History

Recent History

In 1997 cars were banned from the city centre, making the rebuilt city even more attractive for tourists and those with a desire for inner-city living. Repair or cleaning of city monuments and the establishment of pedestrian shopping areas have helped make modern-day Ghent more user friendly.

Modern Day History

During the 100-year war between France and England, the citizens of Ghent, who were subject to French rule but received wool for their mills from England, took the English side. The size and power of the city brought it into conflict with the ruling powers more than once - the most famous being a revolt against a tax rise by emperor Charles V in 1537. Charles quashed the revolt and made 50 of Ghent's citizens walk barefoot through town covered only in a patch of white cloth, pleading for mercy. Inhabitants are still called stropdragers (rope wearers) in jest for this reason.

As the cloth trade declined, Ghent's waterways became more and more important and several canals were dug or extended to help the city grow its trade. Clashes between Protestants and Catholics caused plenty of destruction during the 1600s, eventually leading to 15,000 people leaving the city during the Catholic reign of the Duke of Parma.

Between 1600 and 1660 the city went through an unparalleled surge in building and repair, supervised by the Catholic bishop Antoon Triest. During this time the city's economy flourished and shipbuilding industry along Ghent's harbour expanded.

With the advent of industrialisation, Ghent turned once more to its cloth-making past. The city produced massive amounts of cloth while housing its workers in slums. Upgrades in machinery brought trams, steam trains and the remodeling of the city centre for the 1913 World Exhibition.

Two World Wars left large parts of the city destroyed, but Ghent bounced back quickly so that the city enveloped several nearby villages and continued to grow.

Pre 20th Century History

Traces of Stone Age settlement have been found at Ghent, connecting a continual line of inhabitation to the present day, including Roman rule during the 1st century AD. The city grew due to its geographical position, the construction of two abbeys around AD 650 under the auspices of Saint Amand and the construction of a castle on the river confluence in AD 867 by the first Duke of Flanders, Baldwin Iron Arm. Driven by the cloth trade, the city was second in size only to Paris in Europe by the 12th century - some 65,000 people in number.