Theme Week Belgium – Ghent, the proud city

Saturday, 9 April 2011 - 08:35 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination:
Category/Kategorie: General, Architecture, UNESCO World Heritage
Reading Time:  4 minutes

Vrijdagmakt square with statue of Van Artevelde © Volkov Vitaly

Vrijdagmakt square with statue of Van Artevelde © Volkov Vitaly

Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of northern Europe. Today it is a busy city with a port and a university. The municipality comprises the city of Ghent proper and the towns of Afsnee, Desteldonk, Drongen, Gentbrugge, Ledeberg, Mariakerke, Mendonk, Oostakker, Sint-Amandsberg, Sint-Denijs-Westrem, Sint-Kruis-Winkel, Wondelgem and Zwijnaarde. With 240,191 inhabitants in the beginning of 2009, Ghent is Belgium’s second largest municipality by number of inhabitants. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of 1,205 km2 (465 sq mi) and has a total population of 594,582 as of 1 January 2008, which ranks it as the fourth most populous in Belgium. The current mayor of Ghent, Daniël Termont, leads a coalition of the sp.a, Open VLD and Pro Gent. Every year the ten-day-long “Ghent Festival” (Gentse Feesten in Dutch) is held. About two million visitors attend every year.

Much of the city’s medieval architecture remains intact and is remarkably well preserved and restored. Its centre is the largest carfree area in Belgium. Interesting highlights are the Saint Bavo Cathedral with the Ghent Altarpiece, the belfry, the Gravensteen castle, and the splendid architecture along the old Graslei harbour. Ghent established a nice blend between comfort of living and history – it is not a city-museum. The city of Ghent houses also three béguinages and numerous churches, among which the Saint-James’ church, the Saint-Nicolas’ church and the Saint Michael’s church are the most beautiful examples.

Vrijdagmakt square with statue of Van Artevelde © Volkov Vitaly Belfort van Ghent © Donarreiskoffer Buildings along the Leie river © Karelj Ghent canal at night © Jesus Solana Ghent from Kraanlei © Derek Sherman Channel © Mathias Ripp Historcial center © Artha Old city center © China Crisis Town Hall © Bernard bill5 Graslei © Paul Hermans Gravensteen © Maros M r a z Military Medical Division building © Gent © Volkov Vitaly Patershol © Vitaly Volkov Riverside at noon © Gregd1957
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Vrijdagmakt square with statue of Van Artevelde © Volkov Vitaly
In the nineteenth century Ghent’s most famous architect, Louis Roelandt, built the university hall Aula, the opera house and the main courthouse. Highlights of modern architecture are the university buildings (the Boekentoren or Book Tower) by Henry Van de Velde. There are also a few theatres from diverse periods. The beguinages, as well as the belfry and adjacent cloth hall, were recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites in 1998 and 1999.

Here you can find the complete Overview of all Theme Weeks.

To inform you about latest news most of the city, town or tourism websites offer a newsletter service and/or operate Facepage pages/Twitter accounts. Read more City of Ghent, VisitGent.be and Wikipedia Ghent. Learn more about the use of photos.




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