[MR] Castel Gravensteen

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

Last night I was watching Christine van Blokland's CURIOUS TRAVELER program
on PBS. This particular show was a whirlwind tour of Ghent, and was filled
with all sorts of fantastic medieval architecture, objects, and of course
the Ghent Altarpiece. Among the sights was Castle Gravensteen. Who among us
doesn't love a castle? This one pushed all the right buttons, being a
well-restored and visually delightful structure. Unfortunately, it was an
all too brief visit, so I had to know more.

Gravensteen literally means "castle of the counts" in Dutch, specifically
the Counts of Flanders. It was begun in 1180 by Philip of Alsace
(1143-1191). The Counts of Flanders were fabulously wealthy, thanks to the
wool trade, and Gravensteen shows this very well. It is an absolute
masterpiece of castle architecture. I don't know how strong the castle
actually is/was, but it certainly would have been intimidating to the
annoyingly independent-minded burghers of Ghent, the main reason the it was
built. It also was a residence fit for one of the richest families in
western Europe. The Counts of Flanders lived there until 1353 when their
seat was moved to the more palatial Hof ten Walle nearby. Gravensteen
became a court and prison, a mint, and later in private hands, a cotton
mill. Between 1893 and 1907, the castle was somewhat fancifully restored
and reopened as a museum.

Here is the Wikipedia entry for Gravensteen:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravensteen .

Some very interesting photos can be viewed at
https://visit.gent.be/en/see-do/castle-counts# .

Although only in Dutch, this page offers a few more photographs and a
ground plan: https://inventaris.onroerenderfgoed.be/erfgoedobjecten/25890 .

And finally, this episode of CURIOUS TRAVELER is available on YouTube at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgcRbuzWJIk . The program features many
fascinating scenes of medieval architecture, plus the story of Ghent's
dragon, the city's heraldic device, and naturally the Ghent Altarpiece
(with some cool surprises).

Yours Aye,


Lord Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆