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You are here: Home / Belgium / Visiting the Historical Gravensteen Castle in Ghent, Belgium

Visiting the Historical Gravensteen Castle in Ghent, Belgium

January 19, 2020

Yup, I have affiliate links on this blog and there may be some in this amazing and completely free content below. If you book or buy something through these links, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

The Gravensteen Castle was first built by Count Philip of Alsace in 1180, long before Belgium was a country. Also known as the Castle of the Counts, today this historical building is a tourist attraction, wedding venue and location for a variety of cultural activities.

In the 11th century, the wooden structure was replaced by stone and in the following centuries, the medieval castle was enlarged several times. It housed several of the city's services until it lost its administrative function in the 18th century.

Part of the building was sold off to private companies and in 1807 the fortress was used as a cotton mill. By the mid-19th century, it was falling into a state of disrepair and no longer complied with safety regulations. The city of Ghent and the Belgian government bought the buildings back from its private owners at the end of the 19th Century to start a process of restoration.

It's now one of many castles in Belgium you can visit.
 

Gravensteen castle Ghent Belgium

 

Visiting the Gravensteen Castle 

Both my mom and I had been to the city of Ghent several times already, but the Gravensteen Castle was one of the places we hadn't been before and I must say it was on top of my list of things to do for the day!

When you arrive at the fully restored castle, walk through the entry gate to buy your ticket, then you can just follow the route provided. Standard entry price is 12 EUR/ 13 USD. You can pre book tickets here.

One way to learn about the history of the castles' inhabitants over the years is with the optional video tour. It's nicely done but going through the castle will be very time consuming if you watch every clip.

Gravensteen castle Ghent Belgium

Gravensteen castle Ghent Belgium

Discovering the castle's history 

The image below is the first room you visit and where you'll pick up and drop off the device for the video tour. I started watching the videos here but I have to be honest; I didn't have the patience for it. I put it away and just followed the route through the castle to simply explore what was there.

Gravensteen castle Ghent Belgium

First up was the Arms Museum, where we saw pistols, crossbows, daggers and more. According to the Gravensteen website, “each type of weapon in medieval warfare is featured in the collection”. I especially liked how the blue lighting in this room contrasted the orange of the “closets” that held the pieces.

Gravensteen castle Ghent Belgium

After we'd checked out the Arms Museum, we took the stairs up to the rooftop terrace. From there you get a great 360° view over the city of Ghent.

This might be obvious, but it can get quite chilly up here when it's windy.

Gravensteen castle Ghent Belgium

Gravensteen castle Ghent Belgium

Gravensteen castle Ghent Belgium

History of Torture  

We went back down via a different staircase that led us into the Museum of Judicial Objects, which might as well have been called the Museum of Torture.

From the 14th until the 18th century the Castle of the Counts had an important administrative function as the seat of the Council of Flanders and the Board of the Oudburg. It was where suspects were imprisoned, the accused were tortured, judgments were declared and executions carried out.

In the middle ages someone could not be punished if he hadn't confessed his crime; confessions were acquired through the cruelest methods of torture. The museum displays some of the tools used for torture; thumb screws, a mask of shame and neck restraints.

Most of the torture tools are displayed in a “sober” way, although there are some puppets demonstrating the use of certain tools. Something you might want to be aware of if  bringing kids. Although, I'm pretty sure they've seen worse if they've ever watched the evening news.

Gravensteen castle Ghent Belgium

Lastly, we visited the “cellar”, where you can see remains of the original fortress walls. There's not much more to seen in this room so after about an hour we concluded our tour, both happy that we'd finally visited.

Gravensteen castle Ghent Belgium

 

Also check out these other fun things to do in Ghent for your visit to the city.

 

Practical information

Gravensteen Castle
Sint-Veerleplein 11, Gent
 

Where to stay in Ghent

Check Booking.com for an extensive list of options for all budgets and needs.

 

Don't forget travel insurance

Plan for the best, prepare for the worst. Travel insurance has you covered in case (part of) your trip gets canceled, you get sick or hurt abroad, and sometimes even when your electronics break or get stolen. I always make sure I'm covered every trip I go on.

Don't have travel insurance yet? Check out SafetyWing. They offer super flexible plans that you can even sign up for while you're already on your trip. On top of that, they were the first travel insurance to cover COVID, and when I got COVID, they reimbursed all of my expenses without making a fuss. Their customer support team is great and I can personally recommend them.
 

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Gravensteen castle Ghent Belgium

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YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
Graffiti in Ghent
The Belfry of Ghent: where the bell rings
 

Tourism Ghent provided me with a city card for this day trip to Ghent. My mom paid her own way. We both loved the Castle of the Counts just as much, so you can be sure that getting the card has nothing to do with that and that partnerships like this will never affect how I write about a place.

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Posted in: Belgium

Your Thoughts

  1. Michelle - Very Hungry Explorer says

    I’ve been meaning to go inside the castle for ages – so interesting to see what’s actually in it. That view from the top is gorgeous.

    Reply
    • Sofie says

      Now that you’ve seen it on photo you’ll have to go up there yourself!:)

      Reply
  2. Laura says

    Beautiful! Did you know this castle passed as Warwick Castle in ‘The White Queen’ series? Funny!

    Reply
    • Sofie says

      I did not know that! And I have to admit I hadn’t heard of “The White Queen” yet:)

      Reply
      • Laura says

        Check it out. I loved that series. It’s made after a book.

        Reply
        • Sofie says

          It’s noted:D Thanks for the recommendation!

          Reply
  3. mytravelnama says

    Superb Mam…you have really created a mark of your own…Double thumps up…

    Reply
    • Sofie says

      Thanks :-)

      Reply
  4. 12v led says

    Some genuinely good info, Gladiolus I discovered this.

    Reply
    • Sofie says

      Hahaha, thanks :-)

      Reply
  5. Yamily says

    I went to Ghent recently, but I didn’t manage to visit inside the castle, I will definitely be back.

    Reply
    • Sofie says

      It’s quite fun to visit!

      Reply
  6. Roland says

    Maybe something that might interest you. in 1180 It was built on an old motte site after the image of another castle in present Syria (I think Aleppo), but because Flanders can be quit chilly, the castle was abandoned early 14th century as a living space, and the counts of Flanders moved to the Prinsenhof (court of princes), a cosy little palace not so far from the castle.
    The castle was on one side of the river to show its strength toward the rich patricians who were also able to build stone houses,on the other side of the river, and to make clear who was in power, because many times the power and rights of the counts was challenged,.
    It’s a bit weird that, even with modern technology, the old mediëval buildings of Belgium were used for the White Queen series. It makes people believe that royalty lived in weathered and chilly stone prisons without decoration.

    Reply
    • Sofie says

      Thanks so much for the additional info, Roland!

      Reply
  7. Alessandra says

    Hi, how many hours does it take to visit the castle?

    Reply
    • Sofie says

      Hey Alessandra,
      It depends on whether you want to listen to the full audio guide or just have a look around. I’d say you can do it in a hour.

      Reply

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