Full moon over the Graslei in Ghent by Jeroen de Jongh Photography

About "Full moon over the Graslei in Ghent"

by Jeroen de Jongh Photography

About the artwork

Ghent is the capital and largest centre city of the Belgian province of East Flanders.

Ghent grew out of Celtic settlements in the area of the confluence of the Lys and Scheldt rivers. In the Middle Ages, driven by a flourishing wool industry, Ghent grew into one of the largest cities in Europe. The flax and linen industry and the staple right to grain that Ghent acquired also contributed significantly to its prosperity. After a brief Calvinist period, the city experienced a certain decline that only turned around towards the end of the 18th century, when the cotton industry made Ghent one of the first industrial cities in continental Europe. The city saw the signing of the Pacification of Ghent (1576) and the Peace of Ghent (1814).

The Graslei is a street in the historic centre of the Belgian city of Ghent. The Graslei forms the quay on the right bank of the Leie. The quay and street on the left bank is the Korenlei. It lies between the Grasbrug and Sint-Michielsbrug.

From the 11th century onwards, trading activities grew along these quays and this became the city's harbour. St Michael's Church and St Nicholas' Church were built on both sides of the Lys near this port. Because of the city's grain rights, all grain imports into the county of Flanders went through Ghent and the Graslei and Korenlei, together with the Korenmarkt, became the centre of the grain trade in Flanders. The current buildings are still remnants of those times, although several buildings were modified in the 18th and 19th centuries. For the 1913 World Fair in Ghent, the facades were thoroughly restored. The townscape of Graslei and Korenlei was protected as a landscape in 1952 and in 1994 both quays, their surroundings and the adjoining buildings were also protected as a townscape.