51°02N 3°42E, pop (2000e) 234 200. River port and capital city of East Flanders province, NW Belgium, at the confluence of the Scheldt and Leie Rivers; third largest urban region in Belgium, and second largest port; harbour connected by canal to the North Sea; focus of Flemish nationality; university (1816); railway; spinning and weaving (Flemish linen), chemicals, steel, cars, electrical engineering, publishing, banking; Cathedral of St Bavon (begun 10th-c), town hall (15th17th-c), House of Free Boatmen (1531), Abbey of St Bavon (642), castle of Gravensteen (11801200).
| Ghent | |
|---|---|
| Province: | East Flanders |
| District: | Ghent |
| Area: | 156.18 km² |
| Population: | 233,120 (2006) |
| Population density: | 1493 /km² |
Ghent (IPA: [gɛnt]; The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and became in the Middle Ages one of the largest and richest cities of northern Europe.
The municipality comprises the city of Ghent proper and the towns of Afsnee, Desteldonk, Drongen, Gentbrugge, Ledeberg, Mariakerke, Mendonk, Oostakker, Sint-Amandsberg, Sint-Denijs-Westrem, Sint-Kruis-Winkel, Wondelgem and Zwijnaarde. With 233 120 inhabitants in the beginning of 2006, Ghent is Belgium's second largest municipality and the country's third largest conurbation.
History
Archeologic evidence shows human presence in the region of the confluence of Scheldt and Lys going back as far as the Stone Age and the Iron Age.
When the Franks invaded the Roman territories (from the end of the 4th century and well into the 5th century) they brought their language with them and Celtic and Latin were replaced by Old Dutch.
Around 650 Saint Amand founded two abbeys in Ghent the Saint Peter Abbeye and the Saint Bavo Abbeye.
The city recovered and flourished from the 11th century on. Until the 13th century Ghent was the biggest city in Europe after Paris; In fact, Ghent was during the Middle Ages the most important city for cloth.
The wool-industry, originally established at Bruges, created the first European industrialized zone in Ghent in the High Middle Ages.
The city recovered in the 14th century, while Flanders was united with neighbouring provinces under the Dukes of Burgundy. Around this time the center of gravity in the Low Countries started to shift from Flanders (Bruges–Ghent) to Brabant (Antwerp–Brussels), although Ghent would continue to play an important role. Although native to Ghent, he punished the city after the 1539 Revolt of Ghent and obliged them to walk in front of the emperor barefoot with a noose (Dutch: strop) around the neck. Since this incident the people of Ghent are called "Stroppendragers" (noose bearers). At one time Ghent was a calvinistic city, but eventually the Spanish army reinstated catholicism. The wars ended the role of Ghent as a center of international importance.
In the 18th and 19th century Ghent the textile industry flourished again in Ghent.
Ghent was also the site of the signing of the Treaty of Ghent which formally ended the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States of America. After the battle of Waterloo Ghent became a part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands for 15 years.
After the Belgian Revolution, the first Belgian trade-union originated in Ghent.
Tourism
The Graslei is one of the most scenic places in Ghent's old city centre. Interesting highlights are the Saint Bavo Cathedral with the Ghent Altarpiece, the belfry, the Gravensteen castle, and the splendid architecture along the old Graslei harbour. The city of Ghent houses also three béguinages and numerous churches, among which the Saint-Jacobs church and the Saint-Nicolas Church are the most beautiful examples.Restaurants and culinary traditions
As most Belgian cities, Ghent offers a rich variety of local and foreign cuisine.
In Ghent and other regions of East-Flanders, bakeries sell a donut-shaped bun called a "mastel".
Festivities
The city is host to some big cultural events such as the Gentse Feesten, I Love Techno, Flanders International Film Festival Ghent and Festival van Vlaanderen. Also, every five years, a huge botanical exhibition (Gentse Floraliën) takes place in Ghent, attracting numerous visitors to the city.
Museums
Important museums in Ghent are the Museum voor Schone Kunsten (Museum of Fine Arts), with paintings by Hieronymus Bosch, Jean Fouquet, and many Flemish masters; There is also a museum presenting the industrial strength of Ghent, the Museum voor Industriële Archeologie en Textiel or MIAT.
Economy
The port of Ghent, in the north of the city, is the third largest port of Belgium.
The Ghent University and a number of reasearch oriented companies are situated in the centre and southern part.
As the biggest city of East-Flanders, Ghent has many hospitals, schools and shopping streets.
Transport
Ghent has two major train stations: Gent-Sint-Pieters and Gent-Dampoort.
All the public transport within the city is operated by the Flemish public transport company De Lijn.
On weekends, the city offers night bus services free of charge.
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Articulated Van Hool city bus in front of Sint-Pieters train station |
Trolleybus |
Older PCC streetcar |
Modern HermeLijn low floor tram vehicle, Korenmarkt square |
Famous people
See also: Notable people from Ghent
Saint Bavo, patron saint of Ghent (589-654) Henry of Ghent, scholastic philosopher (c. 1457-1505) Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles Quint (1500-1558) Daniel Heinsius, scholar of the Dutch Renaissance (1580-1655) Caspar de Crayer, painter (1582-1669) Jan Frans Willems, writer (1793-1846) Louis XVIII of France was exiled in Ghent during the Hundred Days in 1815 Charles John Seghers, Jesuit clergyman and missionary (1839-1886) Victor Horta, Art Nouveau architect (1861-1947) Maurice Maeterlinck, poet, playwright, essayist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature (1862-1949) Leo Baekeland, chemist and inventor of Bakelite (1863-1944) Pierre Louÿs, poet and romantic writer (1870-1925)
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