GHENT, gent (Fr. Gard, from OFlem. Gerd). The capital of the Belgian Province of East Flan ders, and one of the most important cities of Bel gium, situated at the confluence of the Lvs with the Scheldt, 31 miles northwest of Brussels (Map: Belgium, B 3). It is intersected by a number of streams and canals spanned by more than 250 bridges. The older portion with its nar row streets and gabled buildings bears a decidedly Flemish aspect, and possesses numerous build ings of great historical interest; the newer part of the city is well laid out and modern in its architecture. The city is about eight miles in circumference, and contains extensive gardens and promenades. The chief ecclesiastical build ing is the Cathedral of Saint Bavon, with its unpretentious Gothic exterior and splendid in terior. The crypt dates from 941; the last part of the -building was completed only in 1554. Besides the architectural beauty of its interior, and its age, the cathedral is famous for its art treasures, among which is included the fa mous "Adoration of the Lamb" by the brothers Van Eyck, and one painting by Rubens. Near the cathedral stands the belfry, a square tower 375 feet high surmounted by a gilded dragon and containing a chime of 44 bells. It was begun in 1183. The Church of Saint Nicholas, the oldest in Ghent, was begun in the tenth century, but the larger part was constructed at the beginning of the thirteenth. It is built in the early Gothic style, and has an unfinished tower with ten turrets. The Church of Saint Michael, dating from the fifteenth century, is built in Gothic style, and contains a number of fine pictures, including the "Crucifixion" by Van Dyke.
The secular buildings of Ghent are also of great architectural beauty and historic interest. The town hall, of which the northern facade was constructed in. 1518-33, and the eastern facade in 1595-1622, is regarded as one of the finest specimens of Gothic architecture in Bel gium. The Palais. de Justice, completed in 1846, is also an imposing building with a Corinthian portico, and a bronze statue of Metdepenningen in front. The Institut des Sciences, completed in 1890, is one of the largest public buildings of Ghent, and contains the lecture rooms and laboratories of the university, which was founded in 1816. Ghent has a number of old guild houses, and about twenty monasteries. Among the squares of the town the most noteworthy is the Marche du Vendredi, which has been the scene of the most important events in the history of the city. It has a bronze statue of Jacob van Artevelde in the centre, and a huge can non, known as the Dulle Griete, in the north western corner. In the northeastern part of the city is situated the nunnery of Grand Beguinage, founded in the thirteenth century. It is sur rounded by walls and moats, and with squares, church, and small houses, presents the appear ance of a town in miniature. The old castle or Oudeburg, constructed in the tenth century, was once the residence of the Counts of Flanders, and after a century of service as a factory has come into the possession of the city, which has restored it to its former appearance.
At the head of the educational institutions of Ghent is the university, with its four facul ties of philosophy, law, natural sciences, and medicine. It has an attendance of about 750 students; its library contains about 350,000 volumes; and there are collections of coins and copper engravings. The laboratories of the uni versity and the faculty of natural sciences have been transferred to the Institut des Sciences, opened in 1890. Besides the university, Ghent has a gymnasium conducted by the Jesuits, a seminary, an academy of painting, a conserva tory of music, and several schools for manual training. There are also two theatres, an art museum, botanical and zoological gardens. Ghent has greatly decreased in industrial importance since the fifteenth century, when it was one of the chief centres of the textile industries of Eu rope. It has still a considerable number of linen, woolen, and cotton mills, lace-factories, tanneries, breweries, etc. Among the chief prod ucts of Ghent are flowers, which are exported all over Europe. Ghent has good communication fa cilities, and its commerce is still of considerable magnitude, the exports consisting chiefly of man ufactured goods and agricultural products. Ghent is the seat of a court of appeal, a commercial court, and a number of consular representatives. The population was 131,431 in 1880; 148,729 in 1890; and 160,949 in 1900. The numerical supe riority of females is very pronounced, the pro portion between the sexes having been 113 to 100 in 1890.
Ghent is mentioned in history as early as the seventh century. About the year 868, Baldwin Bras-de-fer, the first Count of Flanders, built a fortress here as a defense against the North men. Under the counts of Flanders, Ghent con tinued to prosper and grow until, in the four teenth century, it was able to send 50,000 men into the field. The wealth of the citizens of Ghent, and the unusual measure of liberty which they enjoyed, encouraged them to resist with arms any attempt to infringe upon their peculiar rights and privileges. This readiness to arm in their own defense is exemplified in the struggles in which .Jacob and Philip van Artevelde (qq.v.) played a memorable part. For many years Ghent maintained a vigorous but unavailing re sistance against the dukes of Burgundy, who sought to be recognized as counts of Flanders. In 1540 the city, having ventured to defy the Emperor Charles V. (a native of the place), was terribly chastised and deprived of its liberties. In the various wars in which the Netherlands have been the battleground, Ghent suffered severe ly, and was frequently taken. For twenty years, from 1794, Ghent belonged to France, and was the capital of the Department of the Scheldt.