Steenstraat (“Stone Street”) is a street in the old town of Bruges. It is one of the oldest in the city and existed even before Roman times. The name recalls that it was one of the first paved roads in Bruges.
At the time the old photo was taken (around 1930), a tram still ran here, but it was discontinued in 1956. Most of the buildings are historic, with many former guild houses. The house on the right appears to have been an exhibition hall (“Salon d'Exposition”). The building next door was temporarily used as a cinema (“Cinema Oud Brugghe”). Today, Steenstraat is a very busy street with many shops, cafés, and restaurants.
The belfry can be seen in the distance. It belongs to the town hall on the market square (Grote Markt). To this day, no new building is allowed to tower above it.