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Frederik Roelens

Frederik Roelens

City archaeologist of Bruges, Belgium, leading the city's archaeological service (Raakvlak) and research into its medieval water infrastructure.

Sep 21, 2026

8:23
yeah very nice and you already mentioned both of you mentioned already the different the links between or not even the links but how how versatile this project is brings together sensors with archaeology and cultural heritage and so on what's something most people misunderstand about Bruges
8:42
there's like A general idea, I think it's from Belgians in general that Bruges is like a theme park, like a Disneyland, which is fake, but it's actually the other way around.
8:56
There are a few central squares or public buildings which have a certain aura of Disney, which had some restorations which are not necessarily historically correct.
9:12
If you actually go inside of the houses, there's a lot to see, a lot to spot.
9:18
And I think Bruges is actually, in Flanders, it's like the city with the most medieval houses which are still standing and still inhabited.
9:31
It's typical, if we buy a house in Belgium, what do we do? We throw out the kitchen, we change the bathroom, perhaps some flooring, and that's exactly what people did in the Middle Ages.
9:45
But structural changes, if your roof is still working as it should be, it's kept as it is.
13:08
But if you visited the exhibition, you know that water and the connection to water in the city has been a very long-standing...

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