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. As a port and university city, Ghent has a rich history.

Originally, Ghent started as a settlement 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, with around 50,000 people living there in the year 1300. Even though its importance lessened after the late 16th century, Ghent’s historic centre remained extremely well-preserved, which now makes it a popular tourist destination.

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, making it the second largest municipality in Belgium by population. Each year, the ten-day Ghent Festival (Gentse Feesten) attracts around 1–1.5 million 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. But in 851 and 879, it was attacked by Vikings.

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, shown as "Cfb" on climate maps.

Demographics

Ghent is a city with many people from different countries living there. 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 includes different groups and parties that help make decisions for the city. One of these groups is called "Voor Gent," which is a team made up of two other parties: Vooruit and Open VLD. These groups work together to plan and organize things for the people living in Ghent.

Culture and tourism

Much of Ghent's old buildings from long ago are still standing and well cared for. The city centre has no cars, making it pleasant 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 an important place for trade and is the third-largest port in Belgium. It is connected to the Dutch port of Terneuzen by the Ghent–Terneuzen Canal, which runs along the Western Scheldt. Many big companies, like ArcelorMittal, Volvo Cars, Volvo Trucks, Volvo Parts, Honda, Yamaha Motor, and Stora Enso, have offices and factories there.

Ghent University is a big school for learning and research, with many students and teachers. The city also has large hospitals, many schools, busy shopping streets, and Flanders Expo, one of the biggest 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 a well-developed transport system.

By car, the city is connected 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 offers international connections. The city also has an extensive network of trams and buses, operated by De Lijn. Since January 6, 2024, there are four tram lines and eleven bus lines serving various parts of the city.

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

Main article: Trams in Ghent

Sports

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

Ghent is famous for its cycling races. Every year, it hosts the Six Days of Ghent, a six-day track cycling race, and the start and finish of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad race. The city also 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 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 used to have partnerships with seven cities around the world. These included places in France, Germany, Japan, Estonia, Morocco, and the United Kingdom. However, Ghent chose to end these partnerships except for the one with Kanazawa in Japan.