Bruges has many churches, but only one has a swing in it. The Magdalenakerk was built by the British architect Thomas Harper King in the neo-Gothic style that was then popular in England.
It became empty and neglected in recent years as fewer people went to church. But in 2002 a local group came up with a plan to reinvent the church as an experimental spiritual and artistic space.
The swing is an artwork you can sit on. And there’s also a little coffee bar called Magda’s. But it is still a church as well.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
