It’s unusual for anyone to stumble upon the old 19th-century harbour quarter in Ghent. This authentic maritime district to the north of the old town was linked to the North Sea by the Ghent-Terneuzen canal.
The street names recall a time when ships sailed from here to London, Liverpool and even New York. But it is now a strange, undiscovered area with cobbled quays, massive cranes and abandoned railway tracks.
The city now plans to redevelop the harbour quarter as a residential district. But the project will preserve the industrial elements such as the cobbled yards, railway tracks and warehouses.
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.
