Koningstraat 18
b–9000 Gent
Belgium
email: ctb@kantl.be
tel: +32 (0)9 265 93 50
fax: +32 (0)9 265 93 49
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The Centre for Scholarly Editing and Document Studies (CTB) of the Royal Academy of Dutch Language and Literature (KANTL) welcomes the TEI Council to its 2004 annual meeting. |
TEI Council
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Koninklijke Academie voor Nederlandse Taal- en Letterkunde |
If you need to reach Edward Vanhoutte outside the office hours: +32 (0)472 62.82.43 (mobile) |
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Click for a larger map of Gent The Royal Academy is the red spot on the map. The train stations are marked with green spots. The hotels are marked and numbered with yellow spots. 
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How to get to Gent?
- By air (and train)
- Brussels International Airport (Zaventem): http://www.brusselsairport.be/
- Antwerp International Airport (e.g. from London City): http://www.antwerpairport.be/
- Charleroi Brussels South International Airport: http://www.charleroi-airport.com/
- By train
- Gent has two train stations: Gent St.-Pieters and Gent-Dampoort. (two green spots on the map)
- Gent can be reached by train from London, Amsterdam, Paris, Köln, Frankfurt, and Luxemburg.
- Plan your journey e.g. from the airports on the website of the national rail company: http://www.b-rail.be/E/index.php
How to get to the Royal Academy?
- From Station Gent-Dampoort:
- (10 min walking). When leaving the trainstation, turn left and cross the busy road at the zebra crossing.Turn right to the Dampoortstraat. Turn left and follow the Dampoortstraat, cross the river Leie over the bridge, keep right and turn left into Steendam. Follow Steendam till you reach the church of St. Jacob. Keep the church to your right and follow the Belfortstraat till the first crossroad. Turn left into the Kammerstraat (you see a chinese restaurant on the corner of the Belfortstraat and the Kammerstraat). You see the imposant building of the Royal Academy in front of you.
- Trolleybus (line 3). When leaving the trainstation, walk straight on, cross the street along the four arches of the railway bridge. The busstop is to your left. Take bus 3 (accordeon trolleybus). The ride takes ca. 3 min. Get off at the church of St. Jacob. Keep the church to your right and follow the Belfortstraat till the first crossroad. Turn left into the Kammerstraat (you see a chinese restaurant on the corner of the Belfortstraat and the Kammerstraat). You see the imposant building of the Royal Academy in front of you.
- Taxi
- From Station Gent St.-Pieters:
- Tram (line 1, 10, 11, or 12). Get off the tram once you see the famous towers of Gent (nearby Korenmarkt). Walk along the church of St. Nicolas to the Belfry. Cross the parking lot and turn left in the Belfortstraat. Walk along the city hall, and turn the third street right into the Kammerstraat (you see a chinese restaurant on the corner of the Belfortstraat and the Kammerstraat). You see the imposant building of the Royal Academy in front of you. (distance from the city hall: ca. 200m)
- With the same trainticket you can get on a train to Antwerp or Eeklo which takes you to the station Gent-Dampoort (one stop away, just a couple of minutes). Follow the directions above from Station Gent-Dampoort.
- Taxi
Hotels in Gent
Check the following websites for hotels in Gent:
- http://www.gent.be/gent/vrijetij/hotels/showlist.asp
- http://www.hotels-belgium.com/gent/hotels.htm
- http://www.gentcongres.be/engels/HOTEL_E.html
The following hotels (yellow spots) are within walking distance from the Royal Academy (red spot):
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Bed & Breakfast in Gent
Short History of Gent (copied from the Gent touristic brochure)
In Flanders and Italy the first major towns emerge. Medieval Ghent becomes by far the largest and most populous city in Flanders, a city of European significance and north of the Alps surpassed only by Paris.
Ghent performs at the most important times in history spectacular acts of freedom which always meet with fierce oppression. They express the permanent opposition of a large community challenging forces much stronger than its own.
Medieval Ghent is at one time Anglophile and at another Francophile, and obstinately plays France off to England, using both superpowers according to its own economic an political interests. To this end, Ghent enters into agreements against the foreign tyranny with other Flemish municipalities. Dante clearly shows insight in this mechanism when he warns Philip the Fair of France, who is planning to invade Flanders: "But you conquer Douai, Ghent, Lille and Bruges, a fierce revenge awaits you".
Charles V fellow townsmen proudly and unanimously humiliate their emperor at the peak of his power.
Ghent is republican and Calvinist in the era of triumphant Catholic contra-Reformation and of Spanish absolutist monarchy.
Ghent is anti-French from its resistance against Louis XIV until the Napoleonic period.
It is no coincidence that the duke of Wellington takes up his quarters in Ghent on his way to Waterloo.
Ghent remains loyal to the House of Orange during the Belgian revolution because of the Dutch colonial markets. Visiting Ghent means strolling through European political but also cultural history.
It is here that the unsurpassed altar piece 'The Mystic Lamb' was painted.
Ghent artists and scientists have spread their city's fame throughout the world.
Inhabitants of Ghent were Hugo van der Goes, Victor Horta, Karel and Gustave van de Woestijne, Georges Minne, Leo Baekeland (bakelite!) and Jan van Eyck.
The entire current art scene is vivid and creative and feels on top of the world in the shade of the masters whose works are carefully preserved in the Museum of Fine Arts and St Bavo's Cathedral.
XHTML auteur: Edward Vanhoutte
Last revision: 03/03/2004