Forgotten and abandoned for many years, the Winter Circus in Ghent has been sensitively renovated to create a vibrant tech and culture hub.
Built in 1893, the vast arena was originally a circus with stables for horses, a ramp for elephants and seating for 3400 spectators. Abandoned in 1944, it was turned into a garage and later a warehouse for a vintage car collection. Locals still remember taking their vintage cars there to be serviced.
The complex has been brilliantly restored to create an enormous space with rough brick walls and dramatic lighting. The former circus is now occupied by tech companies, an underground concert hall and a restaurant.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
