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Gravensteen, Ghent

4.3

#1 of 253 in Museums in Flanders

Castle History Museum

• ©

Modeled after crusaders' castles, Gravensteen dates back to the Middle Ages. Up until the 14th century, the castle acted as the seat of the counts of Flanders, later becoming a courthouse, a prison, and a factory. In 1885, the city of Ghent purchased the castle, saving it from demolition. The city renovated the castle, restoring the walls and dungeon to near-original condition. Inside, visit two museums displaying medieval tools. The arms museum showcases medieval weapons, such as swords, crossbows, and bludgeons. Explore the museum of judicial objects for an exhibit of torture devices, including shackles, a torture wheel, thumb screws, and more disturbing objects. Climb the narrow spiral staircase to the top for a view of Ghent below. A visit to Gravensteen represents just the start of the adventure when you use our Ghent trip itinerary planner to plot your vacation.

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Gravensteen Reviews

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TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

4,643 reviews

Google

4.5

facebook

4.4

701 likes

• By MaryAnn1776

  No matter how many other castles you have visited this one is worth it for the audio self-guided tour alone. You learn interesting facts about the inhabitants, the times and the history of the castle ...  more »

• By 109sevdag

  If you're into epic medieval castles, this is THE place. Outside it looks like a traditional medieval castle and you can take great pics, but I definitely recommend going inside too. They offer audio ...  more »

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Google

• By Lucija Plantak

  I really enjoyed the visit to this amazing castle. The structure itself is stunning, but with the free audio guide you truly find out a lot of intriguing details and it's all being told by a funny storyteller in a witty way. The possibility to do everything in your own pace and play the recordings when it suits you makes the visit even more enjoyable. It is really nice to see how much effort they put into modernizing the tour and into making the rich history of the castle interesting to wider audiences. The staff was also very polite and cheerful. Highly recommend!!

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• By Ron weiss

  Beautiful Castle with a cool history. Get the city card and the audio tour/ admission is covered. Loved that we can explore many areas of the castle, the roof (great city views) and the dungeon. The audio tour had great historical content.

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