Smedenpoort, Medieval city gate in Bruges, Belgium.

Smedenpoort is a brick gate of red and brown masonry, with a central block flanked by two lower round-towered wings under dark sloping roofs. The central block has a steep pitched roof topped by an open bell structure with a spire, a carved stone coat of arms between small round openings, and a wide round-arched passage at its base. A second arched passage sits in the left wing, and a narrow pointed archway is set into the angled wall in front.

The gate was built in 1368 to replace an earlier structure from 1297 and served as a crucial checkpoint during medieval times for merchants entering Bruges. This reconstruction reflected the city's ongoing effort to strengthen its defenses and maintain control over trade flowing through its entrance.

A bronze skull hangs on the gate, recalling 1691, when the Bruges sailor Jacob Wyndekens exposed a plot by François van der Straeten to smuggle French soldiers in through the Smedenpoort. Van der Straeten was hanged on 26 June 1691 and his head set on an iron pin on the gate; the skull was later replaced by a bronze copy.

Since 2012, footbridges on both sides let pedestrians walk around the gate, while cyclists use the small arched passages and stay apart from car traffic. The gate stands on the south-west edge of the old centre, where the ring canal surrounds it on all sides, so it is reached on foot or by bike rather than by car.

The bronze skull hanging on the gate recalls 26 June 1691, when the Bruges sailor Jacob Wyndekens exposed a plot to smuggle French soldiers in through the Smedenpoort. The traitor François van der Straeten was hanged that same day, his head cut off and set on an iron pin on the gate; the skull was later replaced by a bronze copy.