50 Sights in Ghent, Belgium (with Map and Images)
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Welcome to your journey through the most beautiful sights in Ghent, Belgium! Whether you want to discover the city's historical treasures or experience its modern highlights, you'll find everything your heart desires here. Be inspired by our selection and plan your unforgettable adventure in Ghent. Dive into the diversity of this fascinating city and discover everything it has to offer.
Sightseeing Tours in GhentActivities in Ghent
The Museum of Industry, Work and Textiles is a museum in Ghent in Belgium. Ghent was at the centre of the Flanders textile region. The museum is an Anchor point on the European Route of Industrial Heritage.
Saint Bavo's Cathedral, also known as Sint-Baafs Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Catholic Church in Ghent, Belgium. The 89-meter-tall Gothic building is the seat of the Diocese of Ghent and is named for Saint Bavo of Ghent. It contains the well-known Ghent Altarpiece.
Wikipedia: St Bavo's Cathedral, Ghent (EN), Heritage Website
Het Pand is a former Dominican monastery in the Belgian city of Ghent. Since 1963, Het Pand has been owned by Ghent University, which has housed a cultural centre and several scientific museums in the building. The entire building is recognized as a monument.
The Gravensteen is a medieval castle in the city of Ghent, East Flanders in Belgium. The current castle dates from 1180 and was the residence of the Counts of Flanders until 1353. It was subsequently re-purposed as a court, prison, mint, and even as a cotton factory. It was restored over 1893–1903 and is now a museum and a major landmark in the city.
The Belfry of Ghent is one of three medieval towers that overlook the old city centre of Ghent, Belgium; the other two belonging to Saint Bavo Cathedral and Saint Nicholas' Church. Its height of 91 metres (299 ft) makes it the tallest belfry in Belgium. The belfry of Ghent, together with its attached buildings, belongs to the set of Belfries of Belgium and France, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Mammelokker is a sculpture on the tympanum of a Ghent building from ca. 1741 by master builder David 't Kindt. The name is also used for the building itself, a former jailer's house that leans against the cloth hall near the Belfry of Ghent. The relief is a depiction of the Roman story of Cimon and Pero. In this legend, Pero saves her father from starvation by suckling him into prison. This is why the statue is called Mammelokker. It has been a protected monument since December 28, 1936 and has been a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1999 as part of the Belfry.
7. Blaarmeersen
The Blaarmeersen is a 100-hectare recreation area in the Belgian city of Ghent. It is located along the Ringvaart, the Leie and the Watersportbaan. It is a green area with groves, sunbathing areas and hiking trails around a central lake with a beach, a walkable hill mountain with watchtower, and sports infrastructure.
8. Gent-Sint-Pieters
Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station is the main railway station in Ghent, East Flanders, Belgium, and the fourth-busiest in Belgium and busiest in Flanders, with 17.65 million passengers a year. The station is operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB).
Wikipedia: Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station (EN), Heritage Website
9. Rabot
The Rabot is a monument in Ghent and also the name of the district where this monument is located. There used to be a rabot on the site of the building, but the name Rabot has been transferred over the years to the towers in defense of this hydraulic construction.
10. Westerbegraafplaats Gent
The Westerbegraafplaats is a large cemetery in the Belgian city of Ghent. The cemetery is located in the northwest of the city center on the territory of the borough of Mariakerke, at the address Palinghuizen 143, between the Bloemekenswijk and Kolegem. Like Campo Santo, it is characterized by the presence of monumental tombs, dedicated to the wealthy bourgeoisie of Ghent and a garden architecture that makes it a must-see. The cemetery with its access lane, gatehouse, perimeter wall and graves was protected as a monument in 1996, as were two war memorials in the cemetery.
Wikipedia: Westerbegraafplaats (Gent) (NL), Heritage Website
11. VIERNULVIER
Vooruit is a historic complex in Ghent, Belgium. Vooruit was originally the festival and art centre of the Ghent-based labour movement, with a ballroom, cinema, theatre, etc. It is now mainly used for concerts and other cultural events.
12. Plantentuin UGent
Ghent University Botanic Garden is the botanical garden or hortus botanicus of Ghent University and is located next to the Ledeganck complex, on the edge of the Citadel Park in Ghent. The Botanic Garden is a member of the Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta and affiliated with Botanic Gardens Conservation International, a non-profit organization that unites botanical gardens in a worldwide collaborative network to achieve the conservation of plant biodiversity.
13. Kasteel Borluut
Borluut Castle is a castle in the Belgian village of Sint-Denijs-Westrem, a borough of Ghent. The castle is located in the Kleine Gentstraat, close to the village centre. Since 1997, the castle, together with the park and outbuildings and the castle avenue, has been a protected monument.
14. Sint-Antonius Abtkerk
The Sint-Antonius Abbotkerk of the Ghent district of Meulestede is located near the Middendok in the port area of the municipality of Ghent. The church is dedicated to Saint Anthony of Egypt, also referred to as Anthony Abbot.
Wikipedia: Sint-Antonius Abtkerk (Meulestede) (NL), Heritage Website
15. Oostakker Basilica
The Basilica of Our Lady of Lourdes is a Roman Catholic church at Oostakker, near Ghent in Belgium. Built in neogothic style at the end of the XIXe century it is the most important centre of Marian pilgrimage in Flanders.
16. Bisschoppelijk Paleis
The episcopal palace of Ghent is the administrative seat of the diocese of Ghent and the place of residence of the bishop. The current building is located on the Diocese square in the East Flanders Capital Ghent. It is protected as a monument.
Wikipedia: Bisschoppelijk Paleis van Gent (NL), Heritage Website
17. Begijnhof Ter Hoye
The small beguinage O.L.V. Ter Hooyen is situated in southern area of Ghent. This beguinage was built on the ‘Groene Hooie’, between the ‘Hooipoort’ and the ‘Vijfwindgatenpoort’. That is how this little beguinage got its name.
18. Onze-Lieve-Vrouw ter Hoyekerk
The Church of Our Lady of the Hoye, also known as the Church of Our Lady of the Presentation, is a church building in the Belgian city of Ghent. It is part of the Small Beguinage of Ghent. The beguinage and the church get their name from a meadow that was called the "Green Hoye" in the early Middle Ages.
Wikipedia: Onze-Lieve-Vrouw ter Hoyekerk (NL), Heritage Website
19. Kerk Paters Karmelieten
The Carmelite Fathers, also known as the Monastery Church of the Discalced Carmelites, is a church building in the Belgian city of Ghent. The church was built by the Discalced Carmelites who settled in the city from 1651.
Wikipedia: Kloosterkerk van de Ongeschoeide Karmelieten (Gent) (NL), Heritage Website
20. Sint-Coletakerk
St. Coleta's Church is a church in Ghent, Belgium. The church is located in the south of the city center, between the Heuvelpoort and the railway. It is a neo-Gothic church with three naves and five bays, attributed to Auguste Van Assche or one of his followers. The crossing tower was built in 1911, to a design by Gerard De Meyer. The church stands between the other buildings and only ends with the front façade on the street side. In its 124 years of existence, this church has had only two organists who have each played the organ for a lifetime. The last of the two was Edgard Guns, who was a cantor-organist for more than 70 years.
21. Begraafplaats Sint-Amandsberg Campo-Santo
The Campo Santo of Ghent, Belgium, is a famous Roman Catholic public burial ground in Sint-Amandsberg. The Campo Santo has been declared a historical monument by the government. This cemetery is located in the district of Dampoort.
22. Aula UGent
The Aula Academica of Ghent University is a university auditorium built in 1826 on Voldersstraat in the Belgian city of Ghent. The building has played an important role in the history of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, Belgium and the Flemish Movement.
23. Opera Vlaanderen
The Royal Opera of Ghent was the more than 100-year-old independent Ghent city opera until its merger in 1981 with the Royal Flemish Opera in Antwerp. Both city operas were merged into the organisation Opera voor Vlaanderen, which was renamed Opera Ballet Vlaanderen in 2014.
Wikipedia: Koninklijke Opera (Gent) (NL), Website, Heritage Website
24. Sint-Salvatorkerk
The Holy Christmas Church or Sint-Salvatorkerk is a church in the Belgian city of Ghent. The church is located in the north of the medieval city center. The church was protected as a monument in 1943. In the Ghent dialect they speak of Seleskest, and that name is also used for the parish or the neighborhood around the church.
25. Sint-Michielsbrug
St. Michael's Bridge is a stone arch bridge in the center of the Belgian city of Ghent. The bridge is located over the Leie, on the south side of the Graslei and the Korenlei. The current monumental bridge was built in the period 1905-1909, after the construction of the post office. Both St. Michael's Bridge and the Old Post Office Building were created by architect Louis Cloquet.
26. Sint-Pieters-Buitenkerk
St. Peter's Church is a church in the Sint-Pietersaalststraat in Ghent, Belgium. The parish church is located in the Sint-Pieters-Aalst district, south of and outside the historic city centre, in the Miljoenenkwartier.
27. Bourgoyen-Ossemeersen
Bourgoyen-Ossemeersen is a nature reserve on the outskirts of the Belgian city of Ghent. It lies mainly in the district of Mariakerke and covers 230 hectares. It mostly consists of wet, often flooded, meadows interspersed with ditches and canals, and is an important wintering area for water birds. It acts as a buffer zone between the city and the R4 ring road's noise-reducing barriers have been erected to lessen the road's impact on the wildlife.
28. St Bavo’s Abbey
Saint Bavo's Abbey is a former abbey in the currently Belgian city of Ghent. It was founded in the 7th century by Saint Amand, who also founded Saint Peter's Abbey, Ghent, near the confluence of the Leie and Scheldt rivers. Originally, the abbey was also called Ganda, a name of Celtic origin, meaning "river mouth", referring to the Leie river debouching into the Scheldt river.
Wikipedia: Saint Bavo's Abbey (EN), Website, Heritage Website
29. Sint-Martinuskerk
St. Martin's Church is a church in Ghent, Belgium. The church is located in the Ekkergem district and is one of the oldest parish churches in Ghent. She is first mentioned in a charter of Lothair from 971.
30. Rommelaere Instituut
The Rommelaere Institute is a neo-Gothic building of Ghent University and housed the Institute for Hygiene, Bacteriology and Forensic Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine. The Medical Biotechnology Center of the Flemish Institute for Biotechnology VIB had also taken up residence on the site, until it moved to Zwijnaarde.
31. Zwembad Van Eyck
The Van Eyck swimming pool is the oldest swimming pool in Belgium and is located at the Portus Ganda in Ghent. It is known for its Art Deco décor and is often referred to as "the most beautiful swimming pool in Belgium". It was built in 1886 and includes a 25-metre pool, tub baths, changing rooms, a cafeteria and the administration of the nearby marina. In 2001 it was thoroughly renovated.
32. Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Sint-Pieterskerk
The Church of Our Lady was a church near St. Peter's Abbey in Ghent, Belgium. It was demolished in 1799 during the French occupation and not rebuilt, just like the cathedrals of Bruges and Liège and St. Michael's Abbey in Antwerp.
Wikipedia: Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk (Gent) (NL), Heritage Website
33. Peperbus
The Peperbus is a remnant of the former city walls of the Flemish city of Ghent. The small, monumental watchtower is of the type of oriel tower or arkel and is located on the Isabella quay, on the banks of the Muinkschelde. The pepper canister owes its nickname to its typical shape and has been a protected monument since 1987.
34. Koninklijke Academie voor Nederlandse Taal- en Letterkunde
The Royal Flemish Academy for Dutch Language and Literature is an institution focused on the study and promotion of the Dutch language in Flanders. It is the Dutch-speaking counterpart of the Académie royale de langue et de littérature françaises de Belgique and one of Belgium's numerous academies.
Wikipedia: Royal Academy of Dutch Language and Literature (EN), Heritage Website
35. Academie De Kunstbrug
The Academie de Kunstbrug Gent, formerly Emiel Hullebroeck Music Academy, is a music academy in the Braemkasteel in Gentbrugge, formerly named after the Flemish composer Emiel Hullebroeck with Michael De Weert as director. The academy has seven departments at different locations in Ghent. The main school is located in the former town hall of Gentbrugge, converted into a music academy with 3 parts: music, word and dance.
36. Sint-Gerolfkapel
The Saint Gerulf Chapel is a chapel erected in honour of Saint Gerulfus. This is located in the Sint-Gerolfstraat in Drongen. It is suspected that Gerulfus was murdered on the site where the chapel now stands, but this is not certain.
37. Begijnhofkerk Sint-Elisabeth
The Beguinage Church of Sint-Elisabeth is a church building in the municipality of Sint-Amandsberg in Ghent. It was the beguinage church of the Great Beguinage Sint-Amandsberg that was built in the last quarter of the 19th century. The church is dedicated to Saint Elizabeth, Saint Michael and the Holy Angels.
Wikipedia: Begijnhofkerk Heilige Elisabeth van Hongarije, Heilige Michael en Heilige Engelen (NL), Heritage Website
38. Koning Albertpark
The Koning Albertpark, also known as Zuidpark, is a city park in the Belgian city of Ghent. The park is located in the southeast of the city center, between Woodrow Wilson Square and the B401 motorway exits that terminate at Zuidpark in the city. It is a neo-baroque park, where the other parks in the city are mostly laid out in English landscape style.
39. Maaltebruggekasteel
The Maaltebrugge Castle, located in the Maaltebrugge Park on the outskirts of Ghent, probably dates from 1754 and was called Château Maaltebrugge in the early 19th century. It was the country retreat for the de Hemptinne family in the summer months. The castle itself is built in classicist style, but the adjacent Maaltebrugge castle chapel is neo-Gothic.
40. Pontbrug
The Pontbrug is a concrete arch bridge that connects the village centre of Drongen in the East Flemish capital Ghent with the Assels and the residential area Drie Leien in Afsnee, also a borough of Ghent. The Pontbrug over an arm of the river Leie is the only access road for car traffic to these districts, as they are located on an island between two arms of the Lys and the Ringvaart. The Lys is in fact a northern branch here, which flows from the Drie Leien past the abbey and the town square of Drongen in the direction of Ossemeersen and Ghent. This arm of the Lys is not usable for shipping. After all, the junction with the Ringvaart has an extremely low passage.
41. Stadsmuseum Gent
The Ghent City Museum is a museum in the Belgian city of Ghent. The museum exposes the city history and opened its doors on 9 October 2010. With respect to the collection that is shown, the history of this museum goes back to 1833, the year in which the Oudheidkundig Museum van de Bijloke in Ghent was founded. In 1928 the museum was situated in the Bijloke abbey - this led to the name Bijlokemuseum.
42. Sint-Lievenskerk
The Sint-Lievenkerk is a church building in Ledeberg, a borough of the Belgian city of Ghent. This parish church, which was planned to be built around 1865, replaced the now defunct Sint-Lievenskerk from 1791, on the Hundelgemsesteenweg opposite the Jozef Vervaenestraat. The church is dedicated to Saint Livinus.
Wikipedia: Sint-Lievenkerk (Ledeberg) (NL), Heritage Website
43. Arnold Vander Haeghen
The Museum Arnold Vander Haeghen in the mansion Hotel Clemmen is a museum in the Veldstraat in the Flemish city of Ghent. Highlights of the collection include a reconstruction of the study and library of the Belgian Nobel Prize winner Maurice Maeterlinck, the cabinets of Charles Doudelet and Victor Stuyvaert, and a Chinese salon. The museum is housed in the building of the former Hotel Clemmen, a patrician house that was built in 1746 to a design by David 't Kindt.
Wikipedia: Museum Arnold Vander Haeghen (NL), Heritage Website
44. Minardschouwburg
The Minard Theatre, commonly referred to simply as "De Minard", is a theatre in the Belgian city of Ghent. The Minard Theatre is located on the Walpoortstraat in the Waalse Krook. It was built in 1847 by the Belgian architect Louis Minard, as a reaction to the French-speaking theatre and opera in Ghent.
45. Wolweverskapel
The Woolly Weaver's Chapel is a former chapel that was part of a complex with a place of worship that was founded by the guild of wool weavers. It is located in the Belgian city of Ghent on the Kortedagsteeg. The chapel and an outbuilding on the west façade are all that remain of this complex.
46. Sint-Baafskerk
St. Bavo's Church in the Belgian borough of Mendonk is a church building dedicated to Bavo of Ghent. This single-nave brick church was completely rebuilt around 1870 according to the plans of architect E. De Pierre-Montigny. It was badly damaged by German artillery fire in 1944 and rebuilt in neo-Romanesque style under the direction of architect A. Bressers.
47. Sint-Jan-Baptistkerk
The Church of St John the Baptist was a Gothic Revival parish church and seat of a deanery in the Brugse Poort neighbourhood of Ghent, Belgium, an industrial area that arose as part of the city's 19th-century expansion.
Wikipedia: St John the Baptist's church, Ghent (EN), Heritage Website
48. Kapel Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Lourdes
The Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-van-Lourdeskapel, is a brick chapel in neo-gothic style located on the split of the Amand Casier de Ter Bekenlaan (Mariakerke) and the Beekstraat (Drongen). The chapel is built with two bays under a gable roof with slates. The side walls have two pointed arch windows and there is an eight -lobe oculus in the rear with a stained glass image in honor of the Sacred Heart. There is a metal cross on top of the facade.
Wikipedia: Kapel_Onze-Lieve-Vrouw_van_Lourdes_(Drongen) (NL), Heritage Website
49. Design Museum Gent
Design Museum Gent is a museum in Ghent with an extensive collection of Belgian and international design. The collection includes designs from the Art Nouveau of Henry Van de Velde to contemporary avant-garde design. The museum complex, located in the tourist heart of the city of Ghent, consists of an 18th-century mansion and a modern wing. It is one of the twenty most visited museums in Belgium.
50. Hogeschool Gent: Koninklijk Conservatorium
HOGENT is one of the 17 Flemish universities of applied sciences. It was created in 1995 during the reform of higher education in Flanders from a merger of thirteen educational institutions. The branches of the university of applied sciences are spread across Ghent, Aalst, Melle, Lokeren and Bottelare:Campus Aalst Campus Bijloke Campus Grote Sikkel Campus Ledeganck Campus Lokeren Campus Melle Campus Mercator Campus Schoonmeersen Campus Vesalius Proefhoeve Bottelare Site Geraard de Duivelstraat Site Buchtenstraat (FTI-Lab) Gymnasium
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