Ghent - Ghent visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Ghent' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Oost-Vlaanderen.

Ghent is the is the capital and biggest city of the Oost-Vlaanderen (East Flanders) province of Belgium. It lies between the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and the old name for the city, 'Ganda' is derived from the Celtic for 'Confluence'. Archaeological evidence indicates that the region has been occupied since the Stone Age and during the Middle Ages, Ghent became one of the largest and richest cities of northern Europe, prospering on wool and textiles.

However, Ghent also suffered greatly during the Hundred Years' War and several other revolts that happened in the 15th and 16th centuries. The The late 16th and the 17th century were no better, with Ghent being again devastated by various Religious wars, effectively ending Ghent's role as a center of international importance.

Fortune returned to the city in the 18th and 19th century when the textile trade once again grew, aided in part by Lieven Bauwens who smuggled the plans for mechanical weaving machines out of England and establishing them in Ghent, the first on continental Europe.

Today, Ghent is a flourishing city, with young people often choosing often to settle in Ghent rather than Brussels and Antwerp. The wealth of the past is displayed in many of her buildings, with grand merchant houses and large churches.

Ghent - Tourist Attractions

Ghent has many fine buildings, churches and museums for tourists. Parts of the the old city are recognized UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Among the top tourist attractions in Ghent are:

• Belfort en Lakenhalle (Belfry and Cloth Hall) - built between 1313-1380, towering over the old Cloth Hall, with a viewing platform 60m high offering panoramic views over the city.
• Sint-Baafskathedraal (St Bavo's Cathedral) - cathedral church with a mixture of Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque architecture. Inside are priceless paintings and sculptures, including the 24-panel altarpiece 'The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb' by Jan van Eyck (1432), and the 'The Conversion of St. Bavo' by Rubens.
• Sint-Niklaaskerk (St Nicholas's Church) - 13th- to 15th-century Scheldt Gothic style church paid for by wealthy merchants trading in the nearby Korenmarkt (Wheat Market).
• Sint-Michielskerk (St Michael's Church) - started in 1440, and completed in 1530, the church has a a rich Neo-Gothic interior with Rococo and neoclassic statues and several eighteenth-century and Baroque paintings, including 'Christ Dying on the Cross' by Anthony Van Dyck.
• Begijnhof (Béguinage) - communes built for women seeking to serve God without retiring from the world. Ghent has three Begijnhof ; Old Saint-Elisabeth, New Saint-Elisabeth in Sint-Amandsberg and Our-Lady Ter Hooyen.
• Het Gravensteen (Castle of the Counts) - 12th century castle full of battlements, turrets and small arrow slits, surrounded by a moat with a grand entrance.
• Gerard de Duivelsteen (Castle of Gerard the Devil) - 13th century with a beautiful Romanesque crypt, though not currently open to the public.
• Ruins of Sint-Baafsabdij - ruins of an Abbey founded in 630 by St Amandus, destroyed by the Normans in the 10th century, rebuilt, dissolved by Charles V and turned into a fortress which was destroyed in the 19th century.
• Groot Vleeshuis (Ghent Meat Market) - 15th century medieval covered meat market with a guild house, chapel and numerous gables in the roof.
• Sint-Michielsbrug - bridge across the Leie with good views of Sint-Niklaas, the Belfry and Sint-Baafs.
• Graslei - considered one of the most scenic places in Ghent's old city centre, view along the river taking in the Customs House (Tolhuisje), Guildhouse of the Grain Weighers (Gildehuis der Graanmeters), House of the Free Boatmen (Gildehuis der Vrije Schippers), House of the Grain Weighers (Korenmetershuis) and House of the Masons (Gildehuis der Metselaars).
• Korenlei - on the opposite bank to Graslei, also lined with merchant houses including the House of Duke Egmont (Hof van Gruuthuse), and the House of the Tied Boatmen (Gildehuis der Onvrije Schippers).
• Museum voor Volkskunde - showing life in Ghent around 1900, all housed in 18, interconnected, typical Flemish cottages built in the 14th century as part of Alijns Godhuis, a children's hospital founded by the wealthy for needy children.
• Museum voor Sierkunst (Museum of Decorative Arts) - 18th century town house on Korenlei now housing various works of art, furniture, porcelain, glass and paintings.
• Bijlokemuseum - museum with various ancient artefacts housed in the Cistercian abbey of Bijloke. The collection includes glass, metal, pottery, leather, jewelry, weapons and paintings.
• Museum voor Schone Kunsten (Museum of Fine Arts) - housing a large collection of paintings from the 15th to 20th centuries.

Ghent Tourist Information Office
Belfry (Raadskelder)
Botermarkt 17A
9000 Gent
Phone: 32 9 266 56 60
Email: visit@gent.be
Web: visitgent.be

Road: The E40 (Liege-Brussels-Ghent-Bruges-Ostend) and E17 (Antwerp-Ghent-Kortrijk-Lille) motorways meet at Ghent.
Flight: Brussels Airport, then train.
Train: Ghent is on the Brussels - Bruges line. There are also direct trains to Brussels Airport, Antwerp, Lille and Paris.