Damme Things to Do

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The Church of Our Lady.

There's been a church here since at least 1180, but what you can see today gives a clear indication of how the once wealthy and important Damme declined over the centuries.

The original church (13th century) was huge.....its tower and external walls still remain. But as the population (and wealth) grew less, it was simply too big to maintain, and a much smaller church was created within the existing building. That's the one you can visit today.

The existing church contains several interesting religious artefacts (some Medieval, but most from 16th-18th centuries), and is rather a pretty place. There is a good explanatory leaflet available in several languages.

You can also climb the original tower, which apparently gives excellent views over the surrounding countryside. It costs 1 euro to do so.

On the other side of the River Zwin from Damme village atands an absolutely classic white windmill.

It really does make a pretty sight, especially when the weather is sunny and the water calm enough to give a clear reflection.

It also makes you realise how close you are to the Netherlands: windmills, canals, flat fields, polders......

There's been a windmill on that spot since at least the 1200s, but the one you can see now dates from 1867. It is open to the public, but you'll have to contact the tourist Office to fins out when (see weblink).

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Charles De Coster wrote the novel “La légende d’Ulenspiegel 1867, in french
It is telling the story of Tyl, Nele and Lamme Goedzak. The three are crossing the dutch country, and in every place they stop, something strange/funny happens.
Often they turn the world upside down, and many times Tyl showed the world in his famous and wellknown mirror, saying : this is how the real world looks like.

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Walking/strolling on the roads next to the canal
In the 13th century, Damme was the port for Bruges, linked by the river Reie. The river has now been canalised into the long, straight, treelined and picturesque Damse Vaart,
More than 300 kind of goods were imported via Damme. I's importance? Mentioning that Damme had the staple rights on wine from Bordeaux and on herring, which even came from Sweden.

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Due to it's rich history and many things worth seeing, Damme is nowadays a popular touristic center. Popular, but fortunately not too crowdy ( outern season period). Till far over our borders, Damme is renowned for it's cuisine and since a few years it is also known as a place where you can buy lots of old (and new) books.
The most famous mill ( Schellemolen ) in Damme - next to the canal - it is possible to go by boat - direction vice versa Brugge - the capital of West-Flanders

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The Saint-John’s hospital was founded in the first half of the 13th century. Augustine nuns and friars looked after the sick and the poor of the area, as well as providing a place for pilgrims and other travellers to stay for the night.
Since the 19th century, the house is an old people’s home while the central building has been turned into a museum. This is the oldest part, holding over 500 exhibits of furniture, paintings, silverware, documents and books from the convent library. They give an idea of the function of this old hospital and how it changed through the centuries.

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Kerkstraat- Damme. Town hall, Court of justice, High Gothic, gargouille, baldachin (canopy), stepped gable, statues as an ornament, sun clock, sun calendar, tabernacle, clockwork, bell. The town hall remains as a token of the earlier economic strength of Damme. Built in 1464-68 by Gottfried de Bosschere, it is an excellent example of late Gothic architecture.

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The most famous structure in town may be the Damme Church, Onze Lieve Vrouw, the tower of which is about three times taller that anything else in town. You can climb up and get fantastic views of the countryside.
A statue of the artist Charles Delporte - located in the garden of the "Onze Lieve Vrouwe Church is an inspiring piece of art
Delporte himself has already a museum in Damme.