Gravensteen

Gravensteen, meaning Castle of the Counts, rises beside the Lys river at Sint-Veerleplein in the centre of Ghent, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. Count Philip of Alsace built the castle around 1180, modelling it on crusader fortresses he had seen in the Holy Land, with a central keep, curtain walls, a moat and numerous turrets. The castle was intended to impress and to intimidate the powerful townspeople of Ghent as much as to defend against external enemies. The counts abandoned it as a residence in the 14th century, after which it served in turn as a court of justice, a mint and a prison. By the early 19th century it was in decline and had been converted into a cotton mill, with workers' houses crowding around the walls. The city purchased the castle in 1885 and restored it between 1893 and 1903 under city architect Joseph De Waele, who removed later additions and rebuilt parts in a strongly medieval style. The restoration is itself a historic layer, reflecting Romantic 19th-century ideas about the Middle Ages. Visitors today walk the ramparts, the keep, the great hall and the counts' living quarters. The interior holds a collection of historic weapons and armour, and a display on medieval justice and torture, including a guillotine used in Ghent. A multimedia guide, which includes comic-style video scenes, tells the history of the counts and the castle. The upper levels give views over the rooftops of Ghent, the canals and the nearby Graslei and Korenlei quays. The stone structure remains largely well preserved, though details of the 19th-century reconstruction are visible to careful observers. The castle is one of the major heritage attractions in Ghent, close to the city's churches and medieval guild houses.