• These works of light art in Ghent will keep you in the city even longer at night

    The Ghent Illuminated Walk includes a few ‘rarities’. And we're not talking about buildings, streets or monumental squares, but no fewer than three beautiful works of light art: Maeterlinck's Blue Birds, the birth lantern Ai Nati Oggi and Palimpsest in Gentbrugge. Extraordinary light creations that are not only atmospheric, but whose light also has a story to tell.

Blog posts

  • When the bones speak

    A woman over a thousand years old had been recovered with no name, no headstone and no jewellery. And yet we were able to get a very close idea about her life by studying her remains. What was supposed to be a small-scale investigation grew into a full-blown detective story in St Peter's Abbey.
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  • Are these the bones of Judith, the first countess of Flanders?

    If you visit St Peter's Abbey today, take note of the commemorative stone plaque behind the bike rack. In it are chiselled the names of the first Margraves (counts) of Flanders and all are said to be buried in the abbey church: Baldwin Iron Arm, Baldwin the Bald, Arnulf I & II... There is no mention of Judith, the first countess, even though she in particular may have lain only a few metres from that location.
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  • A naive teenager, a shrew or a feminist ... who was Judith of Flanders really?

    The Carolingians, the Treaty of Verdun and the invasion of the Vikings: for most of us, the 9th century consists of nothing more than vague echoes from our third year in secondary school, and is therefore a period we're particularly keen to forget about. But once you realise that the people back then were also human beings made of flesh and blood, that's when history actually becomes rock-and-roll. And that's especially true in the case of Judith, the first countess of Flanders.
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  • Stroll through Ghent in its most beautiful evening light

    Between sunset and midnight, Ghent is bathed in the warm glow of mood lighting. It's a unique way to experience the beautiful squares, streets and monuments. The light brings out views, details and hidden gems that you might not notice during the day. Follow the light walk and see Ghent in its very best evening light.
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  • The naked truth about Adam and Eve

    And then there you are, face to face with the naked Adam and Eve. They’re painted in exquisite detail, right down to Adam’s curly chest hair. Few characters on the Ghent Altarpiece capture the imagination quite like they do. But how did people in Van Eyck’s time view them? And in the following decades?
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  • Revealing Van Eyck, six centuries later

    Conservation is a wonderful profession because it combines so many things: art history and science, tangibility and chemistry. Thanks to today's technology, we are revealing The Ghent Altarpiece as it originally appeared in the 15th century – and that's a magical experience when you experience it right up close.
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Our bloggers

  • Steven Vanderputten

    Steven Vanderputten is a professor of history at Ghent University. He conducts scholarly research into our medieval society and culture, with a predilection for the period from the 9th to the 12th century – a period he is definitely does not wish to call ‘the dark Middle Ages’.

  • Lieve Staes

    Lieve Staes handles the communication of complex spatial projects at the Project Office for Space of the City of Ghent. Her favourite subjects are the Light Plan and water. Professionally, she shares all the details through the website and walks, among other things. But even in her spare time, she can't resist taking family and friends around fairy-tale Ghent at dusk.