Minnewater Park and the Lake of Love

Our next stop takes us away from the bustle of the city centre and into something more peaceful. Welcome to Minnewater Park—one of the largest green spaces in Bruges. This is a true tribute to nature, with leafy paths, quiet corners, and the iconic Lake of Love. Even the name sounds like something out of a fairytale. As you might expect, there’s a legend behind it. Long ago, a young woman fled into these woods to escape an arranged marriage. Her true love, who returned from war too late, found her dying. Devastated, he built a dam to divert the nearby stream, buried her here, and later broke the dam so the rising waters would form a lake above her final resting place. It’s certainly a tragic love story, but the Lake of Love also holds a much sweeter tradition. They say that anyone who makes a wish on the bridge will share eternal love with the person beside them. So go ahead—make a wish, and if you’re lucky enough to be here with someone special, seal it with a kiss in this enchanted setting.