Ghent

Ghent is a city in Flanders (Belgium), located at the confluence of the rivers Scheldt and Lys. In the Middle Ages, it was one of the largest and wealthiest cities in Europe thanks to the cloth trade, and it was governed not by kings but by guilds and corporations. Today, Ghent is a bustling university center with a population of about 260,000, where medieval towers, the Graslei and Korenlei quays, the Castle of the Counts, and the famous Ghent Altarpiece attract millions of tourists.