Have you noticed the damsel on the miniature at the bottom holding a smartphone in her hand? This nicely sums up what we are trying to achieve with Beyond Bruges: holding up a mirror of the past to bridge the gap with today's society, thus helping to confidently chart the way forward. 

As it happens, the history of Bruges provides an excellent frame of reference to better understand today's global society. As a formidable trading power, medieval Bruges played a pioneering role in the creation of Western capitalism. Thanks to the flourishing Flemish cloth industry and it’s favourable geographical location, Bruges became a hub for the trade in luxury goods and textiles and grew into one of the largest and richest cities in Europe. Bruges was also the city where the first stock exchange was established, thereby enabling paper means of payment to develop, and the place where the earliest bank branches were established.

Bruges thus contributed significantly to the development of early modern capitalism, which from here would spread across Europe and subsequently take over the whole world. But it is also the place where this system eventually collapsed. If we consider the situation of medieval Bruges in a broad sense, we see some striking similarities to today's globalised economy:

A growing discontent among the working classes towards monopolistic elites, who distribute the wealth unevenly.   

A heavy reliance on limited resources (formerly textiles, now fossil fuels) to fuel the economy. 

A lack of local economic anchoring due to the continued need for foreign imports.

A society thrown off balance by a deadly plague pandemic.

A trading system thrown off balance by a major neighbourly conflict, specifically between France and England

An environment thrown off balance by climatic changes, specifically the silting up of the Zwin, the sea arm connecting Bruges to the sea.

Of course, there are a lot of nuances to this story, but it very much seems like history is repeating itself, and there is no small chance that it will end the same way it did in Bruges. Only this time, the collapse will not just be on a local scale, but on a global scale. Unless we learn from our mistakes and adjust our course, keeping in mind the timeless credo that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. 

Based on this vision, we want to arm Bruges for the future by pursuing the development of its own city currency that is social, sustainable and circular. A currency system that is locally anchored and protects against the whims of a volatile global economy. A currency that works for the people of Bruges and fosters civic engagement. This formula has already been successfully applied in many places around the world and it is an efficient way to implement the necessary reforms towards a more decarbonised and participatory society. After all, money is the tide that lifts all boats. Change money, and the rest will eventually follow suit.

Beyond Bruges had been designed to support this message by introducing a digital currency, Bryghia, which is required to carry out all transactions in the app. Bryghia allows our users to request information on places of interest, view 3D models of medieval Bruges, buy a selection of local products or make a donation to charity, among other things. 

There are 2 ways to obtain Bryghia: you can either buy them in the app for €1 per Bryghia, or you can earn them by making a purchase at one of the 40 affiliated local and artisan partners. For every purchase you make in euros at a partner store, you will receive a 10% direct cashback in your Bryghia wallet upon presentation of your QR code. In this way, we want to reward you for sustainable purchasing behaviour and create awareness about the use of alternative money systems.

Beyond Bruges is just a first step. We hope it may initiate the development of a true community currency that prepares our city for the future. A future where money becomes more and more digital and where technological innovations like blockchain and artificial intelligence will increasingly define our lives. A future where our values are reflected in our value systems that avoid the pitfalls of the past and meet the challenges of our time.

We hope that we can achieve these goals and that you enjoy Beyond Bruges!