In a unique way, the beautiful Ghent has managed to preserve its medieval power while keeping up with the times. Ghent was one of the biggest cities in Western Europe at the end of the Middle Ages, renowned for its textile industry. Today it is the third biggest city of Belgium and...

In a unique way, the beautiful Ghent has managed to preserve its medieval power while keeping up with the times. Ghent was one of the biggest cities in Western Europe at the end of the Middle Ages, renowned for its textile industry. Today it is the third biggest city of Belgium and one of the most beautiful ones. 

The city centre alone is a showcase of medieval Flemish wealth and commercial success. Nearby Bruges may be cuter, but Ghent is more of a real city, and has better museums, better nightlife, restaurants and is not that touristy.

Modern Ghent certainly cannot be overlooked either. The city has an important port, thanks to the canal Ghent-Terneuzen which allows sea-going vessels to bring their products to the city and its industrial hinterland. The tourist will not have eyes enough to admire the awesome architectural wealth, which offers a splendid combination of impressiveness and idyllic charm of the proud and (in former times) often rebellious city of Ghent. The major attractions are the Counts' Castle, the Belfry and Saint Bavon's Cathedral, not to forget the splendid Graslei.

Drongen is the biggest borough of Ghent. It is a lovely place.

This content is licenced under a creative commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 licence and has been copied from World66.com.