Ghent

Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Leie and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of northern Europe with some 60,000 people in 1300 AD, 70,000 in 1400 growing to 175,000 shortly after 1500 AD. Today it is a busy city with a port and a university.

At the time of Evelyn’s visit in 1641, Ghent was part of the of the Spanish Netherlands.

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• Introduction – Part I

• Wikipedia article on Ghent

• Wikipedia for background.