Ghent
This charming city is a small port city in northwest Belgium, at the confluence of the Leie and Scheldt rivers and just a short hop from Brussels.
During the Middle Ages it was a prominent city-state. Today it’s a University town and Cultural hub.
Most people rave about Bruges. Luckily I heard about Ghent from friends who had visited some years ago. They described it as a relaxed quaint town where you could wander the streets and enjoy some peace and quite in the cafes and sightseeing. Just what @ishtar and myself were looking for.
They really undersold it!
The Highlights from Ghent
As soon as we stepped off the train we got a taste of what was in store. This city is overflowing with Art and Culture. There are design museums, cafes, and masterpieces at every turn.
Art at Ghent Train Station
Gavensteen Castle
The main tourist sight in Ghent is the 12th century Gavensteen Castle, or Castle of the counts. I have seen a lot of castles in my time but this Medieval Moated Castle is one of the finest specimens and has some very interesting displays inside, including a Guillotine complete with basket for the head.
There was a powerful feeling in the room where the Guillotine was on Display.
The MIAT Museum
The museum of Industry Art and Textiles was a real find and deserved a full post of its own. You can read about in a post from a few weeks back at Museum of Industry Art and Textiles
This museum was very interesting and we got to leave a surprise for other visitors on one of the printing presses.
Graffiti Alley
As a cultural center Ghent has a rich artistic tradition. Graffiti alley which we visited on our last day was just one example. Read more about it in a post from a few weeks back at Graffitti Alley
The Cathedral
St. Bavo's Cathedral In the main square is an impressive Gothic cathedral. What really struck about it was the Art inside. There were lots of portraits adoring the walls. The lifelike feeling I got from the paintings was noticeable and the perceived depth that was achieved in some painting which I would have sworn were statues from the distance. I didn't take photos as they would not do the art justice. This is really a place you need to visit to experience the Art.
This is also the home to *"The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" * Van Eycks masterpiece. This painting was number 1 on Hitlers most wanted list and was stolen by the NAzis during the ward. Read more about Hitler’s Hunt for the Holy Grail and the Ghent Altarpiece.
Saint Nicholas' Church
There are many great churches in Ghent, full of art and history. The construction for this church dates from the 13th century in the local Scheldt Gothic style.
St Micheals' Church
This church houses several treasures and important works of art, including a relic of the sacred "Doorn" brought to the church by Mary, Queen of Scots, and a relic of the true Cross a gift of the Archduke Albrecht to Isabella in 1619.
We didn't enter but the church just by the canal is a beautiful Gothic Church.
Saint Jacobs' Church
This church is located a short walk away from the city center.
The first construction was a wooden building and was built here in 1093 dedicated to Saint Jacob. Most likely, the construction was due to the arrival of pilgrims during their trip to the Camino de Santiago. The building was destroyed by troops of Robert Curthose. It was replaced by a building made of wood and stone.
A new Romanesque church was built whose core dates from the period after 1120. From the Romanesque period, the pillars of the transept remain. The eighteenth-century celebration tower of the 13th century was built in the style of the Scheldt Gothic. In the 14th century, the church was expanded with sidelines for the guilds.
At the end of the 15th century, one of the towers got a Gothic spit. The interior was greatly affected by the famous religious troops in the 16th century. Repairs were performed in baroque style. Later restorations, in the 18th and 19th centuries, were made.
The Bell tower
All Belgian towns have a bell-tower which used to control the workers day during the middle ages. We didn't go to the top here as we were on our way to Bruge. This 91m tall Belfry is the tallest in Belgium.
Cafes/Bars
Ghent was great for food, the city, a student town, is full of bars and cafes and very relaxing place to spend a few days. All you can eat ribs seemed to be the thing in Gent. If you visit don't forget to try a local sweet, shaped like a nose, Cuberdon.
Holy Market
On our last day we discovered the Holy Market. A really cool converted Church with some great places to eat.
This market is a type of food hall where you can sit and eat in very fancy surroundings.
Waffles
We really went to town on the waffles while we were in Ghent. The street Liege waffle with the carmalised sugar was out of this world but also got to try the finer more delicate Brussels waffle in a few cafes. Both were amazing.
Chips
Being In Belgium we had to go for Chips one night. We looked up the best chip shop in Ghent on Tripadvisor and came across Friekatel.
The queue was quite long, but we persevered. They smelt really good.
It turned out this shop had just won the best Chip Shop in Belgium and was giving away free chips.
What were the chips like? I am going to do a post on the food from Belgium. Stay tuned.
Wool Shops
There were shops selling wool all over Ghent. A pleasant surprise for @ishtar after visiting all the castles :)
Trams
In may ways I preferred this city than Bruges. It was very peaceful and was lovely to stroll around. It was well connected with Trams and in contrast to Bruges which was quite busy with traffic, the trams gave the city a nice atmosphere.
Other Posts in this Series
- Overview of Belgium
https://steemit.com/travel/@eroche/belgium-much-more-than-just-beer-waffles-and-chocolate - Brussels
https://steemit.com/travel/@eroche/2aaude-belgium-much-more-than-just-beer-waffles-and-chocolate - Graffiti in Ghent
https://steemit.com/travel/@eroche/4f7ezm-belgium-much-more-than-just-beer-waffles-and-chocolate - The Textile Museum in Ghent
https://steemit.com/travel/@eroche/2wcav8-belgium-much-more-than-just-beer-waffles-and-chocolate - Steemit in Print
https://steemit.com/steemit/@eroche/steemit-in-print
Thank you for reading this. I write on Steemit about Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Travel and lots of random topics.
All Images are from my personal library.
Oh I didn't remember that you are belgian too !
Hope to see you at the next Steem Meet up :-)
I am Irish, I was just visiting your lovely country. When is the next meetup?
Ohhh sorry ! :-D We had a meeting on 21 of July ! Next will be in one month probably :-)
We are having a meetup in Dublin next Saturday. Its great to see so many happening now. Exciting times.
such scary history, but beautiful buildings & natural history. Very nice.
I love Belgium , great country with amazing people , thank you for sharing this awesome content
Very nice post thank you but the Ice Cream I love Belgian Ice Cream
Hm, I feel I missed out, I didn't get any, oh well I will just have to visit again :)
Ohhh yes you have to and have a nice day :)
Haven't been to Ghent before, but a couple of the other cities in Belgium that I've been are absolute gems. Your photos of Ghent are wonderful.
Yes, this was like the perfect travelogue... I was in Antwerp for a day trip years ago which was delightful, Belgian culture is top-notch. Peace
Thank you, Belgium is a hidden Gem.
Great post just followed for more!!
Upvoted & RESTEEMED :]
I've been in couple city in Belgium. They always have at least some little tiny nice thing in every part of the city.
Once I came back to the station way too late, I think it was in Liege, and had to stay freezing in haubtbahnhof, heading back to Germany. What a memory 😁
These churches look amazing! Did you happen to experience the acoustics? Especially in St. Nicholas Church? I bet they would be fantastic places to sing in. Resteemed.
I didn't experience the acoustics but I imagine they are very good. There was a very powerful feeling in these churches, especially being surrounded by so much magnificent art.
That is one of the most interesting perfectly done posts I've seen, excellent work to detail just wowed by it, I hope I can get there someday where I can write a post so intricately done, kudos! Resteemed of course 😊
Wow, thank you so much @cecirod1218
I have been to Ghent many times, but, this was an amazing write-up of it! Thank you! Upvoted
Thank you. I really liked this city.
It really showed! Thank YOU for such a great presentation!
Beautiful, how did you get the pictures so next to each other? With html?
Thank you for the resteem.
For the pics i created collages. I used a program called digikam but Google photos let's you do great collages too.
Yes, I realized later :) Would be cool if you could fool around like that with html.
Congratulations @eroche! You have completed some achievement on Steemit and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
Click on any badge to view your own Board of Honor on SteemitBoard.
For more information about SteemitBoard, click here
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPHow nice to find a great write-up on my hometown on Steemit! Well, I live in Canada now, but I've lived in Ghent for 14 years. Studied there and stuck around. It's really a fantastic place. The friendliest city in Belgium. Most places to eat and drink per capita. Also home to possibly the best chocolatier in the country (the world?): http://www.belgiansmaak.com/yuzu-chocolate-shop-in-ghent/
In fact I will be there next month. It has been a long time. I cannot wait!
vote me ......
Hello @dangdca, asking to be voted will decrease your reputation very quick because we will all start to flag you. Please, read the FAQ if you are new on the platform !