Graslei (; en, Grass Quay) is a

quay A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths ( mooring locatio ...

in the historic city center of

Ghent, Belgium Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

, located on the right bank of the

Leie river The Lys () or Leie () is a river in France and Belgium, and a left-bank tributary of the Scheldt. Its source is in Pas-de-Calais, France, and it flows into the river Scheldt in Ghent, Belgium. Its total length is . Historically a very ...

. The quay opposite of the Graslei is called

Korenlei Korenlei (; en, Wheat Quay or Corn Quay) is a quay in the historic city center of Ghent, Belgium, located on the left bank of the Leie river. The quay on the opposite bank of the Leie is Graslei Graslei (; en, Grass Quay) is a quay in the histor ...

. Both quays were part of the medieval port and are now a cultural and touristic hotspot of the city, with a high concentration of café patios. The site, with its unique row of historical buildings, is a protected

cityscape In the visual arts, a cityscape (urban landscape) is an artistic representation, such as a painting, drawing, Publishing, print or photograph, of the physical aspects of a city or urban area. It is the urban equivalent of a landscape. ''Town ...

History

Laid out along the Leie river, close to the mouth in the Scheldt, the site is considered one of the oldest of Ghent, dating back to the fifth century A.D. when Ghent was the center of the

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

trade in the

County of Flanders The County of Flanders was a historic territory in the Low Countries. From 862 onwards, the counts of Flanders were among the original twelve peers of the Kingdom of France. For centuries, their estates around the cities of Ghent, Bruges and Ypr ...

. Most of the current houses on the Graslei date back to the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, although the monumental façades have been heavily modified in the 18th and 19th century and were restored in anticipation of the 1913 World's Fair hosted by Ghent.

Panorama

References

{{Commons category, Graslei World Heritage Sites in Belgium Buildings and structures in Ghent Geography of Ghent Tourist attractions in Ghent