2nd Deaf Volleyball Champions League Bruges - Belgium 26-28 November 2015
2 Welcome to Bruges Bruges is mysteriously medieval and unashamedly ebullient. Though a city of human proportions, it takes a while to explore its wealth of treasures. The city owes its greatness to history and now wears its Unesco World Heritage Site label with pride. For centuries the canals of Bruges have linked the city to the sea, a guarantee of wealth and prosperity. International merchants built up Bruges into one of the largest Hanse cities. In the 15th century the city flourished as never before. Large parts of the medieval heritage remained practically intact. Therefore, it is only logical that Unesco designated the entire city centre as a world heritage site. Saunter along the enigmatic canals, the arteries of the city, and immerse yourself in Bruges Golden Century. The economic affluence of the 15th century brought rich merchants to Bruges. They moved into majestic city palaces, packed with works of art. In the wake of the Burgundian dynasty, the great Flemish primitives, including Jan van Eyck and Hans Memling found their creative niches in Bruges. The fine arts reigned supremely and Bruges quickly became the meeting place and source of inspiration for many artists. The world famous masterpieces and other top collections can be seen today in one of the 30 Bruges museums. In medieval Bruges, polyphonic chamber music and choral music reverberated vibrantly. Internationally renowned polyphonists had the run of the elegant city palaces of the rich Burgundians. Since the 19th century this tradition has been continued in the splendidly restored City Theatre, one of Europe s best preserved city theatres. And also in the contemporary Concertgebouw (Concert Hall), a stone souvenir of Bruges 2002 when Bruges was the Cultural Capital of Europe, top productions follow one after the other. At the grand parties in the princely palace of the dukes of Burgundy, romance was all the rage. This is where mysterious stories found their roots. The legend of the Bruges swans came about in the period after Mary of Burgundy s passing. Pieter Lanchals, a name which means 'long neck', who was one of the town administrators belonging to the court of Maximilian of Austria, was executed in the Bruges market square. Legend has it that Maximilian punished Bruges by obliging the population to keep 'long necks', or swans, on their lakes and canals till eternity. To this day, proud swans guard the Bruges canals. This elegant image, the windy, mediaeval streets and cobbled squares turn Bruges into the most romantic destination. Back in the early Middle Ages, Bruges was one of Europe s most important sea ports. One hundred years ago, Bruges revisited this successful past when it turned the port of Zeebrugge into one of Europe s most significant ports for container traffic and a considerable gas terminal for a large part of Europe. For cruise ships too, this port, right by the North Sea, is an excellent mooring place at a stone s throw from the historic heart of the World Heritage city of Bruges.
3 When the Flemish cloth industry lost in importance in the 15th century, Bruges concentrated on the production of various luxury goods. Guilds and, later on, trade organisations, kept a watchful eye on, and protected, the creation of these quality products. Besides panel painting by the Flemish primitives, Bruges excelled in the goldsmith art, the production of illuminated manuscripts, diamond cutting and lace. Today, the World Heritage city is still an international centre of refined craftsmanship. Bruges is a leader in the field of calligraphy and letter sculpting. Moreover, two reputed colleges train culinary talent, allowing them to create gastronomic furore in Bruges and overseas. The capital of chocolate is the obvious place where you will find the cream of artisan chocolatiers. The Deaf Volleyball Champions League Bruges 2015 Organizing Committee hopes to welcome you all in the city of Bruges
4 Accessibility The city of Bruges is easily accessible by plane and/or train. By plane you have several options to get to Bruges: Via Brussels Airport: The national airport is located at 100 km from Bruges, it receives flights from over 200 destinations in 66 countries every day. It's easy to travel from Brussels national Airport to Bruges by train, a direct connection is introduced to Bruges that runs every hour. Via Antwerp Airport: The Antwerp Airport is also located at 100 km from Bruges, it receives flights from Berlin and Hamburg (Germany), Milan (Italy), Genève (Swiss), Barcelona, Alicante, Mallorca and Malaga (Spain) and from London (UK). The railway station Antwerpen-Berchem is located near Antwerp Airport and provides national train connections and also a direct connection to Bruges. Via Lille Airport: The Lille Airport is located in France at 80 km from Bruges, it receives flights from countries like Spain, Italy, Croatia, Portugal and Swiss. Via Ostend-Bruges Airport: Ostend-Bruges Airport is in full development and is systematically expanding its range of services. It receives flights from Turkey, Greece and Spain. From the airport there at least three trains per hour to Bruges. For the above airport the DVCL Bruges 2015 Organizing Committee Transportation Department will provide effective and timely transportation services to all key locations (hotels and sport venue). Via Brussels South Charleroi Airport: The popular regional airport located at 170 km from Bruges, it receives several low-cost flights daily from various other cities and regions across Europe. For the last mentioned airport the DVCL Bruges 2015 Organizing Committee Transportation Department will not provided any transportation. The bus company Flibco.com is offering a direct shuttle bus to and from the station of Bruges with a frequency of 9 trips a day. Using this service, you will travel more comfortable, it's cheaper and often also faster than other transport alternatives (train, combination of train and bus). Booking is cheaper online. You will pay a surcharge on the bus or at the airport. By train The Brussels South station is the Belgian hub for international train traffic, receiving multiple high-speed trains per day from Paris (Thalys and TGV), Lille (Eurostar and TGV), London (Eurostar), Amsterdam (Thalys) and Cologne (Thalys and ICE). Every hour, there are two trains that leave Brussels South with stops in Bruges. From London St. Pancras International, travel time to Bruges (changing at Brussel South) is about 3 hours.
5 By Car Bruges is situated along the E40 motorway, so it well connected to other cities in Belgium. - 30 minutes from Ostend-Bruges Airport - 1h from Brussels Airport and Lille Airport (France) - 1,5h form Antwerp Airport
6 Accommodation Competition venue and training venue The Deaf Volleyball Champions League encompassed a total of 1 competition and 1 training venue. The competition and also the training venue is located at the Bloso-centre 'Julien Saelens' in Bruges. This brand new modern sport facility opened its doors in 2012. The indoor-hall has three competition fields conformed the international rules and several warming-up fields, all at the same location. Competition venue - 3 courts conformed international rules Training venue - one court with volleyball field and one court without volleyball field
7 Athletes Villages The Organizing Committee Accommodation & Catering Department presented two different accommodations for the athletes. The first accommodation is located at the Bloso-centre 'Julien Saelens' in Bruges. It accommodates 100 beds divided into 24 rooms for 4 persons with breakfast. Each room has a refrigerator and a shower. The whole accommodation has free internet-access. The second accommodation is located at 2 km from the Bloso-centre 'Julien Saelens'. It accommodates also 100 beds divided into 22 rooms for 4 persons with breakfast. Each room has a shower. The whole accommodation has also free internet-access. The DVCL Bruges 2015 Organizing Committee Transportation Department will provide transportation if necessary.
8 The lunch (two times to start depending on the game program of the teams) (11.30 + 13.00) and dinner (18.00 + 19.30) will be serve in the restaurant at the Bloso-centre 'Julien Saelens'. The price of Wednesday November 25 (overnight stay) to breakfast on Sunday, November 29th full board (4 nights, 4 breakfasts, 3 lunch, 3 dinner, transportation, t-shirt, etc.) per person: 250. There may be additional food and overnight stays at request at a low price in the Blosocentre "Julien Saelens". ( 18.50 lunch, dinner 15, 30 overnight stay and breakfast) Teams staying in another hotel that just does not provide the organization or wish to enjoy three lunch and three dinner pay 140 per person. Teams that no supply (accommodation and food) use of the organization pay 50 per person. The technical meeting on Wednesday 25/11/2015 and Friday 27/11/2015 evening around 20.30 will be held in the auditorium at Bloso-centre 'Julien Saelens'. The final program will follow. Saturday 28/11 there is also a farewell party where the 12 best players will be honored.
The map of Bruges : On foot from the Sports Centre to the historic center is 20 'walk (1.6 km), the railway station 25' (2.3 km) and the second accommodation Youth Hostel 20 '(1.7 km). There is also well connected to the city bus from the sports center every 15 ' 9