Discover Belgium

Weekend in Ghent: “Flanders’ secret”

In the Middle Ages, Ghent was a powerful city-state. Today, the university city is a center of cultural activities.

(Bild: © Piet De Kersgieter)

The quirky city of Ghent offers a delicious cultural cocktail, brimming with history, culture and trendy city life. Ghent is bursting with life and is absolutely worth a weekend trip.

Ghent is not only a city to be seen, but above all to be experienced. There are very few other places with so much European history and culture per square kilometer. The city in Flanders succeeds perfectly in bridging the gap between the past and the present.

"Proud City", "Manhattan of the Middle Ages", "City of Flowers", "Flanders' Secret" - these are all descriptions for the cozy little student city of Ghent.

Travel back in time: from the water you have an enchanting view of Ghent.

(Bild: © Piet De Kersgieter)

Around 70,000 years ago, a Stone Age man laid his hand axe near Ghent. Later, Celts and Romans made themselves at home here, but Ghent only became really big in the Middle Ages. At that time, the city was a metropolis, which may sound surprising today. North of the Alps, only Paris was bigger at the time, followed by London and Cologne.

So it's no wonder that there are almost 10,000 buildings of cultural and historical value in the city. Of course, it's impossible to cover this amount during a long weekend - so I'll concentrate on the highlights:

Always following the quarter-hourly ringing of the bells, I head for the Belfry. The 14th century tower can be climbed. The view from a height of almost 100 meters is worth it - just for the overview.

St. Bavo's Cathedral is home to the famous Ghent Altarpiece by the van Eyck brothers.

(Bild: © Piet De Kersgieter)

A "heavenly" highlight
A visit to St. Bavo's Cathedral is a must. The sacred building has 22 altars made of marble and oak. Most people want to see the one by Jan van Eyck from 1432. The altarpiece depicting the "Adoration of the Lamb of God" is one of the most important works of art in Ghent - and has an extremely adventurous history behind it.

Moviegoers will be familiar with it from the Clooney film "The Monuments Men". In St. Peter's Abbey, monk Alison gives a virtual tour of a medieval detective story. This is a great way to get children interested in the history of the seventh-century monastery.

The hall built in the historic center of Ghent is much more than just a marketplace.

(Bild: Toerisme Vlaanderen)

If you like taking photos in front of sights, the most efficient way to do this in Ghent is from St. Michael's Bridge. This selfie hotspot captures many of the buildings in the old town. Graslei and Korenlei are the old center of the city. One historic gabled house follows another along the canal of the medieval harbor.

In the Stadsmuseum Gent, the city museum, all this is wonderfully summarized once again. The museum is housed in an old abbey that has been extended by a new building. The exhibits are complemented by interactive multimedia installations. Once again, the city goes to great lengths for its visitors - and presents history in an exciting way.

Fakten

• Ghent is the capital of East Flanders and has a population of around 250,000.
• Ghent is one of the most outstanding art cities in Europe. Ideal for a city trip!
• After Antwerp and Zeebrugge, the port of Ghent, which is connected to the North Sea and Westerschelde by canals, is the third largest in Belgium.
• Many people are familiar with the "Ghent Altarpiece" with its old Dutch painting, which is located in St. Bavo's Cathedral.
• In addition to Belgian waffles and fries, this city has a vegan lifestyle like nowhere else.

GENERAL INFORMATION: visitflanders.com

Thursday is Veggieday!
Ghent is also a pioneer when it comes to sustainability, especially when it comes to food. The restaurants and cafés attach great importance to respectful social interaction, regional and organic food - and are far removed from empty phrases! Here, sustainability is simply lived without fanfare.

Foodies will definitely be happy in Ghent - especially those who prefer not to eat animal products. Since 2009, Thursdays have been Veggieday in Ghent! As a result, the city is now at the forefront of vegetarianism and veganism.