It’s the oldest bar in Ghent. But no one knows how old. It might date back to 1340, or possibly even 1228, depending on who is telling the story.
Den Turk is a friendly local place on the Botermarkt where music students from the nearby conservatory rub shoulders with officials who work in the town hall.
The interior has old photographs on the walls, candles on the tables, newspapers on wooden poles and jazz playing quietly in the background.
You might be wondering about the wooden box with numbered holes next to the bar. It’s an old Flemish spaarkas where regulars put their savings to cover the cost of beer.
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.
