Gravensteen Castle in, Ghent, Belgium
Often, the most splendid castles are usually found in rural areas far from city centres. Nestled amongst the centre of the lovely town of Ghent, the spires of the Gravensteen reach for the sky and its walls crumble into the moat—all perfectly medieval. This fortress was built around 1180 by Philip of Alsace, which he modeled after castles he encountered while fighting in the 2nd crusade. Threatened with destruction in the 19th century, the owner of the Gravensteen decided to make the originally medieval castle “even more medieval,” thereby commencing a lengthy restoration project—which caused people to question its authenticity. As it is located in the middle of the city, power lines, asphalt roads, and cars criss-cross the castle grounds. Yet the real-fake medieval castle sits in the Place Sint-Veerleplein, unaffected, steadfast and silent, watching as the modern world whizzes by.
Oh, and happy 200 posts, i.e. 200 beautiful places for you to visit!
WOw, what a stunning castle, I bet this would be great to explore 🙂
My, what a brooding pile of stone. The monochrome with deep shadows really sets a mood. Good job!
Thanks! It’s not nearly as medieval or remote as it looks…it’s actually right in the city centre (I had to do some expert cropping out of cars, tram lines, poles, etc, hence why you don’t see the right side of the castle; I believe there was a car there) But it’s still a beautiful place–and easy to visit 🙂
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