World Belgium Ghent

Travels of Doug and Beverly The Rhine & Mosel River Cruise

Ghent, Belgium Sep 26, 2019

Ghent (also spelled Gent); we're still in the Flemish region of Belgium. It was originally a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Leie; and in the late Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of northern Europe, with some 50,000 people in the year 1300. It is a port and university city.

In many ways, Ghent's history is similar to Bruges. However, Ghent never fell into decline, as it was able to adapt its economy to the times. During the 19th century, its textile industry became renowned worldwide and it established its own university, which attracted many national and international students to the city, thus keeping the city alive. Today, Ghent has a population of nearly 250,000 of which 45,000 are students. During the World Wars, it wasn't bombed badly and the Nazi's liked Ghent too.

Ghent also has an interesting network of canals and a stunning medieval city center. However, like Bruges, they had to restore the old buildings to attract tourists. The buildings were cleaned, the canals were purified and the industrial areas were repaired.