1960 - Bruges

The Bruges townBruges is a Belgian town in the province of West Flanders 15 km from the North Sea. Renowned for its romantic atmosphere, it is called the “Venice of the North” because it has many canals encircling or crossing the town, and at the edge of the town centre the remains of fortifications and mills are still found.

From Bruges the European idea is carried and propagated in the cultural environments of different countries by the many students attending lectures at the College of Europe. Its creation dates back to The Hague Congress in 1948 when Salvador de Madariaga, the exiled Spanish statesman, thinker and writer, suggested founding a college where young university graduates from different countries of Europe could come to study and live together. A committee of residents of Bruges, captivated by the project, managed to have it established in their town. The mission of the College of Europe since its foundation has been to introduce postgraduate students to political, legal, economic and international questions.

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