Gravensteen

Gravensteen, the castle of Ghent. It was built by Philip of Alsace, Count of Flanders, shortly after he returned from the Crusades in 1180 with images of similar crusader castles in Syria fixed firmly in his mind. "On the N. side of the Place, at the corner of the Rue de la Monnaie, or Geldmunt, and washed by the waters of the Lys, rises the Château des Comtes de Flandre ('S Gravensteen), a stronghold founded in the 9th cent. , rebuilt in 1180 by Count Philip of Alsace on his return from the Holy Land ' ad reprimendam superbiam Gandensium ' and thereafter a residence of the Counts of Flanders. Here Edward III and his Queen Philippa were sumptuously entertained by Jacques van Artevelde in 1339. From 1407 until 1778 the palace was the seat of the Council of Flanders, appointed by Philippe le Bon of Burgundy. In 1798 the castle was sold and until 1884 it was used as a factory. It was subsequently purchased by the city, laid open by the removal of adjoining buildings, and restored to its former appearance, and the whole now affords an almost unique picture of an early medieval fortress."--Baedeker 1910. IMG_9914