| Ghent
| |
|---|---|
| Country | Belgium |
| Region | Flanders |
| Population | 257,029 |
| Area (sq mi) | 60,3 |
| Population density (/sq mi) | 4,300 |
| Current mayor | Daniël Termont |
Ghent (Dutch: Gent, French: Gand, Spanish: Gante, Gaunt in Medieval English) is a city in the Flanders region of Belgium (capital of Flanders). It enjoyed extreme prosperity in the Middle Ages and early modern period as a centre of cloth production. The decline of this industry ended the town's growth, but helped preserve its remarkable collection of buildings. Today Ghent is a popular tourist centre. Ghent has a population of 257,029 (2016).
Ghent was the birthplace of John of Gaunt (1340-1399), the third surviving son of Edward III of England, and father of Edward IV.
The Treaty of Ghent, that ended the War between the United States and the United Kingdom in 1812 was signed in the city of Ghent. For this reason there are a few towns in the United States named Ghent.
Ghent was home to the 1913 Worlds Fair and the Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station, the former post offfice and the St. Michael's Bridge where build for the occasion. [1]
Sport
K.A.A. Gent - The stadium of the club, Ghelamco Arena (or Arteveldestadion), is a 20,000 seater stadium build in 2013 and is the most modern in Belgium. [2]
See also
- Flemish School of Painting
- Jan van Eyck (the Adoration of the Lamb)