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Ghent: some highlights
EKKERGEMKERK
This short walk introduces you to all the highlights of
the historical city centre. You will catch a glimpse of the
main buildings and savour some of the many delicacies
the city has to offer. Consider it a teaser… enjoy to the
full, and of course, don’t resist the temptation to have
more!
GRAVENSTEEN
Our walk starts at
Sint-Veerleplein
, in the shadow of
the imposing
Castle of the Counts
. Nowhere else in the
world will you find such a massive castle right in the heart of
a city. Whoever comes to Ghent without visiting this castle,
which was built in 1180, deserves thumb screws, a stay in the
dungeons or even the guillotine (which was last used in 1861).
All this is on display inside the Castle of the Counts.
Where you are currently standing, the Count’s chickens once
roamed around. The poultry yard was long gone when the
opened its doors here in 1689, with its
Old Fish Market
beautiful gateway! High above the entrance Neptune keeps
watch with his golden trident, flanked by the Scheldt (male)
and the Lys (female).
Unless you’ve just visited the
Visit Gent Tourist Infor-
, we recommend you do so asap! You can
mation Centre
OUD JUSTITIEPALEIS
“surf” on the high-tech table designed by Arne Quinze or let
the staff put a smile on your face!
And off we go! We leave the Old Fish Market and (for the
time being) catch one last glimpse of the Castle of the
Counts. We turn left and cross the Lieve via the bridge.
In the 13th century this was the first artificial link between
the city and the North Sea, and thus of high economic
importance. Today it is used only for tourist boat tours and
leisure kayaking, and to spot stately water birds.
On the left, in the row of houses along the water you’ll see
the only remaining wooden back wall in the entire city.
A little bit further, on the other side of the road, are ‘De
Gekroonde Hoofden’ (The Crowned Heads) watching over
the crossing for eternity. Charles V is the third from the
left below. If you keep walking straight on, you’ll end up in
Ghent’s antiques street, but we’re turning left.
Jan Breydelstraat is brimming with more lovely restaurants,
hidden outdoor cafes (on your right!) and ‘divine’ bric-a-brac
shops. Halfway through, you can have a rest while admiring
a beautiful view from the small
Appelbrugparkje
, one of
BOEKENTOREN
the city’s many hidden gems. Facing it is the
Design museum
Gent
, which is home to a unique collection and hosts
many exhibitions with international allure.
The enormous vase in the courtyard alone, which is several
metres high, is worth a visit!
But the best is yet to come… Just a few metres ahead lie
Graslei and Korenlei
, which together formed the first
trade port in Ghent back in the eleventh century.
The buildings on the left and right banks of the River Lys are
unique and of a timeless beauty.
ST-JACOBSKERK
ST-MICHIELS
KERK
ST-NIKLAASKERK
GRAVEN
STEEN
STADSHAL
VRIJDAG
MARKT
GRASLEI
BELFORT
BIJLOKE
TORENS
KOUTER
PORTUS
GANDA
ST-BAAFSKATHEDRAAL
VISIT GENT
Tourist Information Centre
Sint-Veerleplein 5 – 9000 Gent
T. +32 9 266 56 60
www.visitgent.be – visit@gent.be
Open:
9.30 > 16.30 (15/10 > 14/03)
9.30 > 18.30 (15/03 > 14/10)
PubliSher
: Annelies Storms, alderwoman for Culture, Tourism and events.
Stadhuis, botermarkt 1, 9000 Gent.
City Walk
Follow visitgent on:
#visitgent
ZUID
DUIVELSTEEN
SINT-
PIETERS
PLEIN
Many tourist guides describe this as one of the most
beautiful cityscapes in Europe – and we’re sure you won’t
disagree. This is also the ultimate meeting place where the
inhabitants of Ghent, commuters, students and tourists enjoy
the sun and each other’s company.
Let’s resist the temptation (or maybe not – feel free to have
a break!) We stay in Korenlei and walk toward the staircase,
onto
St Michael’s Bridge
. Here (and here only) you
can admire Ghent’s skyline in its entirety. Take your time
to stamp it on your memory. Or at least on your camera’s
memory card.
VOORUIT
Now that we’ve photographed them, we can go and admire
the three towers from close-by. We walk towards the first
CITADELPARK
tower, the one from
St Nicholas’ Church
, built in the
thirteenth century in Scheldt Gothic style with blue stone
from the Tournai region. On your right, you see Veldstraat,
where all the major shopping chains are represented. Newly
refurbished Korenmarkt with the former Post Office building
looks like a large terrace.
Left of the church you’ll see Klein Turkije (Little Turkey),
probably the only nightlife spot in the world with countless
dormer windows and medieval step gables. This was the first
paved street in a city full of filthy dirt roads. The street was
built based on the stories of the crusaders returning from
the Holy Land, which was then colloquially called Turkey.
at Emile Braunplein.
Today it leads to the
City Pavilion
The City Pavilion is one of Ghent’s new architectural
ST-ANNAKERK
highlights. Striking features include the roof structure and
the use of glass, wood and concrete. There is space for
concerts, dance shows and markets.
The tower of
St Michael’s Church
, next to the bridge, was
to be 138 metres high, but was never completed.
The plans turned out to be too grand, and there was not
enough money at hand. Behind the church, along the water,
stands
Het Pand
, which used to be a Dominican priory
and hospital. The building is now owned by Ghent University
and is used as a cultural and conference centre.
ST-PIETERSABDIJ
BEGIJNHOF
KERK
The masterpiece will be restored in several phases, but two
thirds of the original will still be open to the public.
Flanked by his muses the god Apollo watches over the
beautifully refurbished square from the
theatre building
. Water flows from the fountain, and beer is plentiful in the
many cosy outdoor cafes.
We enjoy the city’s typical hustle and bustle for one more
minute, then we turn into the Biezekapelstraat, left in front
of the cathedral. Less than fifty metres into this street, all
sounds seem to have faded away. But if you’re lucky, you will
be treated to a wonderful melody from one of the windows, a
hidden musician seems to accompany your steps with a
delightful soundtrack. In reality what you hear are the stu-
dents at the conservatory which is located in the
Sikkel
.
This building, with its two small towers and private well,
clearly belonged to a very rich family. Let’s not forget that in
the fifteenth century Ghent had only five wells for its 65,000
inhabitants!
BELFORT
GRAVENSTEEN
Ghent’ the cloth industry flourished like never before.
Ghent is still referred to as ‘the city of Artevelde’, nearly 700
years after he was murdered by his rivals.
You can leave Vrijdagmarkt along many streets and alleys.
We opt for Meerseniersstraat.
From Zuivelbrug across the Lys you can see
Mad Meg
on your left. This impressive wrought-iron cannon has been
in the same spot for 425 years and has never fired a single
shot. Its ox red colour is original.
We walk across the bridge and leave the Kuip for
’s Gravensgrond: this area originally belonged to the count
and was therefore not city property.
You immediately come face to face with a beautiful facade
decorated with bas-reliefs of the Six Works of Mercy. Six?
That’s right! Historians are becoming increasingly convinced
that the Seventh Work, burying the dead, is missing because
it is too gloomy. The first, feeding the hungry, is not a
problem: just pop into the shop filled to the brim with Ghent
specialities.
Or head to the beautiful
Patershol
, an authentic working-
class neighbourhood with an equally authentic medieval
street plan. This is now the culinary mecca of the city. But
if you’re a foodie, you can also turn right into Oudburg, one
of the most colourful streets in the city, thanks to its many
cultures and nationalities.
Unfortunately we can’t go both ways. We’re going left, into
Kraanlei. There, a welcoming gate invites us to savour the
silence on the internal courtyard of The
House of Alijn
.
This used to be a place of worship and was built as a penance
for the murder of Hendrik and Seger Alijn. It was also a place
of refuge for women in need. Today it is a museum about the
culture of everyday life that inspires visitors of all ages.
We keep walking towards Sint-Veerleplein, past an Indian
restaurant that doubles as a sauna (!) and briefly stop in
front of the Waterhuis aan de Bierkant. Are you confused
by its name, which translates as ‘Water House on the Beer
Side’? Well, the house was actually built in the water and
by the waterside is where all wine and beer barrels were
unloaded in the past. Do you feel as if somebody is watching
you? Don’t worry, it’s only Ghent’s Manneken Pis, who
watches over all passers-by from his pedestal.
On your left, across the bridge, you can catch a glimpse of
the
Great Butchers’ Hall
, where you can taste specialities
from East Flanders, from Gandaham to cuberdons. The place
to be for Ghent’s very own mustard is across the square, at
Tierenteyn, where they still make this hot treat today. Did
you know that Charles V considered mustard an absolute
must when eating ham?
ST-JACOBSKERK
ST-MICHIELS
KERK
ST-NIKLAASKERK
STADSHAL
ST-BAAFSKATHEDRAAL
We continue our walk and pass under the wooden buttress
(not a footbridge!) and end up in what was once the main
street: if you go right, you end up at Scheldehaven, if you go
left you end up at Hoogpoort and eventually at the Lys River.
We follow the latter route and walk along the facade of the
Sikkel building (which has a torch snuffer) to the junction
with Belfortstraat.
Facing the
Cour St Georges
, where Mary of Burgundy
stayed in 1477, you can admire the imposing
Town Hall
. You will immediately notice two (of its many) architectural
styles: to the right you can see the sixteenth-century
Flamboyant Gothic style and to the left the Italian
Renaissance, which came much later. Inside the Town Hall
you can discover more than six centuries of history. Guided
tours are available from May till end of September.
We turn right into Belfortstraat and pass by the headquar-
ters of the Ghent police force (which rose to fame through
the Belgian TV series Flikken) on our way to
St James’
Church
. This is the heart of the Ghent Festivities, a ten-
day festival which is held every year in July. However, in
Vlasmarkt, the party’s on every day (or better: every night).
At the Sint-Jacobs flea market on Friday, Saturday and
Sunday you’ll find the perfect souvenir to take home.
We walk along the facade of the church to the ‘totem pole’,
a monument honouring the nineteenth-century folk singer
Karel Waeri created by Walter De Buck, a sculptor and folk
singer who is also one of the founding fathers of the Ghent
Festivities.
We look the singer in the eye and turn left towards
Vrijdagmarkt
. For centuries this was the centre of public
and social life in Ghent: this is where royalty was welcomed,
feasts were celebrated and disputes were settled. In the
centre of the square, Jacob van Artevelde is pointing
towards England, for eternity. In the fourteenth century, his
opportunistic choice to support the English king resulted in
Ghent being mainly neutral and therefore prosperous during
the Hundred Years’ War. Thanks to this ‘Wise Man from
OUD JUSTITIEPALEIS
DUIVELSTEEN
Discover the bubbly establishment Belfort Stadscafé &
Restaurant under the city hall. The existing art elements – the
Minne sculptures and the Mathildis clock – were given a new
place in the design.
Also worth mentioning is the
Masons’ Guild Hall
,
a (contested) mix of old and new on the corner of the Sint-
Niklaasstraat. The facade of the sixteenth-century building
was long hidden behind the haphazardly built working-class
houses. It was so well hidden that an exact copy of the house
was built on the Graslei for the 1913 World Exhibition!
Look up, on top of the facade there are six curious little devils
that seem to be dancing around: the Moresque dancers.
The second and highest tower of the world-famous Ghent
VOORUIT
skyline is the
Belfry
. This imposing tower is topped by
a dragon which watches over the city’s inhabitants and its
privileges, which it received in 1180. Until 1869, together with
the town guards, the dragon would keep an eye on the city
from
BOEKENTOREN
always on the look-out for invaders or – and
up above,
this was more likely – devastating fires. The alarm bells have
been silent for a long time; the carillon, on the other hand,
often delights us with wonderful melodies. Since 1999 the
Belfry has been a UNESCO Cultural Heritage site.
If the Belfry symbolises worldly power, then the tower of St
Bavo’s Cathedral symbolises godly grace.
was once nothing more than a
St Bavo’s Cathedral
small parish church. Today, little remains of the chapel that
was consecrated in 942. The oldest remains are the two
Romanesque aisles from 1150 in the crypt. When the Ghent
diocese was founded in 1559, the church automatically
became a cathedral (‘cathedra’ = chair of the bishop). The
cathedral will be scaffolded for five years due to thorough
restoration works.
The cathedral is not only home to dozens of art treasures, it
also houses the most important work in Flemish art history:
The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb
by the Van Eyck brothers.
One of the panels of this beautiful altarpiece, The Just Judges,
was stolen in 1934. Amateur detectives and treasure hunters
ST-ANNAKERK
have been relentlessly searching for it ever since…
More information?
Go to www.visitgent.be
Or contact the tourist office at
the number +32 9 266 56 60

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