The Gravensteen (

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

; literally "Castle of the Counts") is a

medieval castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

Ghent 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 ...

East Flanders , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of Oost-Vlaanderen.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van O ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. The current castle dates from 1180 and was the residence of the

Counts of Flanders The count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders, beginning in the 9th century. Later, the title would be held for a time, by the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. During the French Revolution, in 1790, the co ...

until 1353. It was subsequently re-purposed as a court, prison, mint, and even as a cotton factory. It was restored over 1893–1903 and is now a museum and a major landmark in the city.

Origins

The origins of the Gravensteen date to the reign of Arnulf I (890–965). The site, which sat between two branches of the river Lys, was first fortified around 1000, initially in wood and later in stone. This was soon transformed into a

motte-and-bailey castle A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy to ...

which burnt down in around 1176. The current castle dates to 1180 and was built by

Philip of Alsace Philip I (1143 – 1 August 1191), commonly known as Philip of Alsace, was count of Flanders from 1168 to 1191. During his rule Flanders prospered economically. He took part in two crusades and died of disease in the Holy Land. Count of Flanders ...

(1143–1191) on the site of the older fortification. It may have been inspired by

crusader castle Crusader or Crusaders may refer to: Military * Crusader, a participant in one of the Crusades * Convair NB-36H Crusader, an experimental nuclear-powered bomber * Crusader tank, a British cruiser tank of World War II * Crusaders (guerrilla), a C ...

s witnessed by Philip during the

Second Crusade The Second Crusade (1145–1149) was the second major crusade launched from Europe. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa in 1144 to the forces of Zengi. The county had been founded during the First Crusa ...

. As well a protective

citadel A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. In ...

, the Gravensteen was intended to intimidate the burghers of Ghent who often challenged the counts' authority. It incorporates a large central

donjon A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...

, a residence and various smaller buildings. These are surrounded by a fortified, oval-shaped

enceinte Enceinte (from Latin incinctus: girdled, surrounded) is a French term that refers to the "main defensive enclosure of a fortification". For a castle, this is the main defensive line of wall towers and curtain walls enclosing the position. For ...

lined with 24 small échauguettes. It also has a sizeable

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

, fed with water from the Lys. From 1180 until 1353, the Gravensteen was the residence of the

. The decision to leave was taken by Louis of Male (1330–1384) who transferred the court to the nearby Hof ten Walle. File:Gravensteen poortgebouw.JPG, External view of the gatehouse File:Gent Gravensteen opschrift boven toegangspoort 9-08-2012 13-30-37.jpg, The dedication stone, dating to 1180 File:Belgique - Gand - Château des Comtes de Flandre - 04.jpg, View of the south side of the donjon

Subsequent history

After ceasing to be the residence of the counts of Flanders, the castle entered a decline. It was used as a court and prison until the 18th century. From 1353 to 1491, it was the site of Ghent's mint and private buildings were later constructed on or around the Medieval remains. During the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

, the Gravensteen was converted into a cotton mill by an industrialist who purchased the site. It was even scheduled for demolition. Parts of the castle were bought up gradually by the City of Ghent which began a major restoration in a Gothic architecture, romanticising Gothic style between 1893 and 1907 under the architect Joseph de Waele. De Waele was inspired the approach of the French architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc and attempted to restore the castle to its imagined appearance in the 12th century. Many details added during this period, such as the flat roofs and the windows of the eastern outbuilding, are not thought to be historically accurate. The Gravensteen was the centrepiece of the Exposition universelle et internationale (1913), Ghent World Fair of 1913 during which the city centre was significantly reshaped. It remains open to the public. File:Gravensteen - Gent.jpg, The Gravensteen, depicted in ''Flandria Illustrata'' (1641) File:Oude burg, Gent (1823).PNG, View of the Gravensteen's gatehouse in 1823, prior to the restoration File:Gravensteen, Ghent, Belgium, 1890s.jpg, Photochrom picture of the castle in the 1890s, probably during the restoration

References

External links

Official websiteCastle of the Counts
at Visit Ghent
Gravensteen
at Inventaris Onroerende Erfgoed {{Authority control Castles in Belgium Castles in East Flanders Buildings and structures in Ghent Buildings and structures completed in 1180 Museums in Ghent Historic house museums in Belgium Tourist attractions in Ghent

Origins

Subsequent history

See also

References

External links