Mediaeval Ghent hiking route

It is uncertain whether a bridge across the Lower Scheldt was already here in medieval times. The oldest mention of this bridge at the Reep dates back to 1454. There must have been a ferry here before that. There were bleaching meadows for textiles on the other bank. The left bank was called Wijdenaard. It was the berth of Ghent’s oldest ‘portus’. There was a trading settlement here, surrounded by a moat, as early as the 9th century. 

The Laurentplein was not there during the Middle Ages. Here, the Scheldt flowed open and exposed, under the Braempoort, a high, rectangular tower with a pointed roof. There was a weir with two holes under the bridge leading to the Braempoort, which were used to regulate the water level of the Scheldt. A watermill stood next to it. The gateway was demolished in 1540. The watermill existed until 1880, when the Scheldt was covered and the Laurentplein was constructed.

In Onderbergen, you'll walk past Het Pand, a former Dominican monastery that had an impressive library during the Middle Ages. Unfortunately, it was largely destroyed during the iconoclasm in the 16th century. 

Drabstraat is one of the oldest streets in Ghent and is part of the old road to Bruges. It ended here at the Veebrug. The word ‘drab’ probably refers to mud. Untethered cattle came here to drink from the Lys. This explains the mud. Today, the Veebrug is called Grasbrug. Drabstraat was previously known for its many breweries. De Duve, den Hertshoorn, den Rooden Pot, het Hoskin, ten Hoedekinne, den Sleutel, de Burse, de Zickele, den Oesterlinc, de Schoenhegghe, and many more served to quench the public’s thirst.

The Hoogpoort was the first connecting street between the Scheldt and the Lys. From the 9th century onwards, independent settlements arose on both rivers, more or less at the same time, growing towards each other. It was mainly wealthy merchants who lived here, which created enormous activity. Their manors stood in this street and in the surrounding area. Some were inhabited, but these were more often just warehouses for goods and a reason for the owners to brag.

The Hof van Ryhove is on the right at the end of Werregarenstraatje (Ghent's graffiti street). The remains of a 13th-century castle were discovered in the Hof. Its original owner could not be traced. The first name that can be linked to the castle is that of the knight Simon de Rijke, who sold the castle in 1386. This was the reason for its name: ‘Simon sRijkensteen’. In 1432 – when The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb was introduced – it was owned by a certain Boudin Rijm, descendant of an influential family with a delicate background. His ancestors had a castle just next to the sRijkensteen, but that was razed to the ground, a severe medieval punishment for a severe crime, in this case a double murder. No more construction was allowed on the site of the demolished castle. This was how the Hof van Ryhove got its large garden.

Near the ruins of St Bavo's Abbey, you'll find Coyendanspark. In this park, the hornbeams stand out, which together form the outline of a church. It is a reminder of the former abbey church, which was destroyed by Charles V in the 16th century.

You may find it hard to imagine today, but the Nederschelde, which flows past you here, was filled in to build a car park in 1960. More than a thousand years of Ghent’s history were buried under earth and stone in the blink of an eye. But not everyone resigned themselves to that. Resistance to the ever-present car slowly gained traction. The city centre was eventually made car-free for the benefit of pedestrians and cyclists. Moreover, they wanted water in the Reep again, as it had always been. And so it happened! The ground was broken open again. The quay walls were restored, The Scheldt was again led to the river Lys accompanied  by a great cheer in 2018.

The predecessor to this cathedral was a small church that was consecrated in 942 in the name of John the Baptist and was given the name St John’s Church. There was probably a house of worship here before that too, which would have been the chapel of the old motte-and-bailey castle that must have stood on the site of today’s Castle of Gerald the Devil. All very conditional, but with a probability bordering on certainty. This is sacred ground in Ghent, and a goldmine for archaeologists. It is impossible to walk past this cathedral. An obligatory last stop on this route.