available to the sponsors.
BRUGGE 2002 made full use of its communication media in order to mention the
sponsors’ co-operation in the form of advertisements, the inclusion of logos and the
mention of names.
Evaluation
Even without the visibility in the general communication for BRUGGE 2002 and the
upgrading of the sponsors’ image, the returns represent a value of 4 1,359,417
(BEF 54,840,000), calculated on the selling prices. Of this, the night sessions given
in return represent a total selling price of 4 789,000 (BEF 31,850,000), tickets and
gift vouchers account for 4 485,817 (BEF 19,500,000) and other activities, including

© ERIC JORIS
71
Philoctetes
CONCISE
9,900 catalogues, represent 4 84,600 (BEF 3,412,750).
The general expenses incurred by BRUGGE 2002 for the sponsorship action – information
meetings for the sponsors, the internal personnel cost and the associated
administrative cost, etc. – were calculated at a total of 4 370,000 (BEF 15,000,000).
This means a computable investment of 4 1,729,417 (BEF 69,764,509).
If we deduct expenditure from income, we arrive at a net result of 4 4,599,101.34
(BEF 185,527,288), or a good 72% of total sponsor income.
The question remains as to whether there were too many sponsors, and whether the
companies were given enough of a chance overall. In any case, there were enough
instruments for the presence of sponsors in BRUGGE 2002 to be adequately personalised.
Yet it might be advisable to evolve towards a co-operation with a large number
of chief, media and associate sponsors, in which this relationship is also developed
into a genuine sponsor relationship. This would then chiefly be expressed in the visibility,
publicity and involvement of the sponsors in the whole. The other companies,
which were also classified as sponsors in BRUGGE 2002,
could then be approached as “buyers” and “privileged
users” of certain programme sections. This relationship
would then have a more commercial character.
The Friends of BRUGGE 2002
Within the sponsor policy, the project “Friends of BRUGGE
2002” was carried through in 2000, with a twofold objective.
On the one hand, it aimed to put companies and private
persons who wanted to do something for BRUGGE
2002, but who found the sponsor amount to be too high, in
a position also to make a financial contribution. On the
other hand, the Friends of BRUGGE 2002 associated itself
with a number of rather socially-oriented activities in the
cultural programme.
In all, 131 Friends registered: 72 private individuals, 57
companies and two public administrations. This yielded a
total of 4 85,750.00 (BEF 3,459,146) in income.
© STEFAAN YSENBRANDT
Church of Our Lady

MANAGEMENT,
ORGANISATION
AND BUDGET

Introduction
Global strategy
The commercial management of BRUGGE 2002 was based on a strategy with four
main themes:
1. Constant monitoring of the financial situation to allow immediate adjustments
where necessary.
2. Risk management through legally underpinned and fiscally sound agreements.
3. Effective and cost-conscious staff policy.
4. Clear internal and external communication of financial policy.
This strategy had to be implemented in an extremely complex context, given the
scope of the project, the time restrictions and the number of employees and partners.
Concrete interpretation of commercial policy
Financial component
When Katrien Van Eeckhoutte became Financial and HR manager of BRUGGE 2002
in February 2000, BRUGGE 2002 vzw had contracted its bookkeeping out to the firm
Fisko Data, which conducted financial policy remotely. From March 2000 the bookkeeping
was monitored internally by an administrative employee. During this period the
budgetary plan was refined. Each activity and head of department was given a part-budget.
Because of the limitations of the bookkeeping system at the time it was decided to
organise the monitoring of the budget on a statistical basis. In the spring of 2000 the
organisation pressed on with the development of a Project Management Information
System (Promis) that allowed the most important practical and budgetary information
to be centralised for each project.
In summer 2001, three more members were added to the financial team.
Every two months a financial report was submitted to the Board of Directors. After
being externally audited by the company auditor the annual accounts were submitted
to the General Meeting for approval before the end of March.
73
CONCISE
From October 2001 BRUGGE 2002 began advance sales of tickets for the various cultural
events. Tickets were sold using the TicketTinck system, a new IT development for the
Province of West Flanders, for which BRUGGE 2002 acted as pilot project. In September
2001 a ticket co-ordinator started, who was responsible for organising the efficient and
reliable sale of tickets. He was assisted by a team of enthusiastic ticket sellers.
Legal component
Because of BRUGGE 2002’s extensive interaction with a large number of external partners,
clear agreements are essential. Therefore in January 2001 a legal expert joined the
organisation. She drafted hundreds of contracts with cultural partners, artists, companies,
staff, sponsors and letters. Many fiscal and socio-legal matters were also dealt with.
Staff component
The non-profit organisation BRUGGE 2002 was established in 1999 and during its peak
period developed into a medium-sized company with more than 100 employees, which
implied an appropriate and labour-intensive staff policy. External partners were brought
in, more specifically a social secretariat (ADMB) and a temp agency (chief sponsor
Randstad). From September 2001 the temp agency took on an in-house consultant. In
2002 the organisation was able to count on a full-time employee from the temp agency
for temporary jobs on an interim basis and for the practical co-ordination of voluntary
work. In December 2001 a staff co-ordinator was brought into the administration team.

Overview of total budget
BRUGGE 2002 worked with a total budget of ¤ 27,167,034.02 (BEF 1,095,915,436), of which
¤ 2,096,198.32 or 7.72% involves sponsorship in kind. In total, cash expenditure and income
amount to ¤ 25,070,835.70 (BEF 1,011,355,005). This solely concerns the budget that
was achieved within the bookkeeping of BRUGGE 2002. A significant turnover was also
achieved by cultural partners, authorities and various private partners.
74
Some programmes were financed entirely by BRUGGE 2002, others were co-financed
with cultural partners and yet others were entirely financed by the partner. On top of
this there were the architectural projects for which BRUGGE 2002 was not the client,
but which were still included in the programme, such as the reconstruction of the
Kanaaleiland and the bridge over the Coupure. BRUGGE 2002 was also involved in the
creation of the repetition and creation space Groenplaats, but authorities and cultural
partners also contributed towards this project.
BRUGGE 2002
In addition to the external contributions to the programme there was an equivalent
investment from communication partners, in particular the various tourist services:
Toerisme Brugge and Westtoer, but mainly Toerisme Vlaanderen.
Bruges City Council took the opportunity (in collaboration with other authorities) on
the occasion of BRUGGE 2002 to construct a unique concert hall and facilitate various
major restoration projects in the city.
If we add all these sources of finance together we reach a total of 4 109,519,398.55
(BEF 4,418,001,586). A unique and rarely seen investment in culture for the city.
Budget - BRUGGE 2002 4 27,167,034.02
Budget - BRUGGE 2002 by partners, cultural and communicative 4 13,500,000.00
Construction of Concertgebouw* 4 43,852,364.53
Restoration projects during BRUGGE 2002** 4 25,000,000.00
Total 4 109,519,398.55
* source: press conference - Concertgebouw vzw, July 2001
** source: article by E. Goedleven in Part 5 of this final report, “BRUGGE 2002, Een verhaal in woorden”
Costs
Type of cost
TYPE OF COST ABSOLUTE FIGURES PERCENTAGE
Commodities 4 24,695.13 0.09%
Sundry goods and services 4 20,985,496.24 77.25%
Staff costs 4 5,246,474.54 19.31%
Misc. costs 4 910,368.11 3.35%
Total 4 27,167,034.02 100%
Services and sundry goods
In total, BRUGGE 2002 collaborated with 1456 different suppliers for a total amount
of 4 20,985,496.24 (or 77.25% of the total budget).

Staff
In total, 155 people were directly employed by BRUGGE 2002 vzw from January 1999
to March 2003. In total, 4 5,246,474.54 was spent on staff costs, or 19.31% of the total
budget of BRUGGE 2002 vzw. In addition to these direct staff costs, BRUGGE 2002
made use of staff from the Municipal Museums and temping staff via in-kind sponsor
Randstad. In total, 4 1,162,884.49 was invoiced for this. A team of 85 volunteers
worked a total of 976 days. BRUGGE 2002 concluded a contract with STC, the city of
Bruges and Randstad to put long-term unemployed people to work within BRUGGE
2002, after adequate training.
Cost centres
COST CENTRE ABSOLUTE FIGURES PERCENTAGE
Programme 4 16,609,769.73 61.14%
Communication 4 5,943,520.19 21.88%
General costs 4 4,613,744.10 16.98%
Total 4 27,167,034.02 100%
Programme
In total, 4 16,609,769.73, or 61.14% of the total budget of BRUGGE 2002, was spent
on direct programme and production costs. The proportion that can be directly
assigned to the various projects is 4 11,668,460.10.
75
CONCISE
We can make the following breakdown according to discipline:
Exhibitions 36.32%
Contemporary art 8.66%
Architecture and monuments 9.43%
Music 9.39%
Performing arts 11.79%
Film and media 1.23%
Literature and debate 1.58%
Youthful impatience 8.27%
Events 9.89%
Neighbourhood and world 3.45%
Total 100.00%
These budgetary relationships do not reflect the level of importance within the whole.
Certain disciplines cost more to produce than others.
General production costs amount to 4 4,941,309.63. Among other things, this budget
also includes the work of European volunteers and the organisation of night sessions.
Not included are the many investments made by cultural partners as part of
BRUGGE 2002.
Communication
In total, 4 5,943,520.19 was spent on communication. This equates to 21.88% of the
total budget of BRUGGE 2002.
A total of 4 1,765,984.18, or 29.71% of the communication budget, was negotiated as
part of media sponsorship. In addition, advertisements totalling 4 369,149.12 were placed.
Design and printing of promotional material amounted to 4 1,332,296.06. There

was also enough room within the communication budget for the development and
maintenance of the website, the organisation of the press service and public relations.
Expenditure for attracting sponsors and specific sponsor returns (excluding tickets),
totalling 4 94,307.05, is included in the communication budget.
General costs
In total, 4 4,613,744.10 was spent on general costs. This equates to 16.98% of the total
budget of BRUGGE 2002.
A significant portion of this consists of staff costs (67.64%). Other major costs are
specific overheads – rent and expenses for buildings, utilities, general printed matter,
office supplies, communication costs and general insurance costs. The labour and
operating costs of the tourism co-ordinator also fall within the general costs budget.
76
Revenue
BRUGGE 2002
ABSOLUTE FIGURES
PERCENTAGE
Subsidies Structural 4 13,514,410.06 4 15,576,593.93 57.34%
Other 4 2,062,183.87
Sponsorship General 4 4,137,709.14 4 6,414,800.34 23.61%
Project 4 94,610.88
In kind 4 2,096,198.32
King Baudouin 4 86,282.00
Foundation and Friends
of BRUGGE 2002
Ticket sales 4 4,008,072.35 4 4,008,072.35 14.75%
Merchandising Merchandising 4 81,543.29 4 230,279.40 0.85%
and Publications Publications 4 148,736.11(*)
Other revenue Recycling expenses 4 259,411.70 4 937,287.68 3.45%
Sale of productions 4 334,183.25
and night sessions
Operating income 4 16,821.07
Financial income 4 181,620.94
Extraordinary income 4 145,250.72
Total 4 27,167,033.70 100%
* The amount of commissions on publications is a realistic estimate based on the sales figures on
February 28 th 2003.
Subsidies
The following subsidizers contributed to the realisation of BRUGGE 2002: the Flemish
Community, the Federal Government (via the National Lottery), the City of Bruges, the
Province of West Flanders, the European Commission, the Tourist Office for Flanders
(Toerisme Vlaanderen), the French Community of Belgium, EU-Japan Fest, Brussels-
Capital Region, the Goethe Institute, the College of Europe Bruges and Jint vzw.

Structural subsidizers
STRUCTURAL SUBSIDIZERS AMOUNT PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL BUDGET
European Commission 4 500,000 1.84%
National Lottery 4 4,957,870.50 18.25%
Flemish Community 4 4,957,870.50 18.25%
Province of West Flanders 4 619,733.81 2.28%
City of Bruges 4 2,478,935.25 9.12%
Total 4 13,514,410.06 49.75%
The subsidy agreements resulted in name appearances, logo appearances, mentions
in editorial texts and a number of representative activities (night sessions, tickets,
publications, etc.). A special agreement was entered into with the National Lottery
whereby this institution was mentioned as, among other things, the sponsor of
HANZE@M4DICI.
Other subsidizers
The French Community of Belgium supported BRUGGE 2002 in general because of
the participation of various artists from Wallonia. The Brussels-Capital Region supported
BRUGGE 2002 in general to place extra emphasis on the presence of artists and
cultural organisations from Brussels in the programme.
The Flemish Community supported BRUGGE 2002 – in addition to the structural subsidy
– for the publicity network, the pavilion of Toyo Ito, the young people’s month
Kaapstad,’t Kl!kt, The People Network, .WAV, KIR and Kabba. Jint vzw supported the
Stubnitz project.
The Federal Government supported – in addition to the subsidy via the National
Lottery – the concert by the National Orchestra of Belgium and the series of readings
Vives.
77
CONCISE
Foreign institutions also supported BRUGGE 2002 directly. The European
Commission, Youth Department, made it financially possible for 20 young people
from 15 European countries to experience the Cultural Year close and in person for
one year. EU-JapanFest supported the Edo fireworks at the opening of the cultural
year, the pavilion of Toyo Ito and the exhibition Lost Locations. The Goethe Institute
supported various productions as part of Format 2002.
Indirect subsidy, whereby artists were directly subsidised by a (foreign) subsidizing
authority, is not included in the budget of BRUGGE 2002 vzw. Thus, for example,
Young People, Old Voices and some projects of Format 2002 were supported by
North Rhine-Westphalia.
Sponsorship
BRUGGE 2002 vzw received 4 6,414,800.34 in sponsorship, or 23.61% of the total
budget.
Of this, cash sponsorship accounts for the lion’s share: 4 4,318,602.02, or 67.32% of
all sponsorship. The main sponsors contributed 4 3,505,580.66, the associate sponsors
4 632,128.49 and the project sponsors 4 94,610.88. In addition, there were contributions
from the Friends of BRUGGE 2002 (4 85,750.00) and the King Baudouin
Foundation (4 532.00).
In-kind sponsorship accounts for 4 2,096,198.32 or 32.68% of all sponsorship.

Ticket sales
The Province of West Flanders supported BRUGGE 2002 with the organisation of ticket
sales and the booking of guided tours via the newly set-up TiNCK structure.
Alongside material support (hardware and software), BRUGGE 2002 also received staff
support in the telephone and electronic advance sale and booking of tickets.
BRUGGE 2002 vzw received 4 4,008,072.35 or 14.75% of the total revenue from ticket
sales. Below is an overview of the breakdown according to disciplines:
78
BRUGGE 2002
Exhibitions 4 2,849,416.76 71.09%
Contemporary art 4 53,065.75 1.32%
Architecture and monuments 4 3,629.18 0.09%
Music 4 299,838.46 7.48%
Performing arts 4 254,275.84 6.34%
Film and media 4 10,487.60 0.26%
Literature and debate 4 20,227.27 0.50%
Youthful impatience 4 42,768.15 1.07%
Events 4 158,478.69 3.95%
Neighbourhood and world 4 16,463.10 0.41%
Other 4 299,421.55 7.47%
Total 4 4,008,072.35 100.00%
As was to be expected, most tickets were sold in connection with the three main exhibitions.
Tickets for these were also sold via foreign distributors and in-kind sponsors
VUM and NMBS sold extra tickets in Belgium. BRUGGE 2002 was able to maximise
revenue from the tickets for these three exhibitions, allowing other activities to be
implemented.
The type of discipline is important when assessing these figures. ‘Architecture and
monuments’ or ‘Film and Media’, for example, had little if any revenue from tickets.
The category ‘Other’ includes sales revenue from subscriptions, BRUGGE 2002 passes,
Poorters passes (discount passes for Bruges residents and staff of the City of
Bruges) and guided tours. In total, 9,384 Poorters passes and 1,513 BRUGGE 2002
passes were sold. Also, 4,393 guided tours were requested via BRUGGE 2002.
Merchandising and publications
In total, BRUGGE 2002 received 4 81,543.29 from the sale of merchandising and as
commission on the sale of merchandising. The final statement with the publication
partners – the publishers Ludion, Lannoo and Stichting Kunstboek – will be published
at the end of 2003. The expected revenue (based on sales figures as at
28/02/03) total 4 148,736.11.
Other revenue
4 937,287.68 or 3.45% of the total budget was obtained from other revenue.
The sale of exclusive productions and nocturnes to organisations and businesses generated
4 334,183.25. In total, BRUGGE 2002 vzw recovered 4 259,411.70 in expenses.
Thanks to a good income spread we received 4 181,620.94 in financial revenue during
the entire period from 1999 to 2003.

Management and internal organisation
The project BRUGGE 2002, Cultural Capital of Europe, took the form of a non-profit
organisation. The aim of BRUGGE 2002 vzw was to be responsible for co-ordinating
activities as part of BRUGGE 2002, Cultural Capital of Europe and to secure its financing,
organisation and promotion. The association was managed by the Board of
Directors and the General Assembly. Among other things, the latter was authorised
to appoint managers and to approve the budget and annual accounts.
The organisational chart can be represented schematically as follows.
At the management level there was the general assembly, the board of directors and
the executive committee. These three levels were presided over by Patrick Moenaert,
mayor, with as vice-president Yves Roose, cultural alderman.
Daily management was in the hands of intendant Hugo De Greef. The internal
organisation was split into three departments: Communication, managed by
Reinhilde Weyns; Administration, managed by Katrien Van Eeckhoutte; and Programme
and Production, managed by Jan Vermassen with Gerd Van Looy, production
manager.
At the head of each department was a management board which co-ordinated and
implemented activities with a team of employees and assistants. As far as daily management
was concerned, the directors were represented in the staff under the leadership
of intendant Hugo De Greef. The intendant was answerable to the Board of
Directors of the non-profit organisation.
79
CONCISE
Internally, each department gave an account of its state of play during team meetings.
Each department organised its own consultation for daily operations.

IMPACT STUDY
BRUGGE 2002 –
SUMMARY AND
CONCLUSIONS

At the request of BRUGGE 2002 vzw, WES Onderzoek & Advies assessed the cultural, economic
and social impact of BRUGGE 2002, Cultural Capital of Europe. This assessment is
based on the results of four different studies.
1. In the period July-November 2002 we organised a broad public survey of 830 residential
tourists and 897 day tourists from Belgium and abroad on topics such as the importance
of BRUGGE 2002 in justifying their visit, the information sources consulted and their
expenditure.
2. We asked a random sample of almost 6,000 people, which may be seen as representative
of the Belgian population as a whole, to what extent they participated in activities organised
as part of BRUGGE 2002, Cultural Capital of Europe.
3. The third study involved questioning visitors to events organised as part of BRUGGE 2002.
Almost 5,900 participants in a balanced selection of twelve cultural activities organised
by BRUGGE 2002 received a questionnaire on topics such as the role of these activities in
their visit to Bruges, the information sources used and their assessment of these activities.
In total, 1,700 people returned their completed questionnaires.
81
CONCISE
4. Finally, we conducted in-depth interviews with 30 important interested parties or stakeholders
active in the cultural and tourist sector in Bruges and beyond concerning their
vision of the cultural, economic and social impact of BRUGGE 2002 and their assessment
of desirable and possible directions for development in the future.
In the paragraphs that follow we structure the main findings and conclusions of the four
studies according to cultural, economic-touristic and social impact. In a final point we consider
a number of pointers to the future.

Cultural impact
The cultural impact of BRUGGE 2002 can be situated on several levels.
Infrastructure
The questioning of stakeholders reveals that the achievements on an infrastructural
level are seen as the aspect with the greatest and most lasting cultural impact of
BRUGGE 2002.
Above all, reference is made to the restorations of monuments and new buildings
such as the Concertgebouw, the Ito pavilion, the Magdalenazaal, the Groenplaats, the
Coupure bridge, the Kanaaleiland, etc. Many of these infrastructure projects also act
as clear indicators by introducing contemporary elements.
82
BRUGGE 2002
Programming
In terms of programming we note a general overall satisfaction among stakeholders.
The exhibitions are a particularly strong point. The performing arts are also seen as
a strong element of the programme.
Some pointed out that there was little if any contemporary visual art in BRUGGE 2002.
There were in fact several events based on modern art, but in the final analysis this
programming hardly ever figures in people’s image of BRUGGE 2002. Many stakeholders
also feel the programming for young people was weak.
This assessment is confirmed by the results of the events survey. This revealed that
the content of most events investigated lived up to expectations.
Organisation and co-operation
The running of BRUGGE 2002 vzw was unanimously experienced by the privileged
witnesses as extremely positive, professional and effective. The co-operation between
BRUGGE 2002 and the various partners from the cultural and tourist sector in Bruges
and beyond, the City of Bruges and the sponsors was felt to be very good.
According to the privileged witnesses, one of the most important achievements of
BRUGGE 2002 lies precisely within this co-operation, which led to a significant
improvement in communication and consultation between the various (local) players.
Public impact
The public impact can be said to be large, as is evident from various surveys:
■ 6% of Belgian and foreign residential tourists and 8% of Belgian and foreign day
tourists came to Bruges in the period July-November 2002 specifically because of
the activities of BRUGGE 2002. For 15% of residential tourists and 15% of day
tourists the reason for visiting Bruges was related to BRUGGE 2002 but not exclusively.
Other reasons also played a part. This means that in total, 21% of residential
tourists (which equates to almost 120,000 residential tourists) and 23% of day
tourists (around 700,000 people, not including residents of Bruges and people
from the immediate surrounding areas) were influenced by the activities of
BRUGGE 2002 when choosing Bruges as a destination.
■ 9% of all Belgians (including residents of Bruges and people from the immediate
surrounding areas) visited events, activities or exhibitions organised as part of
BRUGGE 2002. This means that around 920,000 Belgians took part to a lesser or
greater degree in the cultural year.
Image
According to the stakeholders, thanks to BRUGGE 2002 the image of Bruges was
spread about and refreshed. BRUGGE 2002 drew attention to several aspects of
Bruges, giving many people a broader perspective of the city. It is suspected that this

positive process mainly occurred among cultural players in Belgium and among the
native population. The impact of BRUGGE 2002 on the image of Bruges among the
foreign public is probably small.
The public survey reveals that the image of Bruges is still largely determined by the
monumental, mediaeval character, authentic buildings and architecture, a rich history
alongside the picturesque, atmospheric and well-maintained framework of the city.
In terms of spreading the city’s image amongst a wider public, therefore, only the initial
impetus for change has been given and a great deal of work remains to be done.
Economic-touristic impact
The economic impact of an event such as BRUGGE 2002 basically results from the spending
that takes place in the local economy as a result of the event and gives rise to the creation of
extra income. We call this the direct economic effect of BRUGGE 2002.
In addition, we are also concerned with the impact on the position of Bruges in the tourist
market and with the resources deployed.
Direct economic effect
We estimate the total expenditure of the recreational residential and day tourists in
Bruges during the period of the cultural year (February-November 2002) at almost
213 million euros. Of this, 124 million euros was spent by residential tourists and 89
million euros by day tourists.
Starting from the percentage of residential and day tourists that visited Bruges
because of BRUGGE 2002 (possibly combined with other reasons), we can conclude
that a surplus of up to 42 million euros in expenditure was generated by BRUGGE
2002, of which 25 million euros by residential tourists and 17 million euros by day
tourists. This means that expenditure rose by up to 25% as a result of BRUGGE 2002.
From similar studies for other events and destinations we can infer that the direct
economic effect under normal circumstances can be increased by 50% to determine
the total economic effect. In view of the extremely large amount invested in infrastructure,
renovations and the running of BRUGGE 2002 vzw, the final effect for
Bruges may well be estimated as being even higher.
83
CONCISE
Position in tourist market
The stakeholders unanimously view the exhibitions as the events with the greatest
economic-touristic impact, partly because they appeared able to generate overnight
stays. It is also generally accepted that the tourist season began earlier in 2002 than
in other years.
Resources deployed
The questioning of stakeholders shows that great value is placed on the communication
of BRUGGE 2002. The approach to communication is seen as well-thought-out
strategically and innovative.
The effects of communication can also be deduced from public surveys:
■ The Internet, including the BRUGGE 2002 website, articles in newspapers and magazines,
the programme guide to BRUGGE 2002 and other BRUGGE 2002 brochures,
radio and TV programmes are some of the key sources of information consulted
by residential and day tourists regarding their trip to Bruges. Among other things,
this result reflects the successful use of the press.
■ Specifically with regard to the events about which people were questioned, we can
conclude that the programme guide to BRUGGE 2002 and other BRUGGE 2002
brochures contributed significantly to raising awareness. Articles in the written

press also proved important. The influence of advertising and the BRUGGE 2002
website was less, but not insignificant.
In terms of providing information, the stakeholders felt there was a problem with the
fragmented nature of the various contact points for visitors. It was not always clear
where visitors should go for information and/or tickets. Various stakeholders claim
that it would have been better to provide information from a single central point (e.g.,
a visitor centre) that could be responsible for providing cultural and tourist information
and for ticketing.
As far as the distribution of tickets and products is concerned, the stakeholders agree
on the benefit of special passes.
84
BRUGGE 2002
Social impact
Together with most privileged witnesses we can consider the participation and
involvement of the residents of Bruges in the cultural year as a whole to be considerable.
Evidence for this is the great success of the Poorterspas, a special pass specifically
for residents of Bruges, 10,000 of which were sold. We can also conclude from
the results of the various surveys that at least half the residents of Bruges took part to
a lesser or greater degree in activities organised as part of BRUGGE 2002.
Pointers for the future
The studies carried out not only give an accurate picture of the impact of BRUGGE 2002 but
also allow a number of lessons to be learned and pointers to be formulated for the future.
These pointers can then be of use to the further cultural and touristic development of the city
of Bruges, which must first and foremost be aimed at further steering the direction towards
a living, modern and high-quality cultural-historic city.
We should remain very aware that the cultural year has merely provided the initial impetus
and that considerable efforts in terms of programming and communication will still be
necessary in the future. It goes without saying that this can only be achieved if sufficient people
and resources are made available.
We have grouped the actions for the future together under a number of headings.
Infrastructure
It is clear that in terms of cultural infrastructure, a great deal was achieved in the runup
to and during the cultural year 2002. Nevertheless, the privileged witnesses highlighted
a number of gaps and opportunities.
We have extracted the creation of a cultural heritage depot as a possible option for the
future. Bruges still has a massive amount of heritage material that is currently
extremely spread out and completely inaccessible to the public. A heritage depot not
only meets the demand for a more central storage point, it can also provide interesting
and original added value for visitors provided the depot is made accessible in the
right way.
Cultural policy and organisation
We observed great concern regarding the continuation of the zeal created by BRUGGE
2002 and the preservation of the knowledge and expertise built up by BRUGGE 2002.
To meet these demands it is necessary to create an independent structure (e.g., a
slimmed-down version of BRUGGE 2002 vzw) that can act as an intermediate partner
between the city services and the players in the cultural and tourist sector.

The continuation of the zeal created by BRUGGE 2002 is not only the task of this new
structure. In addition, the city will have to fulfil Bruges’ international ambition on a
cultural and tourist level through sustained and major communication efforts. The
survey results have shown that well-thought-out investments in efficient use of the
market produce results.
Programming
To respond to the calling of a living, modern and high-quality cultural-historic city, an
adapted programming of a high level of quality is required.
The necessary cultural infrastructure is in place. It will also determine future developments.
It is now a matter of aspiring to a high level of programming with the
instruments available. At the same time it is clear that the museums and the
Concertgebouw, that can aim for the highest levels of ambition, will be the key players
in these developments.
In all this we must not lose sight of the importance of large-scale events with an international
flavour. They are a must in the range of cultural activities available and allow
attention to be focused on the city at regular intervals. These events must be imbued
with the major characteristics of the city and strengthen the city’s identity and its
desired image.
Relationship with tourism
It is Bruges’ task to work continually towards offering high-quality cultural tourism.
Providing the culture is clearly the task of the cultural sector, but it is also extremely
important that the tourist sector anticipates this and uses the range of cultural activities
available as an ally in developing the tourist product.
Against this background the necessary attention must also be paid to improving the
clout of Toerisme Brugge. This urgently needs modernising, based on a clear policy
vision for this city service.
The surveys also clearly showed that in the future greater attention will have to be
paid to a number of undesirable developments such as:
■ a worsening of the price-quality ratio;
■ the emergence of a number of negative elements in the image, such as a loss of
atmosphere, a less friendly and welcoming population or more visitors.
85
CONCISE

Colophon
EDITORS
Hugo De Greef, Jan Vermassen, Bram De Vos, Otmar Delanote, Jorijn Neyrinck
WITH THE COOPERATION OF
Katrien Van Eeckhoutte, Reinhilde Weyns, Dieter Dewulf, Joke Geldhof,
Lieve Jaspaert, Patrick Ronse, Elsie Roose,Peter Smet, Gerd Van Looy, Karine Ven
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Mia Verstraete
TRANSLATION
Eurologos
DESIGN AND PRODUCTION
Megaluna, arts+design
Stefan Loeckx • Design
Chris Meuris • Coordination lay-out
Rudi De Rechter, Ingrid Van der Haegen, Nadine Guldemont, Frederik Bachely,
Herma Lok, Stephan Leman • Lay-out and technical assistance
Koen de Visscher • Project coordination
Jurgen Darras, Koenraad Raeymaekers, Lut Van den Heuvel,
Ronny Van Ginderdeuren • Assistance Project coordination
Patrick Hannaert, Steven Annaert • DVD & CD-rom
PRINTING
Arte-Print
PUBLISHER
Patrick Moenaert, Burg 12, B-8000 Brugge
Under the Gracious Patronage of His Majesty King Albert II and Her Majesty Queen Paola
SUBSIDIZERS
the Flemish Community, the City of Bruges, the Province of West Flanders, the European
Community, the French Community of Belgium, the Brussels-Capital Region, the Tourist
Office for Flanders, the Belgian Federal Government
CHIEF SPONSORS
Bombardier, Distrigas, Electrabel, KBC, Groep Fabricom – Watco, Nationale Loterij,
Randstad, Siemens, Winsol, Omob, Telindus.
CHIEF MEDIA SPONSORS
De Lijn/Streep, NMBS, Roularta Media Group, Canvas/Radio 1,
De Standaard/Het Nieuwsblad, Le Soir, RTBF.