Ghent, Belgium

March 6, 2016

We took the train just 30 minutes south to Ghent for our second full day in Belgium.  Ghent is larger than Bruges and is Belgium’s second largest municipality. The earliest evidence of human habitation goes back into the Stone and Iron ages.  At the end of the 4th century the Franks invaded bringing the French language.  In 851 and 879 the city was plundered by the Vikings. In the mid-18th century the Hapsburg Empire reached up into Ghent. During both World Wars Ghent was occupied by Germans, but managed to escape severe destruction. The Treaty of Ghent was signed on December 24 that was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom.  Our main stops were the Gravensteen Castle, Saint Nicholas’ Church, the belfry, and Saint Bravo’s Cathedral.

The Gravensteen Castle is much like Monty Python’s Swamp Castle, a structure was built and then it fell apart, then they built another one that also fell apart, and then the third one – that one stayed standing. It was first a wooden structure built in the 9th century that was abandoned and decayed.  Then it was built of stone in 1180 modeled after the crusaders castles from the second crusade.  At the end of the 19th century it was scheduled for demolition and in rather poor condition.  In 1885 the city of Ghent purchased the castle and began renovations for its current use for tourism.  Throughout its history, the castle was the seat of the Counts of Flanders, a courthouse, a prison, and lastly a cotton factory.

Saint Nicholas’ Church was built in the early 13th century in the Gothic style as a replacement for an earlier church on the same site.  It has undergone several renovations and restorations over the years.  The most remarkable feature is that the current use is more of a community hall than a church as in the front nave a flea market was taking place.  That is something I have never seen in a church.

The belfry is also a medieval tower that is 91 meters tall and part of the UNESCO World Heritage List. The carillon contains 53 bells that are still functioning and chime every 15 minutes.  The bells are chimed using a huge barrel with pins much like how a music box plays the tune. Originally the bells were only religious, but the bells soon became useful for everyday life and warning signals. The bells have been used for timekeeping since 1378. The tower itself has a wonderful outlook over the entire city making for an excellent watch tower. The hall adjoining the belfry was the headquarters for the rich cloth trade during the Middle Ages.

Housed in St. Bravo’s Cathedral is the Ghent Altarpiece which is a 15th century Early Flemish panel painting. The artistic significance of this piece is that it is a hybrid of both Byzantine and Romanic styles showing an unidealised human representation.  The historic significance is that this piece has managed to survive many wars including the French Revolution, and both World Wars.  The panels have also been separated many times. One of the panels is still missing after the German forces took the altarpiece during WWI.  The Altarpiece spent much of WWII hidden in a salt mine.  That particular story was featured in the movie, The Monuments Men.