2018 - Belgium - Gent - Gravensteen Castle
One final look at Ghent's Gravensteen Castle.
Gravensteen Castle is built on a small piece of land that juts into Leie Canal giving the castle the appearance that it is floating on water. The outer walls are the castle’s most unique feature. Unlike most castles, whose walls tend to be of the flat curtain type with round or square towers placed at intervals, Gravensteen’s walls have exterior supports, with turrets not rising from the water but jutting out over it.
Also known as “Castle of the Counts” in Dutch, the was built in 1180. Today it houses the Arms Museum and the Museum of Judicial Objects displaying various weapons used in warfare and other contraptions used for punishment and torture during medieval times.
Castle History:
After the death of Charlemagne, Belgium and the other Low Countries were incorporated into the short-lived Central Kingdom. Soon afterwards the kingdom collapsed and most of the local area broke apart into a succession of tiny feudal states nominally under the influence of the Holy Roman Empire and France.
Ghent, the region’s largest city and capital of the province of Flanders soon became a local power and eventually chief city of the region. Located in the geographic heart of Northern Europe, neutral Ghent became a major trading centre for the Germans, French and English. By the 11th century it was one of the largest cities on the continent.
Ghent was the seat of the County of Flanders, but it lacked an aristocratic residence that reflected the region’s political importance and wealth. When Count Philip returned to Ghent from the Second Crusade, he immediately set about rectifying the situation. Adapting the architectural style of the castles he had become familiar with in the deserts of the Holy Land to the watery landscape of Belgium, he designed and built Gravensteen Castle towards the end of the 12th century.
Gravensteen remained the residence of the Counts of Flanders for the next two centuries. When they moved out in the 14th century, the practical citizens of Ghent put the castle to good use. For years it housed governmental offices as well as the city’s court and prison.
Ghent and Gravensteen were ravaged during the Thirty Year’s War, at which time the castle was abandoned and frequently used as a stone quarry. Later, during the earliest stages of the Industrial Revolution, Ghent became one of Europe’s chief manufacturing centers. Desparate for space, Gravensteen Castle got a reprieve when it was pressed into service as a textile factory.
By the 1800s, Gravensteen had been substantially reduced due to years of war and neglect. However, the good citizens of Ghent again came to their castle’s rescue. Shortly before it was to be demolished, what was left of the castle was publicly acquired and subsequently fully restored. Even sections that were long gone, including substantial portions of the keep, were replaced. It is now only threatened by the hordes of tourists who visit every year.
2018 - Belgium - Gent - Gravensteen Castle
One final look at Ghent's Gravensteen Castle.
Gravensteen Castle is built on a small piece of land that juts into Leie Canal giving the castle the appearance that it is floating on water. The outer walls are the castle’s most unique feature. Unlike most castles, whose walls tend to be of the flat curtain type with round or square towers placed at intervals, Gravensteen’s walls have exterior supports, with turrets not rising from the water but jutting out over it.
Also known as “Castle of the Counts” in Dutch, the was built in 1180. Today it houses the Arms Museum and the Museum of Judicial Objects displaying various weapons used in warfare and other contraptions used for punishment and torture during medieval times.
Castle History:
After the death of Charlemagne, Belgium and the other Low Countries were incorporated into the short-lived Central Kingdom. Soon afterwards the kingdom collapsed and most of the local area broke apart into a succession of tiny feudal states nominally under the influence of the Holy Roman Empire and France.
Ghent, the region’s largest city and capital of the province of Flanders soon became a local power and eventually chief city of the region. Located in the geographic heart of Northern Europe, neutral Ghent became a major trading centre for the Germans, French and English. By the 11th century it was one of the largest cities on the continent.
Ghent was the seat of the County of Flanders, but it lacked an aristocratic residence that reflected the region’s political importance and wealth. When Count Philip returned to Ghent from the Second Crusade, he immediately set about rectifying the situation. Adapting the architectural style of the castles he had become familiar with in the deserts of the Holy Land to the watery landscape of Belgium, he designed and built Gravensteen Castle towards the end of the 12th century.
Gravensteen remained the residence of the Counts of Flanders for the next two centuries. When they moved out in the 14th century, the practical citizens of Ghent put the castle to good use. For years it housed governmental offices as well as the city’s court and prison.
Ghent and Gravensteen were ravaged during the Thirty Year’s War, at which time the castle was abandoned and frequently used as a stone quarry. Later, during the earliest stages of the Industrial Revolution, Ghent became one of Europe’s chief manufacturing centers. Desparate for space, Gravensteen Castle got a reprieve when it was pressed into service as a textile factory.
By the 1800s, Gravensteen had been substantially reduced due to years of war and neglect. However, the good citizens of Ghent again came to their castle’s rescue. Shortly before it was to be demolished, what was left of the castle was publicly acquired and subsequently fully restored. Even sections that were long gone, including substantial portions of the keep, were replaced. It is now only threatened by the hordes of tourists who visit every year.