3 december 2016

The swans of Bruges

Swans in the canal near the beguinage in Bruges.

There is a story about the swans in Bruges, dating from the time of Maximilan (1832-1867). This man, who married princes Charlotte of Belgium in 1857, had a confident named ´Longneck´. When Longneck was sentenced to death, Maximilian put a curse on the city for killing the man who meant a lot to him. He compelled the people of Bruges to keep swans (or 'longnecks') in the canals forever and ever.
There are about 50 swans in the city, and whenever one of them dies, a new swan is bought..

I'm linking to Saturday's Critters.
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16 opmerkingen:

  1. Andy3 december 2016 om 11:13

    From what I am seeing here it has turned out to be a very pleasant curse.

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  2. eileeninmd3 december 2016 om 11:36

    Hello, interesting story. I hope the swans live on forever. They are beautiful. Great photo. Thank you so much for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!

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  3. biebkriebels3 december 2016 om 11:42

    Dat is een interessante geschiedenis, mooie foto met dat pootje op zijn rug.

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  4. Tom3 december 2016 om 12:59

    Marleen, what a beautiful scene.

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  5. Phil Slade3 december 2016 om 13:18

    That is a most interesting story Marleen. I'm so pleased the people of Bruges value their beautiful swans.

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  6. PerthDailyPhoto3 december 2016 om 13:46

    They look so lovely grouped like this Marleen.. I'm so used to seeing our black swans it seems strange to see these white beauties ☺

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  7. Cloudia3 december 2016 om 14:51

    What lovely photos

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  8. s.c3 december 2016 om 15:29

    Doet me denken aan de Thames, daar schijnen alle zwanen koninklijk bezit te zijn.

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  9. Bill3 december 2016 om 16:07

    That is a very pleasant scene with those swans. Interesting story about the curse.

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  10. Lowell3 december 2016 om 20:19

    A fascinating story and that first photo is magnificent! They are gorgeous birds!

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  11. Aritha V. 3 december 2016 om 20:54

    Dat vind ik echt gaaf om te weten! Zit een heel verhaal aan vast dus.

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  12. Mostly.Nature4 december 2016 om 03:11

    Nice setting for the swans.

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  13. orvokki4 december 2016 om 09:21

    Looks wonderful, the swans are lovely.

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  14. William Kendall4 december 2016 om 20:15

    What beauties!

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  15. Lois4 december 2016 om 23:30

    They are gorgeous! I could watch them all day.

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  16. Karl6 december 2016 om 13:54

    Lovely pictures, Marleen !

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