Ghent?!

Ghent is a historic city, yet at the same time a contemporary one. The modern daily life of the city’s active inhabitants plays itself out against a gorgeous historical backdrop. In Ghent, they live, work and enjoy life over and over again each day.

A couple enjoys the peace of an authentic beguinage. Parents and children stroll through the traffic-free streets of the city centre. A tourist snaps a photo of the three towers, as so many have before, but just a little differently. A businessman with an iPhone walks along the distinctive Graslei, crosses the Lys and enters his stylish four-star hotel hiding behind a medieval facade. Dozens of pavement cafes invite you to discover Ghent’s specialities. The sun is reflected in the many waterways. The city is alive and bids you welcome.

Who are the inhabitants of Ghent, or ‘Gentenaars’?

There is no single typical inhabitant of Ghent, of course. However, adjectives such as headstrong and proud would certainly apply. And, more particularly, progressive and open-minded.

This stubbornness grew historically. Just read this brief history of the city. Their pride is justified. Over time Ghent has been transformed into an attractive and lively city. And the inhabitants of Ghent prove their progressiveness and open-mindedness every day. This makes for a colourful city scene, a rich (multi-)cultural appeal and a swinging nightlife.

GENTENAAR, NOOSE-WEARER.

Infuriated by their centuries of obstinacy, and determined to finally force the inhabitants of Ghent into submission, in 1540 Charles V returned to the city of his birth with an army of 5000 soldiers. Ghent was found guilty of disobedience, treason, rebellion and lese-majesty. She was deprived of all her privileges, the bell Klokke Roelandt, symbol of the city’s independence, was taken from the Belfry and Ghent was degraded to a second-rate provincial town.

A few days later came the ultimate humiliation: on 3rd May 1540 a procession of leading citizens wound through the streets of Ghent from the Town Hall to the Prinsenhof with nooses around their necks. There they were made to kneel and beg aloud for mercy from the Emperor and his sister, Mary of Hungary. From this day forward, the citizen of Ghent has been nicknamed the ‘noose-wearer’.

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