An enormous iron cannon stands near the Vrijdagmarkt in Ghent. Named Dulle Griet after a legendary mad woman in Flemish folklore, the distinctive red siege weapon was constructed between 1430 and 1450.
Weighing more than 12,000 kg, it was considered one of the most formidable weapons in mediaeval Europe. They called it the Big Red Devil.
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But this weapon of mass destruction turned out to be a dud. It was only fired once during a test when the heavy cannonball fell harmlessly to the ground.
It now stands on the Groot Kannonplein in Ghent as a symbol of military folly.
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.
