The best city hikes and walks in East Flanders

A Romanesque warehouse, also called "Spijker", served as a storage place for grain transported along the Leiehaven until 1734. Presumably initially owned by the Ghent patrician family Utenhove; since the end of the 13th century, it belonged to the Holy Spirit table of St. Nicholas' Church, which rented it out to grain merchants. From the 16th century onwards, it housed offices of the staple lords, who supervised the collection of the Ghent staple duty; from 1750 as a meeting place for the Pijnders or grain unloaders. The ground floor in the 19th century deteriorated into slum dwellings; burned down in 1896, but the facade was preserved. Restored in 1903 according to a design by architect August Van Assche. Currently, the municipal cleaning service continues to use it for storing containers. Slightly forward-leaning facade with seven bays and three storeys, as well as a gable roof (ridges perpendicular to the street, slate tiles), from the fourth quarter of the 12th century. A wide, stepped gable with six bays and an additional bay, topped with two battlements, built entirely of Tournai limestone. Source: https://inventaris.onroerenderfgoed.be/erfgoedobjecten/24758

The Korenstapelhuis or Spijker is a guild house in the Belgian city of Ghent on the Graslei. It is a building built in the Romanesque style from the late 12th century, making it one of the oldest examples of bourgeois Romanesque architecture in Belgium and the Netherlands. It is built of Tournai limestone. It served as a Spijker (grain storage) until 1734. After that, the building served as a meeting place for the Pijnders (grain unloaders). In the 19th century, the building fell into disrepair until it was restored in 1901–1902. Today it houses a hamburger restaurant. To the right of the Korenstapelhuis is the Mauthaus. The left side wall of the Tolhuisje is actually the outer wall of the Korenstapelhuis.

Between the Leie and Onderbergen lies the Pand, a former Dominican monastery. It is an impressive complex around a forecourt and the old cemetery. The former hospital (1201) came into the hands of the Dominicans, an order that preached in cities and won souls, hence their nickname 'Preachers'. However, the people of Ghent did not like being enslaved and were tired of the sermons. This monastery thus became one of the first victims of the iconoclasts. In the 16th century, Ghent's first theological university saw the light of day in this monastery. Later, in the 19th century, the building became a "tenement house": almost every square meter was rented out to students, artists, and Ghent tribes. The nickname 'Flea Palace' also dates from this period. Source: https://visit.gent.be/nl/zien-doen/pand

Fleischhaus aan de Leie, built from 1406–10 by city architect Gilles de Suttere The connection between the Groentenmarkt and the Pensenmarkt is dominated by the large Meat Hall. This medieval covered market hall was the only place where meat was allowed to be sold until the 19th century. Outside, in the small "panshuizen" (meat houses), the meat scraps were sold. Two of these "panshuizen" house the smallest pub and the smallest chip shop in Ghent. Source: https://visit.gent.be/de/staunen-erleben/groentenmarkt

On the Groentenmarkt, the ›Groot Vleeshuis‹ has stood since 1410 with its long row of gabled windows, emphasizing the enormous dimensions of the hall. Inside, the ornate roof timbers are impressive. Today, the culinary delights of East Flanders are offered here.

The Hoofdbrug was, as the name suggests, the main bridge of 's Gravenburg, a fortification with land around the count's castle, surrounded by gates, surrounded by moats, and equipped with its own administration. On one side lay the Leie, on the other the Lieve, which was connected to the Schipgracht by a moat. This connecting canal eventually received the name "Plotersgracht" because the leather tanners were allowed to set up their field planning there. Several stone bridges were built over this moat. Mentions of this bridge date back to 1274. At that time, there was a wooden drawbridge here at the defense gate of 's Gravenburg, which was replaced by a stone bridge in 1371. On the parapet side of the counts' castle stood a statue of Our Lady with Child in an iron house. The iconoclasm led to the destruction of this statue in 1566. In 1602, a new statue illuminated the bridge. On the other side stands a statue of the executioner with the sword in the air, ready to strike down the condemned. A symbolic representation of the high jurisdiction of the Ghent City Council's bank. In 1855, a wooden swing bridge was built. In 1874, a fixed stone bridge was built, and in 1898, the road over the bridge was widened by the construction of a tram line towards Brugse Poort. A final radical change took place in 1950 to renew the reinforced concrete road surface. Source: https://gentdekuip.com/hoofdbrug/

The Zuivelbrug is the elegant bridge over the Leie, which allows passage between two historically valuable districts. On the one hand, the Oudburg with the Patershol district, which belonged to the county property of the Grafenburg, and on the other hand, the Vrijdagmarkt. From the 13th century until 1476, this bridge was also known by the name Boudinsbrug, after a resident of the "Suvelsteghe". Initially, it was made of wood, then it was built of stone between 1363 and 1426. To allow the passage of seagoing vessels, a swing bridge was built between 1751 and 1754, which was renewed several times over time. On July 1, 1987, a completely renovated metal swing bridge was installed to replace the outdated bridge, which had been out of operation since 1968. Source: https://gentdekuip.com/zuivelbrug/

The Leie is a river that flows through France and Belgium. It originates in the municipality of Lisbourg, in the French department of Pas-de-Calais, generally flows in a northeasterly direction and, after a total of around 202 kilometers, flows into the Scheldt as a left tributary in the city area of Ghent, in the Belgian province of East Flanders. Of the total length of the Leie, around 109 kilometers flow through Belgian territory, and for a length of around 24 kilometers, the river now forms the border between Belgium and France.