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Importance : You should see this when you are in this country.
Number of texts : 5
Nearby walking routes
Nearby biking routes
Nearby motor routes
Related locations
- why? 1. Korenlei
- why? 2. Kraanlei
- why? 3. Braderijstraat
- why? 4. Huis van Alijn
Places of Interest nearby
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Graslei and Korenlei are the main quays of an old harbour, and were these busiest trading centres of town.
Beside the edge of the water are guildhouses, each of which used to be one of the main buildings for a type of trade.
The Graslei and the Koornlei are the names of two streets which lie along the banks of the old harbor of Ghent, right in the middle of the city. Graslei means ‘ street of the herbs and vegetables’ Koornlei stands for ‘ street of the wheat’. Both names indicate that these specific products where traded or stocked in that area.
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Along this street, the oldest harbour of Ghent, you can see that the streetlevel is much higher now than in the Middle Ages. There is at least a difference of 1 meter.
In those times, there was no garbagecollection, and everybody was throwing their stuff on the street. The “cleaning” technique was to cover the dirt with sand. As such, the level grew bit by bit.
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Along the Graslei, some amazing Mideaval houses are restored and rebuilt such as the “Eerste Korenmetershuis” of the 15th century, which is the first house of the grain weighers. And also the “Gildenhuis van de Metselaars” or the Guild house of the Masons of 1527, with its high
and elegant façade, crowned with graceful pinnacles.
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A few minutes north of the Graslei, the sinister-looking Gravensteen or Castle of the Counts is located.
Its interior holds an assembly room with a magnificent stone fireplace and a gruesome collection of torture instruments.
To the north of the castle, the Braderijstraat leads to Lievekaai. This is Ghent’s second oldest harbour.
East of the castle are the alleys of the burrough “Patershol”.
The view of the Graslei and Korenlei : From the 11th century, they together made up Ghents first trading harbour. The buildings to the left and right of the Leie are unique in their timeless beauty. In many tourist guides this is quite rightly classed as one of the finest city views in Europe.
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