The Gate of Ghent - Gentpoort (1400) in Bruges, Belgium


The Gate of Ghent is one of four remaining medieval city gates. An entrance for foreigners, a border with the outside world for the townspeople of Bruges. The gate was a part of the city's defenses as well as a passageway for the movement of produce and merchandise. Note the statue in the niche above the roadway: this is Saint Adrian, who was believed to protect the city during times of plague. The Ghent Gate is at its most beautiful in the evening, when it is quite literally in the spotlight. In the Middle Ages, city walls, canals, and seven gates formed a defensive belt around the centre of the City of Bruges. The Gentpoort, along with the Kruispoort and the Katelijnepoort, was designed by Maarten van Leuven and Jan van Oudernaerde. The gates were all built around the same time, between 1400 and 1406. The Gentpoort, Ezelpoort, Smedenpoort and Kruispoort have all stood the test of time, but only the first one is open to the public.


Size: 3840px × 5760px
Location: Gentpoort, Gentpoortstraat & Gentpoortvest, Bruges, West Flanders, Flanders, Belgium, Western Europe
Photo credit: © DE ROCKER / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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