The Poortersloge is the most remarkable building on the Jan van Eycksquare.It has a slender tower and its facade is adorned with several statues, under which "het beertje van de loge" (the bear of the loggia).The Poortersloge was built at the end of the 14th and beginning of the 15th century in the commercial heart of Bruges.This side of Bruges was the area where the international trade took place, ships were loaded and unloaded.In the immediate vicinity were the nationhouses of the most important trading partners and next door was the toll house, where goods had to cleared and tax was levied. The Poortersloge was the place where the "important" citizens (poorters) had their meetings and where they received their trading partners.It was also the seat of the "Genootschap van de Witte Beer" (the Society of the White Bear).