Ghent

Ghent is a city and municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of East Flanders province and the third largest city in the country, after Brussels and Antwerp. Ghent is a port and university city with a rich history.

Originally, Ghent started where the Rivers Scheldt and Leie meet. During the Late Middle Ages, it grew to become one of the largest and richest cities in northern Europe. Even though its importance lessened after the late 16th century, Ghent’s historic centre stayed very well-preserved. This makes it a popular tourist destination today.

The city of Ghent includes surrounding suburbs such as Afsnee, Desteldonk, Drongen, and many others. As of the end of 2024, about 270,473 people lived in Ghent. Each year, the ten-day Ghent Festival (Gentse Feesten) attracts many visitors.

History

For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Ghent.

Archaeological evidence shows that people lived around where the Scheldt and Leie rivers meet as far back as the Stone Age and the Iron Age. Most historians believe the older name for Ghent, 'Ganda', comes from a Celtic word meaning 'confluence', or where rivers meet.

When the Franks came to the area, they brought their language, changing the old Celtic and Latin words to Old Dutch.

Around 650, Saint Amand created two important places of learning in Ghent: St. Peter's (Blandinium) and St. Bavo's Abbey. The city grew from these places and a trading center.

In the Middle Ages, Ghent became very important. By the 13th century, it was one of the biggest cities in Europe north of the Alps, even bigger than Cologne or Moscow. Many people lived inside its walls. The city became famous for making cloth from wool.

In later years, Ghent faced many changes. It was caught in wars and saw new leaders come and go. But it always remained an important place. In the 1800s, new machines helped the city's textile industry grow again. Ghent also became a university city and built new ways to connect to the sea.

During the two world wars, Ghent was occupied by German forces but was not destroyed. It was freed in World War II by British and Belgian soldiers.

Geography

Ghent is made up of several smaller areas that joined together in 1965 and 1977.

The weather in Ghent is mild, with gentle changes between warm and cool temperatures. It rains enough throughout the year. According to the Köppen climate classification, Ghent has a marine west coast climate.

Demographics

Ghent is a city where many people from different countries live. In 2020, about 35.5% of the people in Ghent had families that originally came from outside of Belgium, and 15.3% did not have Belgian citizenship. Some parts of the city, especially in the north, east, and west, have more people from other countries than from Belgium. Places like Brugse Poort, Dampoort, and Rabot are examples of these areas.

Politics

The city council for Ghent from 2025 to 2031 has many groups that help make decisions for the city. One group is called "Voor Gent." It is made up of two smaller parties: Vooruit and Open VLD. These groups work together to plan things for the people living in Ghent.

Culture and tourism

Many of Ghent's old buildings are still standing and well cared for. The city centre has no cars, so it is nice to walk around. You can visit important places such as St. Bavo's Cathedral with the famous Ghent Altarpiece, the belfry, the Gravensteen castle, and beautiful buildings along the old Graslei harbour. Ghent mixes modern life with history, so it feels alive and not like a museum. The city also has special areas called béguinages and many churches.

In the 1800s, a famous architect named Louis Roelandt built important buildings such as the university hall, the opera house, and the main courthouse. Today, you can see modern buildings like the university’s Boekentoren (Book Tower) designed by Henry Van de Velde. Ghent also has theatres from different times and was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for its special buildings.

Ghent has many museums, including the Museum voor Schone Kunsten with old paintings, the SMAK for modern art, and the Design Museum Gent showing beautiful designs. The Huis van Alijn has folk art and shows theatre and puppet shows for children. The Ghent City Museum helps people learn about the city’s history.

The city has a famous theatre called NTGent that creates exciting shows. Ghent is also known for special foods like "mastellen" (a type of bread), praline chocolates, and cone-shaped candies called "cuberdons". There are also tasty dishes such as Stoverij, a meat stew, and Waterzooi, a local stew.

Every year, Ghent holds big events like the Ghent Festival, which lasts ten days and draws many visitors. There are also film festivals, music events, and every five years, a large flower show. The city has beautiful parks, including a large nature reserve.

Economy

The port of Ghent is important for trade. It is the third-largest port in Belgium. It connects to the Dutch port of Terneuzen by the Ghent–Terneuzen Canal, which runs along the Western Scheldt. Many big companies have offices and factories there. These include ArcelorMittal, Volvo Cars, Volvo Trucks, Volvo Parts, Honda, Yamaha Motor, and Stora Enso.

Ghent University is a large school for learning and research. The city has big hospitals, many schools, busy shopping streets, and Flanders Expo, one of the largest places for events in Belgium. Tourism is growing and creating more jobs for people in the area.

Transport

As one of the largest cities in Belgium, Ghent has good transport links.

By car, the city connects to other places through two motorways: the E40 links Ghent with Bruges, Ostend, Brussels, Leuven, and Liège, while the E17 connects it to Sint-Niklaas, Antwerp, Kortrijk, and Lille. Ghent also has two ringways: the R4 and the R40.

Ghent has five railway stations, including Gent-Sint-Pieters Station, which has links to other countries. The city also has many trams and buses, operated by De Lijn. Since January 6, 2024, there are four tram lines and eleven bus lines in the city.

Cycling is very popular in Ghent, which has the largest area for cyclists in Europe. The city has nearly 400 kilometres of cycle paths and many streets where bicycles have priority. Ghent also has Belgium's first bicycle boulevard, where cyclists have the right of way. The city has many bicycle parking spots, including plans for 17,000 at Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station.

Main article: Trams in Ghent

Sports

Ghent has many fun sports events. The city’s football team, K.A.A. Gent, won the Belgian football champions title in 2015. There is also a smaller football club called KRC Gent-Zeehaven.

Ghent is well-known for its cycling races. Every year, it hosts the Six Days of Ghent, a six-day track cycling race. It is also the start and finish of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad race. The city holds an annual athletics event and the Ghent Marathon each March.

Notable people

See also: List of people from Ghent

Ghent has been home to many famous people throughout history. Some well-known names include Frans Ackerman, a Flemish leader, and Charlotte Adigéry, a Belgian-Caribbean musician. The city also saw the birth of Leo Baekeland, the inventor of Bakelite, and Saint Bavo, the city's patron saint.

In the world of sports, Ghent is proud of athletes like Tiesj Benoot, a cyclist, and Kevin De Bruyne, a professional footballer for SSC Napoli. Other notable sports figures include Gaelle Mys, an Olympic gymnast, and Jacques Rogge, the former president of the IOC.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Belgium

Twin towns – sister cities

Ghent had partnerships with seven cities around the world. These cities were in France, Germany, Japan, Estonia, Morocco, and the United Kingdom. Now, Ghent only keeps its partnership with Kanazawa in Japan.