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22-24 October 2023 Ghent
We arrived from Antwerp by train and took a taxi to our
hotel, The Ghent Marriott. It is located
on the Korenlei Quai (Wheat Quay)
side of the River Leie. Just across from our hotel, is the Graslei
Quai (Grass Quay) . This is the most-pictured area in Ghent These two quays, lined with handsome guild
houses facing each other on either bank of the Leie, were the heart of Ghent's
first medieval port, with ships docking there since the 11th
century. In the middle ages Ghent was
the center of the grain and cereal trade.
Grass Quai received shipments of herbs and vegetables, while Wheat Quai
was reserved for wheat and cereals.
Today they are the starting point for canal-and-river boat tours of the
city, and a wonderful site for taking pictures.
The views are stunning!
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| Marriott Ghent Hotel |
The Marriott Hotel has its own interesting story. It was once the guild for sailors and on its
façade are two gold plaques of a swan which indicated to the sailors that this was a
”place of pleasure.” Much work went into the making of this hotel
so it would keep its original façade and charm.
And it is certainly a beautiful hotel.
After checking into our
hotel, we walked along the river front taking in all the stunning view of
Medieval Ghent. We made a photo
stop at St. Michael’s Bridge, a stone
arch bridge that crosses the river Leie.
For photographers, this is a site not to be missed. The whole skyline of Old Ghent is a panorama
in front of you. From the bridge you
have scenic shots of the Graslei and
Korenlei and the three Ghent towers (St. Nicholas’ Church (#1 on picture below), the Belfry of Ghent (#2),
and St. Bavo’s Cathedral (#3)), and of course St. Michaels’s Church. Adorning one of the lampposts is the Arcangel, Saint Michael, dressed in full armor and winged. Notice in the picture below of the Graslei
guild houses, the house with the black umbrellas in front of it is the oldest
guild house in Ghent.
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| Graslei Quay |
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| Graslei Quay |
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| Graslei Quay-Black Umbrellas -- Oldest Guild |
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| Korenlei Quay |
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| St. Michael's Bridge |
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| St. Michael's Church |
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| Three Towers of Ghent |
The next day we did a canal
cruise and a short walking tour of the area close to our hotel. We began by crossing the Grass bridge (opposite
St. Michaels’s Bridge) to the Graslei side of the river where we found a little
café that specialized in Belgium waffles
Although the weather was damp and cool, the café had heaters and blankets for the guests that ate outside. We both had the cherry and cream Belgium waffle and hot chocolate. What’s not to love about that kind of breakfast! We then boarded our canal boat for a one-hour cruise along the Leie River and adjoining canals. We cruised under the St. Michael’s Bridge and past the Het Pand, a former Dominican Friary (monastery) and hospital that now belongs to Ghent University. On the left side of the river was a mural painting on the side of the building that was a promotion for the movie “The Monuments Men.”
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| Belgium Waffle Breakfast |
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| Cruising Under St. Michael's Bridge |
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Het Pand - Little Red Building is a Toilet
Overhanging the River |
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| Mural Promoting "The Monuments Men" |
We then turned around and cruised past the guild houses on
both sides of the river. Crossing under
the Grass bridge we came to the backside of the old Fish Market which today is
the Tourist Information Center. The Old
Fish Market was one of the oldest markets in Ghent where fisherman went to sell
their catch. On the front side of the
Fish Market was a 1689 baroque gatehouse which featured statues of three sea
gods. Unfortunately, a fire in 1872
badly damaged the statues and only the original marble statue of Neptune
survived. The other two statues were
replaced by statues of a man representing the Scheldt River and a woman
representing the Leie River.
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| Old Fish Market |
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| Marble Neptune Statue |
We continued cruising past some beautiful old homes where,
in front of one of the homes, was an old wooden boat built in Bangladesh. We also passed the Monastery of Augustine,
built in 1296, that is still an active
monastery with 4 monks living there. We
then came to Gravensteen Castle (Castle of the Counts). Located in the center of Ghent, the
original Gravensteen Castle was built in
the 9th century. It was
destroyed in 1176 and in 1180 Count Philip of Alsace built the current
castle. As a participant in the Second
Crusade, he was impressed by the crusader castles that he saw and wanted the
one in Ghent to be like those, to not only impress the burghers (members of the wealthy bourgeoisie) of Ghent,
but to serve notice that he was the big boss.
In addition to his residence, the castle grounds contained smaller
buildings and was surrounded by a wall fortified with 24 small size barbicans
(double towers above a gate or bridge that helped fortify the castle). Surrounding Gravensteen was a moat fed by the
Leie River. It was one of the strongest
moated fortresses in Western Europe. Until 1355 Gravensteen was the primary residence of the
Counts of Flanders until the residence was moved to another location as the
castle fell into disrepair. Gravensteen
then became a court, prison-torture house, and for a while a mint. During the industrial revolution (1760 to about
1820–1840) it was a cotton mill. After
Ghent bought the castle, they began extensive renovations to bring the castle
back to its 12th century Gothic style.
In 1913, it was the featured attraction in the Ghent World’s Fair of
1913.
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| Quaint Homes Along the River |
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| Quaint Homes Along the River |
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| Boat Made in Bangladesh |
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| Quaint Homes Along the River |
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| Gravensteen Castle |
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| Gravensteen Castle |
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| Monastery of Augustine |
After passing the castle we cruised under the Bridge of
Imperial Pleasures. This is a pedestrian
bridge, built in 2000. It features
sculptures depicting the various legends surrounding the life of The Holy Roman
Emperor Charles V, who was born in Ghent not far from the site of this bridge.
Charles V ruled the Habsburg Empire for about 40 years in the 1500s.
Our last scenic site before turning around and returning to
the dock was the Het Rabot (Rabot Towers) that was bult in 1489 as part of the
city wall. The two towers and the
building in the middle were built to fortify a bridge over the river after an
unsuccessful siege of the city by the Habsburg ruler Maximilian of Austria in
1488.
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| Bridge of Imperial Pleasures |
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| Bridge of Imperial Pleasures |
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| Het Rabot |
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| Figure in Front of a Restaurant |
After our boat
ride, we walked about a block to the Groot Vleeshuis (Great Butcher’s Hall) a
former covered market and guildhall that dates back to 1332/1333. It was where meat was sold as it was
prohibited to sell meat from one’s home.
Originally made of wood, by 1407 the old butcher’ house had become run
down, and the butchers moved to a new building constructed along the banks of
the river. Additional bays were added
and a chapel was built at the end of the building. Underneath the building four canals were dug
to enable the flat fishing boats with their cargo of fish to reach the
market. Today you can still see the
vaults of these canals on the side of the river. In the late 1800s, the Hall became vacant as
a new meat house was built in the Fish Market Square and meat was now allowed
to be sold in homes. Today Groot
Vleeshuis is under renovation and not open to the public.
We then walked to
Kraanlei Street (Crane Place) which runs along the riverfront. Originally named Ajuinlei (The Onion Place) its name was changed in
1354 when a large crane was built to lift the onion cargo from the ships docked
at the quai. The onion trade flourished
here until the 1940s. Although more than
one crane were erected, only one remains today on the quai. Today the waterfront is lined with trees and
quaint old homes.
There
are two old Baroque houses, built in 1669 that are known for their beautiful
facades, that we wanted to see. Kraanlei
79 (now No. 55) is called the Flute Player for the carving of a flautist on a
gable medallion. Its red terracotta
reliefs include five female figures representing the five senses (sight, smell,
hearing, taste, and touch), a flying deer which represents new life, and, on
the top, 3 figures (Faith, Hope, and Charity)
Kraanlei 91
(now No. 57) is named “The Seven Works of Charity.” It has carved panels showing six acts of
charity – burying the dead, ministering to prisoners, visiting the sick,
feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, and clothing the naked). The house itself becomes the seventh act –
providing shelter to strangers – as this house was once an inn. Today both houses are shops, but their
facades were amazing. Close by we saw a
sculpture of a bench made from pots and lids.
Not sure what its purpose is, but it did not look like a comfortable
place to sit.
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Great Butcher's Hall
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| Flute Player's House |
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| Bench Made of Pots and Lids |
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| St. Nicholas's Church |
Our last stop was Sint-Niklaaskerk (St Nicholas's Church). Building of this church, in a Gothic style known as Fleming Scheldt Goth, and using blue-gray stone, began in the 13th century to replace an earlier Romanesque church. However, the church had a tumultuous history over the centuries. During the 11th century, the Calvinists destroyed all the church’s religious images and artifacts. And during the French revolution, the church was used as a horse stable. Then small homes and businesses were built attached to the outside walls of the church.
In the 19
th century, many renovations were needed to
restore the church from its dilapidated existence into the church it is
today. Today its tower is one of the
“three towers of Ghent” – the first of the three towers to be built. Its organ, built in the late 1800s, is one of
the best in Belgium. It features a
three-manual organ with 16 pipes in front.
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| Inside St. Nicholas's Church |
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| Inside St. Nicholas's Church |
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| Inside St. Nicholas's Church |
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| Inside St. Nicholas's Church |
On our last full day in
Ghent, we had a tour with Stefan, a Grand Circle Program Director that had been
our trip leader on two of our river cruises.
Although I enjoy making our own walking tours, sometimes it is nice to
let someone else do the work and someone who does not have to rely on the accuracy
of Google Maps!
We walked to Baafsplein
Square (St. Bavo’s Square), where Ghent was founded and is considered to be the
heart of the city. Located here is St.
Bavo’s Cathedral. Built between the 13th
and 16th century on the remains of the 942 AD wooden Chapel of Saint John the
Baptist, the cathedral stands 292 feet high.
Beginning first as a Romanesque church, Gothic renovations were added during
the 14th-16th centuries. Today the only
remains of the Romanesque church are two aisles in the crypt. In 1569 the church became a cathedral. The cathedral is probably best known for the works
of art that are found inside, especially the Ghent Altarpiece – The Adoration
of the Lamb, the most important work of Flemish art. But the marble sculptures in the main part of the church are also truly amazing works of art. Three days before the Calvinists arrived at
St. Bavo’s to rid the church of all its adornments, its artwork was hidden in
the crypt and the church was mostly spared.
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| St. Bavo's Cathedral |
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| Inside the Cathedral |
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| Inside the Cathedral |
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| Inside the Cathedral |
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| Inside the Cathedral |
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| Inside the Cathedral |
I am going to spend a
little more time in describing the beautiful and meaningful Ghent Altarpiece
that is found inside the St. Bavo’s Cathedral.
To say it is magnificent is almost an understatement. The technique and detail done by the artist
is unbelievable.
The Ghent Altarpiece,
believed by most experts to have been painted in the early 15th
century by Jan van Eyck, may be one of the world’s earliest oil paintings. It is composed of 12 panels, but each panel
is painted on the front and the back, so in effect there are 24 panels, that
fit together like a puzzle. The panels, loaded with symbolism, show scenes from
the Bible with a shared theme of “the redemption of humanity”
On 11 April 1934, in a
daring robbery, thieves stole two of the panels – The Just Judges and John the
Baptist – from St. Bavo’s Cathedral. The
robbery remains unsolved, but the John the Baptist panel was rescued and
returned to the church in 1945 by the “Monuments Men.” The panel received a king’s welcome as the
residents of Ghent lined the streets in a respectful honor guard. Sadly, The Just Judges is still lost. Today the missing panel has been replaced by
a copy done by Belgian artist Jef Van der Veken. If you enjoy historical fiction novels, Steve
Berry wrote a very good (and thrilling) novel “The Omega Factor” about
the theft and search for the Just Judges.
The center piece (also
the largest) is known as the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb. In the center of the painting stands the Lamb
of God surrounded by 14 angels and admiring followers. The Lamb shows signs of an injury, which many
believe is a reminder of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. This theory is further strengthen by the
accessories held by the angels, in particular the cross and crown of
thorns. Written above the Altarpiece are
the words from John 1:29 -- “… Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins
of the world”. The Holy Trinity is also
represented in the Altarpiece, with God sitting in the panel above the Lamb,
Jesus as the Lamb, and the Holy Spirit by the dove that flies above the Lamb.
The level of detail in
this panel is amazing. Every person,
creature and vegetation is accurate and shows the amount of study and practice
the artist must have done. Also in the
background of this panel are the three towers of Ghent – the St. Nicholas
Church, the Belfry, and St. Bavo’s Cathedral.
The outer panels
include paintings of the man who commissioned the painting (Jodocus Vijd), his
wife, and representations of several prophets.
There are also panels showing the Archangel Gabriel, the Virgin Mary, St.
John and Baptist and Saint John the Apostle/Evangelist.
In the upper central
panels are paintings of God flanked by the Virgin Mary and St. John the
Baptist. On either side of these panels
are panels depicting singing angels. And
on the far left side, is a panel of Adam while Eve is in a panel on the right
side.
Stefen had gotten us
tickets to see this painting and Bill and I spent many minutes inside the
church marveling at its beauty and meaning.
It is also a very unique guided tour.
Each person is given their own 3-D reality glasses that display a
hologram of Bishop Antonius Triest, the 7th Bishop of Ghent, who
will be your guide during the tour, providing you with information so you can
better understand the tumultuous history of the Ghent Altarpiece and the
Cathedral. At each stop you are given
information about what you are seeing and then you move on to the next stop
following a little green line that only you can see. And the hologram travels with you. When you walk from one location to another,
you can walk in front of people, and they cannot see you. Truly amazing tour. I would say it was the highlight of our visit
to Ghent. It is certainly something not to
be missed if visiting Ghent.
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| The Ghent Altar Piece |
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The Adoration of the Lamb
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| Right Side Panels |
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| Left Side Panels |
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| Upper Central Panel - Virgin Mary (L), God (C), John the Baptist (R) |
Also in the St. Bavo’s
Square is the Gothic Belfry of Ghent, constructed between 1312 and 1380. It is the tallest belfry in Belgium, at 298
feet tall. In its history, it has been a
bell tower, a watch tower, and a repository of municipal records. Together with its adjoining rectangular Cloth
Hall, in the Middle Ages it was a display of Ghent’s power and wealth, where
for some time, Ghent was the richest city north of the Alps. Situated on the top of the Belfry is the
gilded Dragon of Ghent that guards not only the citizens of the city, but also
Ghent’s freedoms. This dragon is the 3rd
iteration of the original copper dragon built in 1277 and weighs 881 pounds.
The stone spire that
holds the complement of bells was completed in 1913 and holds 53 bells. In the past, the bells were used to tell
time, sound warnings, and announce victories,
The largest of the bells, called Roland, was installed in1235 and was
used primarily as a warning bell and then as a way to tell time. In 1659, the bell was removed and melted down
to make 40 smaller bells for the Carillon.
The largest of these 40 bells was called the Great Triumphant (also
called Roland). However, after the Carillon
was electrified in 1914, the bell cracked and was replaced by a new bell. The bell was saved and today resides in a
building near the Belfry.
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| Belfry of Ghent |
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| Great Triumphant |
Adjacent to the Belfry
is the Lakenhalle or the Cloth Hall, constructed between 1425 and 1445. Only seven of the originally designed bays
were constructed, but four more were added in 1903. Originally it was built to handle the cloth trade
– woolens and textile – that contributed greatly to Ghent’s wealth and
importance in the Middle Ages. Today
other shops, a fencing school, and a militia guild are housed in the Hall.
In 1741 an annex to the
Cloth Hall was built as the entrance to the city jail (housed in the Cloth Hall
from 1742-1902) and quarters for the jail guards. Located above the entrance door is a statue
depicting the Roman legend of Pero and Cimon that has earned the annex’s name
of “Mammelokker” (breast sucker).
According to the legend, Cimon was sentenced to die by starvation. Pero, his daughter, who was also a wet
nurse*, visited him daily and breastfed him to save his life. The guards were so amazed by the show of her
love for her father that they released him. (* A wet nurse was a lactating
woman who breastfed a child who is not her own.)
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| Mammelokker |
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| Cloth Hall in Front of Belfry |
As we left the St
Bavo’s Square we walked past the Royal Dutch Theater, built in the late 1800s. It consists of three stories of five
bays. The center top façade contains a
mosaic (30’ wide by 13’high) that contains 70,000 ceramic stones in 500 different
colors, depicting a mythical scene of the god Apollo in his chariot. He is accompanied by nine muses representing
the various artistic disciplines.
Continuing our walk, we
passed Ghent’s Stadhius which is composed of the Town Hall in the center and
two wings on the side. On the right side
of the Stadhuis is The Alderman’s house of Keure, built between 1519 and 1539
in the Gothic style, while on the left side is the Alderman’s house of Gedele,
built in the Renaissance style between 1595 and 1618. Both homes have Doric, Ionic and Corinthian
columns with 19 statues of the Counts of Flanders standing in the niches of the
façade of Keure’s Alderman House. It
gives the Stadhius the look of an Italian palace.
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| Royal Dutch Theater |
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| Ghent Town Hall |
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| Ghent Town Hall-Alderman’s house of Keure |
Stefan then took us
down a very unique alley – Graffiti Street.
For the past 20 years this has been the legal place for artists to
showcase their works. Both sides were
lined with brightly colored graffiti art.
The walls are constantly being repainted and the walls are open to
anyone. The artists’ that did this work are very talented.
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| Street Art |
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| Street Art |
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| Street Art |
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| Street Art |
We then arrived at Vrjidagmarkt (Friday Market). This is another of Ghent’s old market
squares. In its time it was the center
of all of Ghent’s political and social life.
Located in the center of the square is a statue of an armed man – Jacob
van Artevelde. He was a medieval
businessman and politician. In 1332 van
Artevelde led an uprising against the Counts of Flanders and, for a short
while, became the ruler of Ghent. In the
statue, he is pointing toward England where he actively supported the English
king. His support of the king allowed
not only Ghent, but all of Flanders, to remain neutral and continue to thrive
and flourish, especially the cloth industry, during the Hundred Years War. He was killed by a rival businessman. Known as the Wise Man of Ghent, Ghent is
still called the city Artevelde.
The square is surrounded by old guild buildings from different
periods in Ghent’s history. Some of the
buildings include the Tanners’ Guild with its round tower, the Toreken Tower, which
was the Cloth guild and oldest guild in the square, and the Art Nouveau “Our
House” which was the home of the Socialist Party of Ghent. As it was lunchtime, we enjoyed a meal of
hearty Belgium dishes. The stew we had
was quite delicious and filling.
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| Buildings Around Vrjidagmarkt |
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Jacob van Artevelde Statue-Building
Behind Statue was Home of the
Socialist Party of Ghent |
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| Oldest Building in Vrijidagmarkt |
After lunch we walked a short distance to Sint Veerleplein
Square where the Gravensteen Castle (Castle of the Counts) is located. As there was not much to see inside the
castle, we decided not to spend the time or money to enter the castle. In the square is a statue of a lion holding
the coat of arms of the city of Ghent.
You also find here the gateway to the Old Fish Market with the statue of
Neptune.
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| Lion Statue with Ghent Coat of Arms |
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| Gravensteen Castle |
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| Gravensteen Castle |
As we walked back to our hotel, we passed by the Het Waterhuis
de Bierkant. Translated it means “The
Waterhouse on the Beerside.” Actually, the house stands in the water, and it
was where all the wine and beer was unloaded in years gone by. Today it is continuing its roots – it is a
beer hall. On the other side of the
river from the beer hall is Ghent’s version of the Brussel’s Mannekin Pis, a
cute, pudgy statue of a boy relieving himself.
Above the restaurant are the sculptures of three children – Lena,
Nestor, and Luna happily peeing. (as a note: Lena and Luna, the 2 girls, were
not added to the original statue until 2014).
Not to start a war between the cities, but Ghent believes that their
statue is older than Brussel’s.
We
then passed Groot Kanonplein or “Big Cannon Square,” so called because of an
outsized 15th-century red bronze artillery piece, known as Dulle Griet (Mad
Meg) or Big Red Devil, located in the square. The gun looks like it's been
positioned to fire its big stone cannonballs into any likely target that comes
into view from neighboring Vrijdagmarkt.
It has graced this site for 425 years and has never fired a shot. Although considered a formidable weapon
during the Middle Ages, it turned out to be a dud. It was only fired once during a test resulting
in the cannonball falling harmlessly to the ground in front of the cannon. The cannon’s name more than likely came from
Dulle Griet (also known as Mad Meg), who was a figure in Flemish folklore. It is said she led an army of women to
pillage Hell. Griet was a name given to
describe any bad-tempered, shrewish woman.
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| Het Waterhuis de Bierkant. |
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| Ghent's Mannekin Pis |
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| Dulle Griet (Mad Meg) Cannon |
After our tout with Stefen ended, Bill and I walked over to St. Michael’s Church, a Roman Catholic church, to see if it was open. The last two days it had been closed when we tried to visit. Today was our lucky day. Built in 1105, the church was twice destroyed by fire in the 12th century and had to be rebuilt. In 1440, renovations began which changed the church to a Gothic style. However, before it was completed, construction was stopped by religious conflicts. In 1566, spurred on by Martin Luther’s Reformation movement, Calvinists in the Netherlands, began raiding churches and removing stained glass windows, statues, and artwork. Here the Calvinists destroyed part of the church. When construction began again in 1623, the newer sections reflected the Baroque style. The intended 452-foot-high tower has never been finished as the church ran out of money. The interior of the church is Baroque and contains many Baroque paintings and a collection of silver and gold artifacts. These artifacts include the sacred “Doorn” donated by Mary, Queen of Scots, and the true Cross which was given to the church by Archduke Albrecht and Isabella in 1619. Located behind the church is Het Pand, a former Dominican Friary. This ended our amazing exploration of Ghent.
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| St. Michael's Church |
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| Inside the Church |
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| Altar Inside the Church |
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| Inside the Church |
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| Inside the Church |
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| Inside the Church |
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| Inside the Church |
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| Altar Inside the Church |
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| Inside the Church |
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| St. Michael's Church Organ |
Ghent is a very lovely
and walkable city. Its picturesque views
are some of the best we have ever seen. With
its compact historical center, most sites are within an easy 15-20-minute
walk. Its chocolates are delicious, and
the Belgum waffles are some of the best.
But unless your hotel has breakfast, do not think you can find a place
to eat at 8 AM (unless you find a Starbucks).
Even McDonald’s does not open until 10. am. In addition to just walking around the town,
it is very enjoyable and relaxing to take one of the canal cruises. The colorful quaint old homes with their
flower boxes and shrubbery and the magnificent old guild houses make a
wonderful setting for the cruise down the canal and river. Even the rain yesterday did not take away
from the beauty of Ghent. Sadly,
tomorrow we leave and fly home to Denver.
This has been a very
long trip covering 6 countries (Italy, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Luxemburg,
and Belgium), and different landscapes, weather, cultures, and cuisines. Sicily, while extremely hot and humid, showed
us come wonderful sights of Roman, Greek and Arab influences and architecture. Poland was more subdued with its sad Jewish
history. The Rhine and Mosel Cruise was
a relaxing, enjoyable trip to the many small, quaint German towns with their
wonderful wineries. And Ghent was the
icing on the cake – a photographer’s dream and a sweet lover’s heaven. Now back to reality until our next adventure
beckons.
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