The Pand, a former Dominican friary, is located between the river Lys and Onderbergen. It’s an impressive complex around a forecourt and the old cemetery.

The former hospital (1201) ended up in the hands of the Dominicans, an order of monks who preached and made converts in the cities and were therefore known as ‘preachers’. However, the locals do not take kindly to being subjugated and grew tired of the sermons. As a result, this friary became one of the first victims of the iconoclastic riots. Ghent’s first theological university saw the light of day in this friary in the 16th century. In the 19th century, the building became a ‘tenement’: almost every square metre was rented out to students, artists and tramps. Its nickname ‘Flea Palace’ also dates back to this time.

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