Ghent is a city in the interior of Belgium. Several tens of kilometers separate it from the shores of the North Sea. However, both the confluence of the Lys and Scheldt rivers and the network of canals that flow through the lands of Flanders make it today one of the main ports of its country. But in the past it was much more important. At the end of the Middle Ages and for a couple of centuries, much of European trade passed through here. Ghent owes its appearance as a storybook city to this period of splendor.
A story in which nothing is missing. To begin with, there is a king. More like an emperor. None other than Charles I, who came into the world in Ghent one night in the winter of 1500. Although his birth was not at all aristocratic. It is said that he was born in a latrine, since his mother Juana la Loca began to feel unwell during a dance. So she looked for a toilet to relieve herself, but it turned out that she went into labor right there.
That happened in the Prisenhof palace, at that time the most lavish residence in the city. However, there is not much left today. Perhaps for this reason, many visitors think that the future king of Spain with dominions throughout Europe and half the world was born in the Castle of the Counts or Gravensteen, one of the most imposing buildings visited during the river tours of Ghent. Although, in the times of Philip the Fair, his wife Juana and his son Carlos, that fortress was already an antique from the 12th century, without sufficient comfort for such noble tenants.
Now Gravensteen is a museum, the last of the mutations that the castle has had in its long history because it has also been a court, a prison and even a textile factory. So it is one of the oldest buildings in Ghent. But not the most. For example, the Cathedral of Saint Bavo has an earlier origin, because in the 10th century there was already a humble temple in honor of Saint John the Baptist on this site. Although to understand its transformation into a cathedral and the change of dedication, we must return to those fairy-tale times with the figure of Charles on the Spanish throne.
The truth is that the people of Ghent never had a very friendly relationship with their most illustrious neighbor. They protested on several occasions against their taxes and conquests. They even revolted in 1539, which is why they were punished. After that, the old abbey of Saint Bavo on the outskirts of Ghent was demolished to build a fortress that would house the soldiers of the future thirds of Flanders. Furthermore, the king ordered the leaders of the rebellion executed and humiliated the rest by forcing them to parade to his palace carrying a rope around their necks as a threat. And finally he transformed the church of Saint John, where he himself had been baptized, into the cathedral of Saint Bavo, patron saint of the city.
Continuing with the analogy of the story, this temple would be the colossal chest that keeps a treasure. A treasure in the form of a work of art: The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb painted by the Van Eyck brothers. Perhaps the most extraordinary work of Belgium's pictorial heritage. Or at least the most eventful life. It has been stolen several times, and even today one of its 12 boards remains missing. In addition, Napoleon admired the altarpiece in the Louvre or Hitler hid it in some Austrian mines from where the Monument Men brigade rescued it at the end of World War II.
The panels painted by Hubert and Jan van Eyck in 1432 are the fabulous expression of the commercial power achieved by Ghent at that time between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, spirits fused in the style of the painting itself. Prosperous times in which nobles and bourgeoisie gave important commissions to artists or contributed to building the city's slender Belfort. That is, a civil and free-standing bell tower that rises 91 meters in the center of the city to warn of fires, celebrations or the arrival of enemies if applicable.
It was a period of prosperity for merchants, artisans and producers. Grouped together, they were able to express their strength in attractive guild houses that also welcomed those who arrived at the loading docks of Ghent. Even today they are the most photogenic image of the city. The Graslei (vegetable dock) and Korenlei (wheat) docks seen from the St. Michael's Bridge are the most sought-after image and one of the most photographed corners of the country.
Along with Brussels and neighboring Bruges, Ghent is the third vertex of the essential trip through Belgium. That atmosphere of the setting for fables or period films is an essential event on tourist tours of the country. But the good thing is that once you visit, you discover that it is not a huge lifeless dollhouse. Quite the opposite. It is a very dynamic city thanks to its intense cultural life and the large percentage of university students it hosts.
It is a very enjoyable city. As soon as a ray of sun rises, the terraces are filled with customers and the banks of the canals are a cobblestone park perfect for relaxing. And even if the weather is not good, there is no shortage of breweries where you can take refuge or design, decoration or antique shops to bring back the most exquisite souvenirs.
