The best road cycling routes around Lovendegem

The Korenmarkt is a city square in the historic center of Ghent in East Flanders, Belgium. It is located between the Leie and St. Nicholas' Church and is one of the most important and well-known tourist attractions in the city. The square is surrounded by several historic buildings, which today house bars, restaurants, and terraces. It is a central venue for the annual cultural festival 'Gentse Feesten'.

From the bridge, you can enjoy an iconic view of the meandering Leie river, the passing pleasure boats, and the vast, green meadows. This idyllic landscape has been the cradle of the famous artists of the Latem Schools for decades. This exact type of landscape inspired great Flemish expressionists such as Gustave De Smet and Constant Permeke.

De Lieve is a historic inland waterway that was dug between 1251 and 1269 to connect Ghent with Damme (originally Aardenburg). In the 13th and 14th centuries, the canal experienced its golden age. Even when the Zwin began to silt up in the 14th and 15th centuries, and later new waterways were constructed — such as the Sasse Vaart in the 16th century and the Ghent-Bruges Canal in 1613-1614 — De Lieve retained its original function until the beginning of the 18th century. Today, parts of De Lieve are still visible. In Ghent, Evergem, and Lievegem, the canal still exists in some places as an open watercourse. In the municipality of Damme, the route is mainly recognizable as a wide strip in the landscape.

The Lieve is a historic inland waterway that was dug between 1251 and 1269 to connect Ghent with Damme (originally Aardenburg). The canal experienced its heyday in the 13th and 14th centuries. Even when the Zwin began to silt up in the 14th and 15th centuries, and later new waterways were built — such as the Sasse Vaart in the 16th century and the Ghent-Bruges Canal in 1613-1614 — the Lieve retained its original function until the beginning of the 18th century. Today, parts of the Lieve are still visible. In Ghent, Evergem, and Lievegem, the canal still exists in some places as an open watercourse. In the municipality of Damme, the route is mainly recognizable as a wide strip in the landscape.

Since the 14th century, grain has been traded on the Korenmarkt on Fridays. Formerly called "Koornaard". The current streetscape is dominated by the west facade of St. Nicholas' Church, while on the other side is the monumental facade with bell tower of the post office building. In addition, on both sides there are houses of roughly the same size but with different facade types, varying between the 13th and 20th centuries. The Korenmarkt belongs to the second medieval city, the western expansion outside the oldest medieval Portus or trading settlement. This expansion began in the mid-10th century as a result of population growth. In the course of this expansion, the land was parceled out, the parish of Sint-Niklaas was founded, and trading activities were started. The Korenmarkt was first mentioned in 1208 under the name forum segeta (literally grain market). https://www.gent-geprent.com/straten-van-gent/straten-a-m/straten-k-1/korenmarkt/korenmarkt-algemeen

Beautiful place, where, pedestrians, cyclists, cars and teams share the roads and there is no drama.

St. Peter's Abbey, under the protection of the Counts of Flanders, would become one of the most important abbeys in the Netherlands, so the church associated with it shared in its splendor. The iconoclasm of 1566 caused serious destruction to the building, and by the early 17th century, it was decided to build a new church, entirely in keeping with the Counter-Reformation spirit of the time. Based on a design by Flemish architect and Jesuit Pieter Huyssens (1577-1636), the foundation stone was laid on April 14, 1629, and the work was completed on June 1, 1722. During the French Revolution, the church lost its original function as an abbey church and was converted into a Departmental Museum of Fine Arts. The abbey was dissolved by the Revolution, much of the interior was lost, and the contents were confiscated. After the nearby Our Lady Parish Church was also demolished in 1799, the former abbey church was restored to its former glory in 1810 and has since served as a parish church. Outside on St. Peter's Square, the foundation outlines of the demolished Our Lady Parish Church have been marked on the pavement out of respect for Ghent's past.

The Celie Bridge was destroyed twice, and rebuilt twice. This iron drawbridge, typical of the Schipdonk Canal, rarely rises. Shipping is not possible here, unlike in the past, when there was a loading dock on the Lieve River. (Mijnplatteland.com)