Vrijdagmarkt

Ghent


Once the city’s forum for public meetings and executions, this large square is named for its Friday market (still held). Tempting cafés sit beneath step-gabled facades surveyed by a grand statue of Jacob van Artevelde, Ghent's 14th-century anti-French leader. A block west, you can see the 15th-century Dulle Griet, a red 5m-long super-cannon; its 660mm bore and 250kg cannonballs made it one of the five biggest siege guns of the entire Middle Ages.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Ghent attractions

2. St-Jacobskerk

0.09 MILES

The Romanesque twin towers of this iconic church date from the 12th century but the church itself has undergone numerous expansions, renovations and…

3. Huis van Alijn

0.1 MILES

Set in a restored 1363 children’s hospice complex, this delightful museum examines everyday life from the 1890s to the present, with a fabulous emphasis…

4. Werregarenstraat

0.11 MILES

Ghent's attachment to graffiti as an art form began in this central alley, known locally as Graffitistraatje. The website has a live map showing the…

5. Patershol

0.16 MILES

Dotted with half-hidden restaurants, enchanting Patershol is a web of twisting cobbled lanes. Its old-world houses were once home to leather tradesmen and…

6. Stadhuis

0.17 MILES

Ghent’s magnificent and flamboyant city hall was started in 1519 but not finished until 1600, by which time it had transformed into a Renaissance-style…

7. Gravensteen

0.21 MILES

Flanders’ quintessential 12th-century stone castle comes complete with moat, turrets and arrow slits. It’s all the more remarkable considering that during…

8. Korenmarkt

0.23 MILES

Ghent's best-loved waterfront square, the 'Wheat Market' is where you'll find some of the city's best architecture, including the former post office (now…