Located in the northwest of Belgium, Ghent is one of the most surprising cities in Flanders despite always being in the shadow of Bruges. Although its history has points in common with the neighboring town, since the XNUMXth century Ghent has had an industrial role that left its mark on the appearance of the city.
In this way, in the 80s of the XNUMXth century, it underwent a major restoration to try to attract tourism as Bruges already did: the industrial areas were cleaned up, the canals were purified and the buildings were cleaned.
Today Ghent is a city devoted to its university, which has made it one of the liveliest places in northern Europe. And it is that almost 20% of its population is student.
If you are planning a tour of Belgium, a trip to Ghent or maybe you want to go to study there for a while, here are the highlights.
History of Ghents
City of birth of Emperor Charles V, Ghent has the largest number of historic buildings in Flanders and is larger than neighboring Bruges. Its privileged location allows it to be only half an hour by train from Brussels and Bruges.
Ghent is considered to have been founded when Baudouin I of Flanders built a castle in the XNUMXth century to defend the abbeys of Saint Peter and Saint Bavo from Viking raids.
During the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries, Ghent became an important commercial center, mainly trading wool with the English countries. Later, towards the XNUMXth century, Ghent would suffer the continuous problems between Catholics and Protestants.
Already in the XNUMXth century, King William I founded the University of Ghent and built the Ghent Terneuzen canal. Thus the city continued to expand as a great industrial center and the number of inhabitants tripled.
What to see in Ghent?
Ghent Cathedral
It took three centuries to build and owes its name to Saint Bavo, the patron saint of Ghent. It was built on the ruins of an old wooden Romanesque church (the Chapel of San Juan Bautista) whose traces can still be seen in the crypt of the cathedral.
The life of Emperor Charles V is closely linked to the history of this cathedral, as in addition to being baptized in it, he contributed financially to its construction by donating a lot of money.
Ghent Cathedral is famous for housing many artistic treasures (a baroque marble altar, a rocky oak pulpit, bishops 'mausoleums and one of Rubens' masterpieces "The Entry into the Monastery of Saint Bavo").
But without a doubt, the most popular of them all is the "Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" by Hubert and Juan van Eyck, dating from 1432. To see it has a price of 4 euros.
Ghent Castle
Ghent Castle is one of the best-preserved fortresses on the continent. Its construction began in the XNUMXth century and was used as a residence for the Counts of Flanders and as a defensive fortress until the XNUMXth century.
However throughout its history it has had other uses such as the mint and prison. In the XNUMXth century it was converted into a textile factory, which contributed to its progressive degradation. This led to the fact that in the XNUMXth century the castle had to be extensively rehabilitated when the government bought it.
Today you can visit several rooms of the castle and the Tower of Homage, from which you have beautiful views of Ghent.
Town hall
As with the Bruges town hall, the Ghent town hall also catches all eyes. In addition to its administrative importance, it also stands out for its architecture: one of the facades shows a late flamboyant Gothic style from the beginning of the XNUMXth century while the other shows a Renaissance style inspired by Italian palaces.
Belfort
Taking in the aerial views of Ghent is something you cannot miss. From the Belfort Tower, with its more than 90 meters and crowned by the weather vane of a dragon, you can see the entire skyline of the city.
It is declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. It was built in the XNUMXth century as a watchtower and to guard the municipal privileges of the city.
Inside the Belfort Tower there are several exhibition rooms with models of the tower, other dragons that crowned the tower or the famous Roland bell, which warned of the arrival of enemies. The entrance to Belfort has a price of 6 euros.
Church of San Nicolás
It is one of the emblems of Ghent. It was erected in the XNUMXth century on the remains of another temple that suffered a fire. Thanks to the contributions of the wealthy merchants of the city it could be rebuilt, hence it was named in honor of Saint Nicholas, patron saint of merchants.
In fact, it is located very close to the Korenmarkt, the market where the different guilds of the city did their business.
On the occasion of the rise of Protestantism in the XNUMXth century, the paintings and sculptures inside the church of San Nicolás were destroyed. To top it all, the French Revolution and the two world wars came close to bringing it down completely. Its restoration had to be carried out in the second half of the XNUMXth century.
corn market
As we said, the Korenmarkt is the square where the city market used to take place. Today it is one of the liveliest places in Ghent thanks to its terraces and cafes.
In the Korenmarkt, two buildings stand out above the others: the aforementioned Church of San Nicolás and the Post Office building, which mixes Gothic and Renaissance styles in its architecture.