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Ghent, Belgium

Make the most of your time in Ghent, use the information provided on this web site by clicking on the links to plan your visit.

The evidence suggests that Ghent was a particularly wealthy medieval city with much commercial success; indeed, there are clues to this in the impressive historic buildings, the scenic Old Town area and the industrial past which the city exhibits. Despite this, Ghent is usually considered the poorer relation to neighbouring city Bruges. It has, in recent years though, grown into a busy and lively city with a distinctive social and cultural scene.

The city stems from the coming together of a settlement where the rivers Scheldt and Leie join and so both waterways run through Ghent still, offering an added picturesque backdrop to admire. Throughout Ghent there are several well-preserved medieval monuments, particularly around the Graslei central area which is also a car-free zone. There are plenty of picturesque churches dotted around, while interestingly, there are the Beguinages which are collections of small houses linked to the Catholic church. They, along with the Belfry tower and nearby cloth hall, are protected as UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Some 220,000 people live in Ghent, while there are somewhere in the region of 600,000 inhabitants in the wider area, making it the fourth most-populated city in the country. The university and the port certainly add to the levels of busyness which Ghent has become known for, while also bringing new demographics and economy to the city. The port is linked to the sea via the Ghent-Terneuzen canal which has proved helpful for transportation purposes. Further, tourism is on the increase in this north-west Belgian city as visitors flock to the region to soak up some of the culture and view some of its sights.

Another of the city’s buildings is the 1180-built Gravensteen castle, while Bavo’s cathedral is also well-worth a visit. There are, as is the case in many cities, a number of museums such as the fine arts museum, the city museum for contemporary arts, the design museum and the Bijlo museum. Each year the city plays host to the Ghent Fests which is a 10-day-long festival welcoming some two million visitors annually.

The people of Ghent have been given a rather strange nickname; they are known as Stropkes, a word which means ‘noose’. The name originated after the citizens refused to pay more taxes to Emperor Charles V in 1537. In response, the Emperor punished their rebellious nature, threatening them with hanging if they didn’t change their minds. It was at this time that Charles pulled down the city walls and abolished some of the peoples’ privileges.
 

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