In the port city of Ghent, capital and largest city of the East Flanders province in Belgium

 Despite being one of Belgium's oldest cities Ghent remains small enough to feel cozy but big enough to be a vibrant center for trade and culture.

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(in the Flemish Region of northwestern Belgium) Historically known as Gaunt in English, Ghent -- a city and a municipality -- is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, after Brussels and Antwerp. There is a wealth of medieval and classical architecture here, contrasted by large post-industrial areas undergoing urban renewal that give Ghent a gritty-but-good industrial feel. One of Belgium’s oldest cities (and and most beautiful) the historic capital of Flanders, Ghent, was powerful, well-organized in its wealthy trade guilds, and virtually independent until 1584. Within its walls was signed the Pacification of Ghent (1576), an attempt to unite the Lowlands provinces against Spain. The Treaty of Ghent (December 24, 1814) marked the end of the War of 1812 between the United States and Britain.

+ Along with Brugge (Bruges) and Ypres, Ghent was one of the main towns of the medieval county of Flanders. A port and university city, Ghent started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Leie -- and in the Late Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of northern Europe. After the late 16th century Ghent became a less important city, resulting in an extremely well-preserved historic center that now makes Ghent an important destination for tourists. The municipality comprises the city of Ghent proper and the surrounding suburbs The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, ranks as the fourth most populous in Belgium. Ghent's city center is a pedestrian area that is like a museum to early Flemish architecture and a testament to the city's medieval might. Impressive Gothic sites, such as dramatic St. Bavo's Cathedral and the Castle of the Counts, inspire awe. {The works of Flemish masters are housed in the distinguished Museum voor Schone Kunst.) Ghent’s commercial and industrial activity began to revive with the introduction of cotton-spinning machinery (in particular, a power loom smuggled out of England) and the construction of a port (1827) and of the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal (1824–27) to the mouth of the Scheldt. Ghent subsequently became the center of the Belgian textiles industry and an important port as well; its docks became accessible to the largest vessels after extensive improvements were made to the canal and its locks.

+ Ghent is also a center of horticulture and market gardening, and its great flower show, Gentse Floraliën (French: Floralies Gantoises), is held every five years. (Tourism-related businesses play quite an important role in the local economy, as the density of historic sites renders Ghent an attractive tourist destination.)

+The ten-day-long Ghent Festival is held every year and attended by up to 1–1.5 million visitors. It starts on the Friday before the third Sunday of July.