Ghent Photo Gallery - Town Centre Part 2

My day trip to Ghent began with a short train ride from Antwerp. The 2 train stations closest to the historic centre are still quite a long walk away, but Dampoort is slightly closer and there are a lot of river views along the way. This cast iron cannon was made for the Dukes of Burgundy in the 1570s. Weighing 12,500kg, the Dulle Griet could not fire but cracked. Useless, it was moved to the Vrijdagmarkt, where it still stands today. On the other side of the river is Huis van Alijn, a set of almshouses from the 14th century. Their creation was the result of a jealousy scandal that resulted in murder during mass. Men from different clans were chasing the same woman, while their guilds had underlying animosities. The murderers were eventually pardoned on condition of paying for these almshouses that would be named after the victims.