Ghent (Gent in Dutch — population 265,000 — the capital of the East Flanders province and the third-largest city in Belgium) is the medieval city that many travellers discover and immediately consider their favourite city in Belgium — more authentic than Bruges (which has been entirely consumed by tourism), more historically complex than Antwerp, and with a university culture (the Ghent University, founded 1817 — the first Dutch-language university in the world: the university has 47,000 students in a city of 265,000, giving Ghent the highest student-to-resident ratio of any Belgian city) that gives the city an energy that tourist-saturated Bruges entirely lacks. Ghent was the most powerful and most independent city in medieval Flanders: the capital of the County of Flanders from the 9th century, the birthplace of Charles V (the Holy Roman Emperor who was born in Ghent in 1500 and was the most powerful ruler in European history since Charlemagne), the city whose textile workers funded the most important altarpiece in the history of painting (the Ghent Altarpiece, or "The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" — the polyptych completed in 1432 by Jan van Eyck in St Bavo's Cathedral, the most important painting in Northern Europe and one of the most stolen artworks in the world (it has been stolen or confiscated 13 times)). The Ghent city center (the canal system, the three medieval towers (the Belfort, St Bavo's Cathedral and St Nicholas's Church visible simultaneously from the Sint-Michielsbrug bridge — the most photogenic view in Belgium), the Graslei and the Korenlei (the two medieval guild house quays) and the Gravensteen (the 12th-century count's castle, the most complete medieval castle in Belgium)) is entirely walkable in a day, but the Ghent restaurant scene, the nightlife (the Overpoort student bar street) and the Gentse Feesten (the 10-day July festival that transforms the city into the largest street party in Belgium) make Ghent a destination that rewards several days.
Sint-Baafskathedraal (the Cathedral of St Bavo — the Gothic cathedral with the most important single painting in Northern European art: the Ghent Altarpiece (Het Lam Gods — "The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb"): the polyptych painted by Hubert and Jan van Eyck, completed 1432: the 20 panels (12 exterior panels shown when the altarpiece is closed, 24 interior panels when open) depicting the Annunciation, Adam and Eve (the first nude figures in Flemish oil painting), the heavenly choir, the angelic musicians, the Just Judges, the Knights of Christ, the Hermits, the Pilgrims, and the central panel of the Lamb of God receiving the adoration of all humanity on the fountain of life). The most stolen artwork in history: stolen or confiscated 13 times, including by Philip II of Spain (copied for him by Michael Coxie in 1557), by the French during the Revolution (4 panels in 1794), by the Nazis (the entire altarpiece in 1942 — stored in the Altaussee salt mine and recovered by the "Monuments Men" in 1945). The missing "Just Judges" panel (stolen in 1934, never recovered — the current panel is a 1945 copy by Jef Van der Veken).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideGraslei and Korenlei (the two medieval quays facing each other across the Lys (Leie) River — the most important canal scene in Belgium: the Graslei (the "Grass Quay" — the quay of the grain merchants and guild houses: the most significant medieval building group in Ghent): the Gildehuis van de Vrije Schippers (the House of the Free Boatmen, 1531 — the earliest example of Flemish Renaissance architecture in Ghent), the Tolhuisje (the Toll House, 1682), the Koornstapelhuis (the Grain Storage House, c. 1200 — one of the oldest Romanesque commercial buildings surviving in Belgium), and the Ghent Masons' Guild House (1527). Opposite: the Korenlei (the "Corn Quay" — the equivalent guild houses on the west bank, with the Gildehuis van de Onvrije Schippers (the House of the Tied Boatmen, 1739) and the row of 18th-century Baroque guild houses).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideGravensteen (the Castle of the Counts — the stone castle built in 1180 by Philip of Alsace, Count of Flanders, on the site of an earlier 9th-century castle: the most complete surviving medieval castle in Belgium: the water-filled moat, the massive gatehouse, the square keep and the circular wall with 24 watchtowers. The interior: the Great Hall (where the Count held his court), the Room of Justice (where the Count dispensed justice — with the original torture instruments displayed: the thumbscrews, the iron maiden, the rack and the head crusher — the most macabre museum display in Belgium), and the rooftop terrace (the panoramic view of the three Ghent towers — the Belfort, the Sint-Baafskathedraal and the Sint-Niklaaskerk — from the castle roof is the most comprehensive view of medieval Ghent).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideWaterzooi (the "watery mess" — the defining dish of Ghent and the most important traditional Flemish soup-stew: the Gentse Waterzooi (the Ghent waterzooi, historically made with freshwater fish (the rivers Leie and Schelde produced abundant pike, eel and carp for the medieval city), now usually made with chicken (kippentwaterzooi — the chicken version that became dominant after the 19th-century industrial pollution of the Ghent waterways made the river fish unsafe): the stew is a combination of the meat or fish, vegetables (carrot, celery, leek, potato, onion), stock and a liaison of egg yolk and cream that thickens the broth to a velvety consistency. Served in a deep bowl with crusty white bread to soak up the broth. The combination of vegetables, meat and the egg-cream liaison is reminiscent of a French pot-au-feu but with the more substantial Flemish seasoning (parsley, bay leaf, thyme).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideBelfort van Gent (the Belfry — the 91m Gothic tower built between 1314 and 1380 as the symbol of Ghent's civic independence and the depository of the city's charter and privileges (the Great Charter of Ghent (1297), the most important civic liberty document in the history of Flanders, was stored in the Belfort until it was moved to the State Archives): the Belfort is the tallest tower in Ghent and the second-tallest belfry in Belgium after the Bruges Belfort. At the summit: the golden dragon weather vane (the Belfort dragon (the Draak) — the original dragon was captured from Brügge in 1382 and installed on the Ghent Belfort as a trophy): the UNESCO World Heritage belfry (the Belgian and French belfries are collectively listed as UNESCO World Heritage in 1999). The Stadshal (the City Pavilion — the 2012 contemporary canopy structure built beside the Belfort by the architects Marie-José Van Hee and Robbrecht & Daem — the most controversial and most interesting contemporary architecture in Ghent).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideSTAM (Stadsmuseum Gent — the City History Museum: the museum dedicated to the history of Ghent, housed in the medieval Bijloke Abbey complex (the 13th-century Cistercian hospital and abbey buildings — the most important medieval monastic complex in Ghent: the 14th-century Refectorium (the Flemish Gothic refectory hall, with the original painted ceiling (the most important medieval interior painting cycle in Ghent) and the tile floor), combined with the 17th-century Baroque abbey building (the guest wing)): the most innovative city history museum in Belgium: the history of Ghent told through the city's textile industry (the Ghent textile workers were the most politically powerful working class in medieval Europe: they forced the Count of Flanders to grant civic liberties in 1301 and funded the Hundred Years War by controlling the English wool supply), the canal system and the Gentse Feesten cultural traditions.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideGhent street art (the most important street art destination in Belgium: the city of Ghent has adopted a policy of designated legal graffiti zones and actively commissioned murals — the result is the most vibrant and comprehensive urban art scene in the Benelux): the Werregarenstraat (the "Graffiti Street" — the narrow alley in the heart of the old city where the city officially authorized graffiti in 1995: the walls are completely covered and continuously renewed by artists from Belgium and internationally), the murals on the Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat (the 30+ commissioned large-scale murals on the facades of the student-area buildings), and the Het Liefde (Love) mural by Bart Smeets (the most photographed street art in Ghent: the large-scale portrait of two elderly people kissing, on the Muidebrug canal wall).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideDulle Griet (Vrijdagmarkt 50 — the most theatrical Belgian beer bar in Ghent: the bar where the Pauwel Kwak beer (the amber Belgian ale from the Bosteels Brewery, served in the specific Kwak glass: the 500ml spherical glass in a wooden stand — the most distinctive beer glass in Belgium) is served under the condition that the customer removes one shoe and hands it to the bar in a basket lowered from the ceiling on a rope (the deposit system ensures the return of the expensive glass). The 250+ Belgian beer selection at Dulle Griet includes the full Trappist range and the complete Ghent regional ales (the Stropke — the "Little Noose" ale, named for the punishment that Charles V imposed on the rebellious Ghent citizens in 1540: they had to walk barefoot through the city with a noose around their neck in act of submission).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuidePrinsenhof (the "Princes' Court" — the 14th-century palace of the Dukes of Burgundy (the court that was the most splendid in 15th-century Europe) and the birthplace of Charles V (Holy Roman Emperor (1519–1556), King of Spain (as Charles I, 1516–1556), Lord of the Netherlands and claimant to the entire Habsburg empire — the ruler of the largest empire since Rome, with territories in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia): only fragments of the original Prinsenhof survive (the 16th-century Romanesque tower (the Donjon), the gatehouse and the chapel), but the site is marked and the area around the Oudburg and Braempoort is the most atmospherically medieval quarter of Ghent outside the castle area.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideDesign Museum Gent (Jan Breydelstraat 5 — the design museum in the former Palace of Baron de Coninck (1755), a Baroque mansion that was the most important interior design commission of 18th-century Ghent: the museum combines the preserved 18th-century Rococo interior (the enfilade of reception rooms with the original plaster ceilings, the carved wooden boiseries and the original furniture) with the contemporary design collection (the 19th–21st century applied arts and design: the Art Nouveau (the Ghent Art Nouveau is less well-known than Brussels but significant), the Art Deco, and the contemporary Belgian and international design (Maarten Van Severen, Raf Simons, Studio Job)).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideSint-Michielsbrug (the bridge over the Leie from which the three medieval towers of Ghent are visible simultaneously in the same frame: the Belfort (91m, 1380), the Sint-Baafskathedraal tower (82m, 14th–16th century) and the Sint-Niklaaskerk tower (12th century) — the three towers represent the civic power (Belfort), the ecclesiastical power (St Bavo's) and the commercial power (St Nicholas's — the church of the Ghent merchants) of medieval Ghent. This is the most photogenic viewpoint in Belgium.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideCuberdon (the "Ghent nose" — the pyramid-shaped candy unique to Ghent and the surrounding area of East Flanders: the cuberdon (literally "cube-shaped" in Flemish, though they are actually conical) is a candy made from gum arabic, sugar and fruit syrup (the traditional flavor is raspberry, with a hard violet exterior shell and a semi-liquid syrup center that runs when bitten): the most characteristically Ghent food product. The cuberdons have been sold by street vendors at the Kraanlei and the Groentenmarkt since the 19th century — the two competing cuberdon stands of the Groentenmarkt (near the Gravensteen) have been rivals for decades: "Den Turk" and "Marcel" both claim to sell the original authentic Ghent nose.
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