Rabot towers

Ghent and its Rabot are not easily brought down

After the death of Mary of Burgundy, Maximilian of Austria became the strong man in our regions. It was anything but easy. His friction with primarily the Flemish cities would lead to a large-scale uprising that he could only suppress with great difficulty. Nevertheless, in 1488 during a forty-day siege, he could not bring Ghent to its knees. He bit his teeth on the gates and sluices around the city.

The people of Ghent built a monument a year later to commemorate this 'victory,' and chose to reinforce the rabot (sluice) that had held up the best with a middle building and two towers. This last remnant of the fourteen-kilometer-long city wall gave its name to the surrounding neighborhood.

The best way to walk is from the Dark Gate (a remnant of the Prince's Court) to a small bridge further on over De Lieve. There you have the best view of the Rabot, a lasting symbol of the legendary steadfastness of Ghent.

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