Easy hikes and walks around Gent

This stately 19th-century castle is hidden in a beautiful park forest on the edge of the Puyenbroeck domain. Until recently, it housed the MOLA (Molenmuseum - Mill Museum). The monumental millstones and gears on the lawn are a reminder of the site's industrial history. The current castle was built around 1890 on behalf of the noble de Kerchove de Denterghem family and replaced a much older, moated settlement. The eclectic facade combines red brick, sandstone details, and playful stepped gables, giving the building its characteristic castle appearance. Today, it is mainly a wonderful resting place for hikers and cyclists. Take a seat on a bench under the ancient trees and enjoy the peace and greenery.

A hidden spectacle in Ghent's water When you walk or cycle along the atmospheric Portus Ganda marina, you pass the historic Sint-Joris lock. This lock regulates the water level between the Leie and the Schelde rivers and is a lovely spot to rest on a bench and watch boats. Did you know? Although almost the entire Ghent port operates digitally and computer-controlled nowadays, the Sint-Joris lock is one of the few places where you can still see a real, authentic lock keeper at work! The same lock keeper cycles back and forth every day between this lock and the nearby Scaldis lock to open the gates manually. If you time your walk well (around 10:00 AM, 2:00 PM, or 4:00 PM), you'll see how pleasure boats are 'maneuvered' through Ghent by hand!

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

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 Royal Dutch Theatre Dutch: Koninklijke Nederlandse Schouwburg, is a theatre building in the Belgian city of Ghent. The theatre is located on the north side of Sint-Baafsplein, which was created in 1897 by the demolition of older buildings that blocked the view of St. Bavo's Cathedral. The theatre was built between 1897 and 1899 on the site of the former Regnessestraat. It was designed in an eclectic style with predominantly Renaissance elements by the architect Edmond De Vigne.

Sint Baafsplein The St. Bavo Square is a spacious rectangular square situated between the west facade of the Gothic St. Bavo Cathedral (to the east) and the belfry with the Cloth Hall (to the west). This square originated in 1897 during the reconstruction work at the foot of the belfry, with the disappearance of the Regnessestraat and the Sint-Jansstraat, which led from the belfry to the Nederpolder and the current St. Bavo Cathedral, respectively. The demolition of these streets was part of the project by Mayor Baron E. Braun to clear part of the old city center and thus create the famous sight with the three famous towers of Ghent. In 1899, the Royal Dutch Theatre was founded on the site of the Regnessestraat. Furthermore, the north side of the current square is occupied by a row of colorful bourgeois houses in the eclectic style from the first quarter of the 20th century. The other side (south side), the preserved street side of the disappeared Sint-Jansstraat, is built with spacious 18th-century mansions and bourgeois houses, among which the so-called Hotel Hamelinck stands out. Additionally, between them are heavily modified facades from the 18th and 19th centuries, behind which old cores are presumably hidden. Directly opposite the Royal Dutch Theatre, in the middle of Sint-Baafsplein, is a rectangular lawn with a monument dedicated to Jan Frans Willems (1798–1846), created by Isidoor De Rudder and inaugurated in 1899: a granite pedestal with a relief bust of J.F. Willems, depictions of his most important works, and mentions of his collaborators. On top of the pedestal stands a group of white marble symbolizing the awakening Flanders: a young man, symbolizing Flemish genius, awakens a maiden representing Flanders. Source: https://www.gent-geprent.com/straten-van-gent/straten-n-z/straten-s/st-baafsplein