Saint Veerle Square

Due to the purchase of lands by the Count, the aldermen were able to expand the city from 80 to 644 hectares in the 13th century. As a result, the count's courtyard of the Gravensteen came to lie within the urban area of the aldermanry.

The canals around and along the Sint-Veerleplein and the Geldmunt silted up, on which many townspeople built their houses. Until around 1900, the entire count's castle was enclosed within the buildings.

Stone houses were non-existent in the 12th century. The first stone houses date from 1200. Most houses were constructed of wood, posing a high risk of fire. You can still find many fire alleyways in Ghent that were meant to prevent fires from spreading too quickly between different blocks of houses.

Now, only a few places still show wooden facades, but no house is completely made of wood anymore. You can find an example of a wooden facade at one of the restaurants at the back of the Jan Breydelstraat. You have a view of it when looking out over the Leie to the south, at the bridge of the Gravensteen, near the Veerleplein.

dtabruyn