• Please support our journalism through affiliate links. Affiliate Disclosure
  • Written by our human editors, structured with the help of AI.

Review & FAQ:

Gravensteen is a castle in Ghent that dates to the Middle Ages. In Dutch, the name of the castle means “castle of the counts.” It was built in 1180 by count Philip of Alsace, who modeled the castle after the castles of crusaders he encountered during the Second Crusade. The castle was built on the site of a former wooden castle. It was used as the seat of the Counts of Flanders and, once abandoned, was used as a prison and then a courthouse before eventually being left to decay. The castle was partially restored around the turn of the 20th century and visitors can now travel through it and climb to the top. A small museum inside has a variety of traditional torture devices on display.

Sint-Veerleplein 11, 9000 Gent, Belgium, Phone: +32-92-25-93-06

Gravensteen
© Courtesy of anatoliil - Fotolia.com

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Royal Palace of Brussels Atomium Autoworld Curtius Museum Grand Place Gravensteen Groeningemuseum Horta Museum In Flanders Fields Museum Manneken Pis Mini-Europe Museum aan de Stroom Museum Mayer van den Bergh Antwerp Zoo Musical Instrument Museum Pairi Daiza Plantin-Moretus Museum Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium Basilica of the Holy Blood Belgian Comic Strip Center Cathedral of Our Lady Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula Rubenshuis St. Bavo’s Cathedral Zeebrugge

Explore more: Europe > What to See in Belgium

Plan Your Trip

Get Ready to Go!

Need some more help?


Go to travel reservations.