Belgian Resistance
Off to Ghent tomorrow for a few days, so things may be a little quiet. Anything worth seeing (other than Van de Velde's book tower) that people would like to suggest would be most welcome...
posted by owen hatherley at 3:59 pm
4 Comments:
you may want to take a cheap boat cruise down the main canal; when you're purchasing the ticket, you will notice that the service calls itself THE VENICE OF THE NORTH, which is exactly the same marketing you will encounter in Leiden, Brugge or any other Dutch village scattered around Belgium. You might pull up your gaze at the surrounding buildings, which are, well, GOTHIC.
Indeed - I can't remember much in the way of Modernist architecture in Ghent, although if, like me, you're a like a bit of decent Gothic, it's brilliant. The Sant-Niklaas-Kirk (prob. spelt wrong) is the best place to go for that, and the town belltower, though that's a bit over-touristy.
Are you going for the British Vision show at the reopened
MSK Gent? Be interested to hear your views.
I found this (now somewhat neglected) site some time ago:
Architecture in Ghent (Belgium)
Art deco and Modernism
http://membres.lycos.fr/architectuur/ghent.html
The iconic Groothandelsmarkt was still standing in 2005 but has probably finally been demolished by now.
http://membres.lycos.fr/architectuur/groothandelsmarkt/g1.html
Great link Lang, shame I've only just checked this...ah well.
I have been greatly enjoying THE GOTHIC as it happens, and have been carrying around a little volume of Ruskin especially. But the real interest has been in Socialist Art Nouveau, on which a post is imminent.
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