Prinsenhof

Add to my brochure print

Historisch centrum/Gravensteen-site

[Prinsenhof ]

In the 14th century, Lodewijk van Male swapped the Castle of the Counts, which had grown uncomfortable, for a town house in this neighbourhood. It was here that Charles V was born in 1500. The Prinsenhof, as it was called then (and still is), was around 2 hectares in size and fully walled.

Charles V represents more than merely a footnote in the history of Ghent. He humiliated the rebellious inhabitants of Ghent by making them kneel in front of him barefoot and with a noose. Today, they are proud of their nickname, “stroppendragers” or “noose bearers”, but back then that certainly wasn’t the case.

Of the gigantic, walled complex with more than 300 rooms, a zoo and a pleasure garden (!), only the Dark Gate remains today, plus a model on the central square. However, this does not mean you should bypass the area: it is one of the city’s many hidden gems.

In the first week of September the Prinsenhof Festivities take place here, including the largest flea market in Ghent.