Why should you visit Ghent, Belgium and see a 1000 years old history?
Medieval history paints Ghent in its vibrant hues. Known as the cultural hub and land of many mysteries, Ghent is Belgium’s best kept secret which offers the preserved history of 1400 years to travelers to explore on foot.
Standing in the courtyard of Gravansteen, or Dutch for Castle of the Counts, you can feel the regal history speaking to you. This castle is almost a millennium old and if you have never been to a torture museum, this is the place to be at. It houses some of the most prominent torture devices used in the medieval history but let that not scare you as it will blow you away with the city views it provides from the top of the castle.
Home to many priceless paintings, Ghent has many art galleries like AD gallery, Galerie Ja Dhaese, popular churches like Sint Michielskerk church and museums where such exotic pieces can be found. The port city has literature and theatre flowing in its streets in the most myriad forms. Any travel in Europe would go incomplete, if Ghent is not on the check list.
Reading a book in the beautiful garden of Sint Pietersabdij with bites of a 2-euro sandwich from De Brug in morning (that’s utterly cheap for a university student in Ghent), following a puppet show at Pedrolino or a musical at Minard in the afternoon with dance moves aligned to a rock concert at Vooruit accompanied with draughts of beer from Dulle Griet in the evening and a Flemish dinner in any restaurant in Patershol, ending with desserts at Leonidas Chocolates & café; can be one of the day schedules Ghent has to offer. The city has many adventures and memories in store for to travel and explore every day. The best way to demystify this city is on foot with sips of coffee from Mokabon.
The 10 day long, Ghent festival is one of the key highlights of the city that attracts travelers from across the world. About 2 million visitors throng in the city during the festival.
The Belfry is the proudest symbol of the city’s independence, and remarkable piece of architecture. Beside the Town Hall is a beautiful grass landscaped plaza and George Minne’s “the Fountain of Kneeling Youths” popularly called the Pisserkes. The “Bell Roeland”, a six-ton church bell stands in a specially designed “belfry” next to St. Nicholas Church.
If you can’t travel the entire Europe, then take a ticket to Ghent, as it stands at the fork of history and contemporary.
The medieval texture and the Romanesque and Scheldt Gothic tone of the Ghent makes it the quintessential representative of Europe. Adventurous souls can never get tired of visiting exciting activities may it be on water tram or Vespa. Romantic hearts can easily fall in adoration to the green pastures, old churches, art galleries and history hotspots of Ghent. The city of cultural mix bears a welcoming feeling to anyone who treads in, the diversity at Korenmarkt shall second it.
One of the most iconic landmarks is St. Michael’s Bridge. Very popular among the locals and tourists, it hosts international music festivals and performances every year!
Besides bearing the aesthetic grace, the city is a place of high quality education. Research driven Ghent University and the 3 million books of Boekentoren are the leading examples of the excellency of knowledge delivered here.
Ghent City is the place any traveller should visit, if not for history and culture, if not for art and literature, if not for food and liquor, if not for beauty and knowledge, then visit for finding the self. Belgian art is very detailed. See some paintings by Jan Van Eyck in the Groeninge Museum and for his ultimate masterpiece, Adoration of the Mystic Lamb.
The sublime structures, cultural corners and enlightening experiences shall certainly make you know yourself better. While you will explore the secrets of the city streets, you shall fathom your inner depths.
To unravel the rich history and fine details be sure to read The Revolt of Ghent by Willian Morris, or maybe get a personal guide. If you don’t have a lot of time, please sign up for our newsletter at http://zotout.com/#download (or write to me directly at mohit@zotout.com) that makes exploring Ghent memorable. So pack your bags, and head out to Ghent! You don’t want to miss the City Festival this July, do you? At least I’m not ;) See you at Ghent!
Meanwhile, you can listen to one of our stories about Ghent, below. :)
