Short answers, pulled from the story.
Bruges was one of the world's chief commercial cities during the 12th to 15th centuries. It hosted what was most likely the first stock exchange on earth, opened in 1309, and served as the primary northern link to Mediterranean trade after Genoese merchants arrived in 1277. The city was a hub for the Hanseatic League, Castilian wool merchants, and Flemish textile production.
The name Bruges most likely derives from the Scandinavian word Bryggja, meaning quay or jetty, though it also resembles the Old Dutch and Middle Dutch words for bridge. The earliest written record of the name appears as Brugis in an inventory of Saint Bavo's Abbey compiled between 851 and 864 AD.
Bruges holds three separate UNESCO World Heritage designations. The Historic Centre of Bruges was inscribed in 2000. The Belfry of Bruges, a 13th-century tower with a 47-bell carillon, is included in the Belfries of Belgium and France designation. The Ten Wijngaerde Beguinage, also from the 13th century, is part of the Flemish Beguinages World Heritage Site.
The Bruges Matins was a night-time massacre on the 18th of May 1302, when the local Flemish militia killed the French garrison in the city. The uprising led to the Battle of the Golden Spurs on the 11th of July 1302, fought near Kortrijk, where Flemish forces defeated the French. The leaders of the revolt, Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck, are commemorated by a statue still standing on the Big Market square.
The silting of the Zwin channel, known as the Golden Inlet, cut Bruges off from sea access and ended its commercial dominance. The secession of the Spanish Netherlands in 1584 accelerated the decline. Antwerp took over as the economic centre of the Low Countries, and Bruges grew gradually impoverished.
The Church of Our Lady in Bruges houses a sculpture of Madonna and Child believed to be the only work by Michelangelo to have left Italy during his lifetime. The Groeningemuseum holds an extensive collection of medieval and early modern art including works by Jan van Eyck, who lived and worked in Bruges. Hans Memling is represented at the Old St. John's Hospital, which now operates as the Hans Memling museum.