VRIJDAGMARKT
Square lined with beautiful buildings in eclectic style with a statue of Jacob Van Artevelde
This square, lined with old gabled houses, was once the scene of the city's political and social life. On the west side of the square is one of the beautiful buildings of the former Belgian workers' party, "Ons Huis-Bond Moyson" (our house), built in 1900 in an eclectic style. On the opposite side of the square is the corner building with a prominent turret, known as Toreken (the turret), the former house of the Tanners. Its recent renovation makes it impossible to guess that it dates from the 15th century. Apart from the Toreken and Ons Huis, all the buildings on the Vrijdagmarkt date from the 18th century. You have to go there on market days, Fridays or Saturdays, to experience the lively atmosphere. Countless festivals have been held here since the Middle Ages, such as the Joyous Entrance (a solemn ceremony for the first visit of a reigning monarch to the city). But the atmosphere has not always been friendly: executions - stakes and guillotines - have inhabited these cobblestones. The last public execution was in 1863.
The statue of Jacob Van Artevelde. It stands in the center of the square, its arm stretched out towards England. In 1340, as the first magistrate of Ghent, he proclaimed Edward III of England king of France, in order to counter the other pretender to the throne, the suzerain of the county of Flanders, who was obeying too many orders from Paris. It was also a matter of big money, since the stake was the importation of English wool for the Flemish craftsmen.
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