134 BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG REGION BY REGION

P Groot Vleeshuis
Groentenmarkt 7. Tel (09) 2232324.

10am–6pm Tue–Sun. 0 =

http://www.grootvleeshuis.be
Literally the Great Meat Hall,
the Groot Vleeshuis was built
between 1407 and 1419. Its
long, low interior space still
reflects the area’s original pur-
pose as a covered butchers’
market, complete with ancient
beams and uneven flooring.
A large modern glass box has
been ingeniously inserted into
this to house a centre that
promotes local Flemish food.
One side is a restaurant that
serves good Flemish dishes;
the other is a delicatessen.

year in Dutch. The museum

is set out in a sequence of

rooms set in a pretty group

of whitewashed almshouses

(the House of Alijn) sur-

rounding a grassy courtyard.

Although mainly 16th-century,

the alms houses were originally

founded in 1363 as a child-

ren’s hospital – not out of

philanthropy, but as an act of

penance by the Rijm family

for the murder of two mem-

bers of the rival Alijn family.

The surrounding area,

known as the Patershol, is a

grid of quaint little lanes and

low brick houses that devel-

oped in the 17th century to

house the city’s weavers. This

once down-at-heel area under-

went extensive refurbishment

in the 1980s and is now one

of the trendiest parts of town,

but retains a bohemian flair.

Het Huis van Alijn, housed in atmospheric 16th-century almshouses

The original covered butchers’
market of the Groot Vleeshuis

and violent context of

Ghent’s early medieval

past. Parts of the castle

date back to the late

1100s, but most of it

comprises later addi-

tions. Until the 14th

century, the castle,

with its massive stone

walls, was Ghent’s

main military strong-

hold. It was then used

as the city’s jail until

the late 1700s. Later, it

became a cotton mill.

From the gatehouse,

a long and heavily

fortified tunnel leads

up to the courtyard,

which is overlooked

by two large buildings,

the count’s medieval

residence and the

earlier keep. Arrows guide

visitors around the interiors

of both buildings, and in the

upper rooms there is a spine-

chilling collection of medieval

torture instruments.

Het Gravensteen, a classic medieval castle

E Het Huis van Alijn

Kraanlei 65. Tel (09) 2692350.

# 11am–5pm Tue–Sat, 10am–5pm

Sun. & = http://www.huisvanalijn.be

This is one of Belgium’s best

folk museums, graphically

evoking daily life of the

past through a huge collec-

tion of fascinating artifacts.

This includes dolls and other

toys, clothes, games, furniture,

kitch enware and funerary

mementos as well as com-

plete shops and craftsmen’s

workshops. The complex

also has a puppet theatre that

presents plays throughout the

P Dulle Griet
Groot Kanonplein.
This 5-m (16-ft) long giant
cannon, sitting on the embank-
ment of the River Leie, is
famous in Ghent folklore.
Cast in about 1450 and weigh-
ing 16,000 kg (35,300 lb), it
could fire stone cannonballs
the size of beachballs. It was
brought to Ghent in 1578,
during an era of the Calvinist
government. The name Dulle
Griet means Mad Meg, a leg-
endary medieval character
who embodied mad, violent
frenzy and dis order. The
cannon has been repainted
in its original red which
reflects its other nick name,
the Groten Rooden Duyvele
(Great Red Devil).

• Het Gravensteen
  St-Veerleplein. Tel (09) 2259306.

  Apr–Sep: 9am–6pm daily;

  
  

  Oct–Mar: 9am–5pm daily. &
  http://www.gent.be/gravensteen
  Once the seat of the counts
  of Flanders, the imposing
  bulk of Het Gravensteen, or
  the Castle of the Counts, elo-
  quently recalls the unsettled

  
  

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp264–6 and pp288–91