0140 HISTOIRE de SWAN…
Tour of Europe 04 2016
Day 13 HISTOIRE de SWAN…
You cannot visit Brugge, and return without a photo with or of a SAN. Why Swans in Brugge?
At the end of the 15th century, the oppressed people of Bruges rose in revolt against the unpopular Emperor Maximilian of Austria.
They captured Maximilian and imprisoned him in the Craenenburg House on the Market Square, together with his equally unpopular adviser, Pieter Lanckhals.
Lanckhals was condemned to death and Maximilian was forced to watch the execution.
The Emperor eventually escaped and later took his revenge: he decreed that ‘until the end of time’ the city should be required at its own expense to keep swans on all its lakes and canals.
And why swans? Because swans have long necks – and the Flemish for ‘long neck’ is ‘lange hals’ – or ‘lanckhals’!
And so a city legend was born…
Reality? More likely…
The first swans in Bruges go back to the Middle Ages.
In the early 15th century, Bruges bought the right to keep swans from the Count of Flanders.
At that time swans were a symbol of distinction.
The killing or stealing swans was forbidden.
Swans were first mentioned in the city accounts in 1403.
At that time the swans tended to stay on the vests around the city because the canals were the water highways of the city and too busy for the swans.
A Mute Swan (Cygnus olor), sleeping with one eye open.
The mute swan is commonly associated with romance because of its stark white beauty, graceful swimming and the fact that it mates for life.
Yet there are many things most people don’t know about this swan, including that it is not native to North America and it can be one of the most aggressive waterfowl.
I chose this strong graphic composition, because I wanted something different. Hope you like it too.
I wish you a day full of beauty and thank you for your visit, Magda, (*_*)
For more of my other work or if you want to PURCHASE (ONLY PLACE TO BUY OUR IMAGES!), VIEW THE NEW PORTFOLIOS AND LATEST NEWS HERE on our website: www.indigo2photography.com
IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN (BY LAW!!!) TO USE ANY OF MY image or TEXT on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved
0140 HISTOIRE de SWAN…
Tour of Europe 04 2016
Day 13 HISTOIRE de SWAN…
You cannot visit Brugge, and return without a photo with or of a SAN. Why Swans in Brugge?
At the end of the 15th century, the oppressed people of Bruges rose in revolt against the unpopular Emperor Maximilian of Austria.
They captured Maximilian and imprisoned him in the Craenenburg House on the Market Square, together with his equally unpopular adviser, Pieter Lanckhals.
Lanckhals was condemned to death and Maximilian was forced to watch the execution.
The Emperor eventually escaped and later took his revenge: he decreed that ‘until the end of time’ the city should be required at its own expense to keep swans on all its lakes and canals.
And why swans? Because swans have long necks – and the Flemish for ‘long neck’ is ‘lange hals’ – or ‘lanckhals’!
And so a city legend was born…
Reality? More likely…
The first swans in Bruges go back to the Middle Ages.
In the early 15th century, Bruges bought the right to keep swans from the Count of Flanders.
At that time swans were a symbol of distinction.
The killing or stealing swans was forbidden.
Swans were first mentioned in the city accounts in 1403.
At that time the swans tended to stay on the vests around the city because the canals were the water highways of the city and too busy for the swans.
A Mute Swan (Cygnus olor), sleeping with one eye open.
The mute swan is commonly associated with romance because of its stark white beauty, graceful swimming and the fact that it mates for life.
Yet there are many things most people don’t know about this swan, including that it is not native to North America and it can be one of the most aggressive waterfowl.
I chose this strong graphic composition, because I wanted something different. Hope you like it too.
I wish you a day full of beauty and thank you for your visit, Magda, (*_*)
For more of my other work or if you want to PURCHASE (ONLY PLACE TO BUY OUR IMAGES!), VIEW THE NEW PORTFOLIOS AND LATEST NEWS HERE on our website: www.indigo2photography.com
IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN (BY LAW!!!) TO USE ANY OF MY image or TEXT on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved