Ghent, Belgium

The Town

The town of Ghent, Belgium was a pleasant surprise: not as picturesque as some other Belgium gems, but it was lively, down-to-earth and had a good feel. The town has a noticeable and significant Flemish influence. 

Looking down into Ghent from the Belfry Tower

Ghent and St. Nicholas Cathedral from the Belfry Tower

Towards the Ghent Centrum from the North

St. Bavo Cathedral

This huge cathedral is one of the most interesting I have visited from an interior architecture and artifact stand point. The architecture is a mix of Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque. The church was erected in the 14th and 15th centuries. The crypts below the church contain traces of the 12th century church of St. John.

Saint Bavo houses a prized masterpiece: "The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" (the Eyck brothers; completed by Jan Eyck in 1432).  No pictures were allowed of this gem but pictures and information can be found here: http://www.trabel.com/gent/gent-misticlambintroduction.htm.

Cloth Hall and the Belfry Tower

Cloth Hall dates back to 1425 and served as a gathering place for wool and cloth merchants. The Belfry tower (which stands next to Cloth Hall) was extremely interesting and the tour Tina and I took was excellent. Had I not taken so many pictures of the amazing engineering of the carillon, I could recall some of it's glorious past. Here are some quick facts about the tower:

• it holds 54 bells that throughout the centuries have served to protect Ghent, chime out time bells and play music.
• the upper gallery is 215 meters high.
• currently (June 2002) workers are trying to remove a concrete bunker installed by German soldiers in WWII.

The Castle of the Counts (Het Gravensteen)

This castle was originally built by Philip of Alsace (Count of Flanders) after returning from the Crusades in 1180. Legend has it (and some facts support the claim) that it was built on foundations originally constructed by Count Baldwain Iron Arm in the 800's. In general the castle was grim and creepy, most notably because of the medieval torture chamber and mechanisms housed in the castle museum (apparently Mr. Flanders had a special way of dealing with issues of the day). Nevertheless it was very interesting. Click here for medieval torture mechanisms.