Floraliën Heritage Tour

This walking tour will take you through time to the moment when the seed was planted for Ghent's very first plant exhibition. It was at the then popular inn 'Au Jardin de Frascati' situated along one of the banks of the Coupure, a commercial canal linking Ghent to Bruges, that the gardeners of Ghent decided to establish the 'Society for Agriculture and Herbology' in 1808. Less than a year later, the very first plant exhibition got under way.

For thirty years, biennial flower and plant salons were organised and became increasingly popular as the years went by. Consequently, in 1839, it was decided to celebrate that anniversary year with a grand exhibition – the Festival Quinquennal de Flore – to be attended by foreign guests and jury members. From then on, a major international exhibition would be held every five years that is still known as the Floraliën to this day.

This walk will provide you with a full insight into the history of the Floraliën, from its origins in 1808 to the form that it takes today. It will take you through the historical centre of Ghent (starting at the Coupure) to the Botanical Garden in the Arts Quarter. The walk is 7.2 km long and takes about 2 hours. Using the ErfgoedApp, you can follow the route without taking a wrong turn.