G. Rouzeau - 2009-11-20

 

Ghent has long been eclipsed by the fame of its lifelong rival, Bruges. Irony of history! While Bruges, after its medieval golden age, experienced a period of stagnation and then decline which very soon turned it into a "museum town", Ghent became a great industrial town in the 18th and 19th centuries. On the flip side of the coin, this prosperity, and the acrid black smoke from the factories, almost engulfed its heritage. From the 1980s many restoration initiatives enabled the principal monuments to be cleaned up and allowed for example Patershol, the traditional weavers' district since the 12th century, to be saved.
Nicknamed the Amsterdam of Flanders, Ghent is known for its student nightlife, sustained by innumerable bars, cafés and estaminets, while its inhabitants have a reputation for rebelling against the established order. The roots of this tradition of insubordination stretch far back in history to the 13th century, when the people's representatives the powerful guilds managed to make the feudal powers dance to their tune. Much later, during the industrial revolution, the town became the bastion of the workers' movement in Belgium. Built in 1900, the monumental house of the "socialist workers' association" (Socialistische Werkersvereenigingen, Ons Huis), located on the Vrijdagmarkt (Friday market), bears witness to this. Today, this small town is still a big village where neighbours greet each other, and a relative social mix still prevails.

 

 

Aficionados of heritage, art and architecture can rest assured; amid the meanders of the river Lys, at the centre of Charles V's town, there are still some outstanding monuments and first-rate artistic treasures. Of all the towns of Flanders, the one famed for its three towers offers the greatest architectural eclecticism, from the medieval fortress to Rococo mansions and including the modernism preceding the Bauhaus movement.
 
Ghent's historic centre has a radius of barely more than one kilometre and can easily be covered on foot. Begin with St-Baafskathedraal (St Bavon's Cathedral) which houses one of the founding works of the history of western painting, the polyptych of The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb by the Van Eyck brothers. Such a masterpiece, the first to use oil to blend pigments on canvas, defies all explanation! The crypt the biggest one in Flanders acts as the Museum of Fine Arts during the closure of the latter: beautiful paintings abound, from Justus of Ghent to Rogier van der Weyden, with two by Bosch including a crucifixion in extraordinary close-up.

Outside, you will find yourself in front of the Belfort (belfry), a mighty, slender and rectangular tower, 91 m/298.5 ft high its haughtiness makes it a perfect and enduring symbol, in the early 21st century, of the power of the Ghent guilds. Next door is the Lakenhalle (cloth hall, 1426-1441) where the cloth manufacturers would meet to regulate the production of cloth and fix the workers' wages. Now's the time to stock up on delicious chocolates called "pralines" in Belgium at L. Van Hoorebeke. The range is classic (try the caramel and chocolate mousse flavours) and the freshness impeccable.

Begun in the 16th century and finished in the 18th century, the Stadhuis (town hall) has two very distinct façades, one in excessively refined Flamboyant Gothic style, the other inspired by the Italian Renaissance. Even though it is currently closed for work, take a walk around the impressively massive St-Niklaaskerk (St Nicholas' church) next door. The east façade gives on to the Korenmarkt (corn market) where, on fine days, the local students (there are more than 20,000) throng to the many terraces.

 

After skirting the monumental neo-Gothic post office building, stop on St-Michielsbrug (St Michael's bridge) which offers an ideal view of the town and its principal monuments. Behind you, the towers of the belfry, St Bavon and St Nicholas stand in a row heading towards the Lys. Down below, the Graslei (Herb Quay), where Ghent's original port once was, stretches out like an open-air treatise on architecture, with its Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance houses. Standing opposite, the Korenlei (Corn Quay), less spectacular and dating from a later period, is nevertheless lined with fine classical mansions and gabled houses. On your left, St-Michielskerk (St Michael's church, 15th century), the victim of excessive architectural ambitions, has an unfinished tower inside is a superb Christ on the Cross by Van Dyck.
The Korenlei leads to the Museum voor Sierkunst en Vormgeving (Museum of Decorative Arts and Design) whose collections are housed in a magnificent 18th century Rococo mansion. The contrasts are striking: on the ground floor you can admire the dining room of a Flemish patrician family, with its wooden chandelier, woodwork and china; in the immaculate white modern wing, you go from an Art Nouveau interior by Henry van de Velde to an extraordinary, colourful armchair by Alessandro Mendini. After your visit, you can stop for tea, coffee or hot chocolate at Brooderie (brood means bread in Flemish), an organic tea room where you can also sample a delicious vegetarian dish of the day.

At the end of the street, on the right, you come to St.-Veerleplein (St Veerle's square) where there are several old buildings such as the Wenemaers-hospitaal (St Laurence's hospice) whose façade dates from 1564, and above all the Oude Vismarkt (fish market) with its striking Baroque entrance. Destined for renovation, this market is set to become an arts centre. Behind you looms the squat outline of the famous Gravensteen (Castle of the Counts), which was completely renovated in the early 20th century in the spirit of the crusader forts in Syria. Younger visitors love the collection of instruments of torture; we preferred the view of Ghent from the top of the keep.
When you leave, turn right into the Geldmunt, then immediately right again into Plotersgracht to reach one of Ghent's oldest districts, Patershol. Destined for destruction over twenty years ago, this old weavers' district consists of a dense network of alleys lined with small, low red brick houses (the oldest ones date back to the 12th century) but also the old cloisters of the Calced Carmelites and the Chapel of the Drongenhof as well as several mansions. Today it has several trendy boutiques, numerous cafés and restaurants such as De 3 Biggetjes and Bij den Wijzen en Den Zot which last year won the award for the best waterzoï (stew) in Ghent.
Refreshed and ready for action, you will find yourself on the Kraanlei (Crane Quay) where the small houses and Gothic chapel of the Huis van Alijn (hospice of the Alijn children) await; these are connected by a courtyard and form the Museum of Folklore. The popular arts and traditions of Flanders are tastefully reconstructed in its tiny rooms.
Next up is Temmerman, a renowned confectioner's shop where the speciality is cuberdon, a sweet cone filled with raspberry jam.

 

Turn back and cross the Lys via the Zuivelbrug. Just to the left is another tiny estaminet, Dreupelkot, an establishment dedicated to gin and offering over 100 varieties from Flanders and the north of France.
A stone's throw away, the Vleeshuis (15th century meat hall), located at the Groentenmarkt (vegetable market), is a long stone building decorated with a series of crow-stepped gables. Beneath the timber frame inside it hosts a market for regional produce. Now's the time to sample a speciality such as mattetaarten, a cake made with almond paste, or advocat, an alcoholic cream made with egg yolks. On the other side of the square, the Tierenteyn-Verlent grocer's shop is famous for its extra-strong hand-made mustard, concocted in the shop's cellar. A soldier of Napoléon's Old Guard, from Dijon, is said to have revealed the recipe while in bed with a beautiful Flemish girl! The customers all regulars come here to fill their own stoneware pots.
Kammer Straat leads to the Vrijdagmarkt (Friday market), a vast square lined with old gabled houses (such as the 15th century turreted house Het Toreken) and more recent buildings. In the centre the statue of Jacob van Artevelde takes pride of place, commemorating the assassination of the man who took sides with England against France when France wanted to ban the importation of English wool. Behind this square, a flea market takes place around St-Jacobskerk (St Jacob's church) every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

 

 

Flanders is a paradise for good food, and the inhabitants of Ghent often eat out. As explained by Gilles Joye, young chef of the Belga Queen on Graslei: "the cuisine of Ghent is a local cuisine that highlights the produce of Flanders from both land and sea strictly in keeping with the seasons". Produce from the sea includes the inevitable mussels (there are many recipes) but also shrimp from the North Sea, prepared as croquettes in breadcrumbs. There is a large number of fish dishes sole, turbot, dab, trout. One famous starter combines fresh and pickled herring, beetroot, shallots and basil. The Flemish love eels, which are cooked in many ways: "in green" with sorrel, spinach and nettles, but also with pale ale and in a terrine. The famous Flemish dish waterzoï consists of salt- and fresh-water fish cooked in a court-bouillon with a julienne of vegetables. The Ghent version is also made with chicken. The dish is served with thick slices of cracked whole-wheat bread that you spread with butter. There is also a great variety of meat on offer: Belgian Blue Beef (the equivalent of French Charolais), duck, pigeon, rabbit and pork. Rabbit with prunes or in beer, sautéed Coucou de Malines (chicken), and braised beef with onions and beer are some of the delicious specialities you can try. Presskopf, a terrine of pig's head (also well known in Alsace), is served as a starter with strong mustard and bread. As for hennepot, this is a lemon-flavoured terrine made with chicken, rabbit and veal. Among the vegetables, in addition to the classic endives and delicious Bintje potatoes, try something a little more unusual such as hop shoots, small shoots with a distinctive flavour. The chips are usually homemade, made the same day and carefully cut.

And of course, you can drink beer with your entire meal if you wish. There are many varieties to choose from supposedly over 1,000 in Flanders and many small breweries offer beverages that are not to be found elsewhere.

 

 

Shops:
L. Van Hoorebeke, St-Baafsplein

Tel. : 09/221 03 81

Brooderie, Jan Breydelstraat, 8
Dreupelkot, Groetenmarkt, 12

Veuve Tierenteyn-Verlent, Groentenmarkt, 3
Temmerman, Kraanlei 79
Restaurants:
De 3 Biggetjes (Bib gourmand in the MICHELIN Guide selection)
Zeugsteeg 7

Tel. : 09/224 46 48
Bij den Wijzen en Den Zot
Hertogstraag 42,

Tel. : 09/223 42 30
With thanks to Gilles Joye of the Belga Queen restaurant, Graslei, 10

Tel. : 09/280 01.00