Skip-the-line available The History of the Gravensteen
The Counts of Flanders, the castle that became a courthouse and prison, and how Ghent saved its great medieval fortress.
The Gravensteen has stood over Ghent for more than 800 years, and behind its grey walls is a story of powerful counts, of a fortress that outlived its purpose and became a courthouse and a prison, and of a city that nearly lost it and then chose to save it. This guide tells how the castle came to be, who built it and why, and how it became the medieval landmark that visitors climb — and laugh their way through — today.
Philip of Alsace and the Counts of Flanders
The Gravensteen — the 'castle of the counts' — was built in 1180 by Philip of Alsace, Count of Flanders, on the site of earlier wooden and stone fortifications going back to the 9th century. Philip had seen the crusader castles of the Holy Land, and the new stone fortress, with its moat, curtain walls and central keep, was a deliberate statement of the counts' power over Ghent, then one of the largest and richest cities in northern Europe. From the Gravensteen the Counts of Flanders ruled, dispensed justice and, when the wealthy and rebellious citizens of Ghent needed reminding, asserted their authority.
For its first centuries the castle was the seat of comital power, a residence and a fortress in one. But as the counts moved their court elsewhere and the city grew up around it, the Gravensteen's military role faded. What followed was a long second life that, in the end, is much of what gives the castle its character — and gives the comedian's audioguide so much grim material to work with.
Courthouse, Prison, Mint and Factory
Stripped of its role as a seat of power, the Gravensteen was put to a series of harder uses. It became the seat of the Council of Flanders and a courthouse, with a prison in its walls and, by tradition, a place of torture and execution — the darker history that the castle's small justice-related display and the audioguide recall. Later still it served as a mint, and in the 19th century, remarkably, it was sold off and turned into a factory, with workers' housing crammed inside and against its medieval walls.
By the late 19th century the castle was half-ruined and hemmed in by industry, and there were proposals to demolish it altogether. That it survived at all is the result of a deliberate rescue: the city of Ghent bought the castle and, around the turn of the 20th century, cleared away the factory and housing and undertook a major restoration to return it to something like its medieval form. The Gravensteen you visit today is the result of that decision to save rather than sweep away.
The Castle Today
Restored and run by the city of Ghent, the Gravensteen is now the city's defining medieval landmark and one of the most complete castles of its kind in Flanders. Visitors cross the moat, walk the ramparts, climb the keep for the view over the old town, and pass through the count's residence — and they do it all with the free audioguide voiced by comedian Wouter Deprez, whose humorous telling of the castle's bloody history has made the visit famous in its own right.
It's worth being clear about one thing: the Gravensteen is not a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ghent's medieval belfry is separately inscribed by UNESCO as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France, but that is a different monument a short walk away. The castle's standing rests on its own merits — eight centuries of Flemish history in a single, near-complete medieval fortress in the heart of a living city, now told with a laugh.
Frequently asked
Who built the Gravensteen?
It was built in 1180 by Philip of Alsace, Count of Flanders, on the site of earlier fortifications. He had seen crusader castles in the Holy Land, and the stone fortress was a statement of the counts' power over Ghent.
When was it built?
The present stone castle dates from 1180, though there were earlier wooden and stone defences on the site going back to the 9th century. The Gravensteen you visit today also reflects a major restoration around 1900.
What was the castle used for over the centuries?
It began as the seat of the Counts of Flanders, then became a courthouse and prison with a grim reputation, later a mint, and in the 19th century even a factory — before the city of Ghent rescued and restored it.
Why was the Gravensteen nearly demolished?
By the late 19th century it was half-ruined and hemmed in by industry, with a factory and housing built inside its walls. There were proposals to demolish it, until the city of Ghent bought and restored it around 1900.
Is the Gravensteen a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
No. The Gravensteen is not a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ghent's belfry is separately inscribed as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France, but that is a different monument. The castle stands on its own historical merits.
Why is the castle famous today?
For being one of the most complete medieval castles in Flanders, in the heart of a living city — and for its free audioguide voiced by comedian Wouter Deprez, which tells the castle's bloody history with humour and has made the visit famous.