Castle · Ghent, Belgium
Gravensteen
A medieval castle in Ghent, residence of the Counts of Flanders until 1353. Built 1180.
Photo: Trougnouf (Benoit Brummer) via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. Cropped and resized for display.
Landmark facts
| Location | Ghent, Belgium |
|---|---|
| Type | Castle |
| Built | 1180 |
| Coordinates | 51.0572° N, 3.7206° E |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
What Gravensteen is known for
A medieval castle in Ghent, residence of the Counts of Flanders until 1353.
About Gravensteen
The Gravensteen is a medieval castle in the city of Ghent, East Flanders in Belgium. The current castle dates from 1180 and was the residence of the Counts of Flanders until 1353. It was subsequently re-purposed as a court, prison, mint, and even as a cotton mill. It was restored over 1893-1903 and is now a museum and a major landmark in the city.
Planning a visit? Visit the official Gravensteen website — the official site has the current visiting information.
How to get there
| Nearest town | Ghent |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | Wevelgem Airport (KJK) |
| Distance from the airport | 28.0 miles (straight line) |
Nearest major airport by straight-line distance from the landmark's coordinates; road distance will be longer.
Airports near this landmark
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- Brussels Airport (BRU) · Zaventem, Belgium · 34.9 miles away
- Ostend-Bruges International Airport (OST) · Oostende, Belgium · 38.0 miles away
- Lille Airport (LIL) · Lesquin, France · 43.3 miles away
Landmarks nearby
The closest landmarks in this library, by straight-line distance.
More landmarks in Belgium
More castles
Frequently asked questions
What is Gravensteen?
A medieval castle in Ghent, residence of the Counts of Flanders until 1353.
Where is Gravensteen located?
Gravensteen is in Ghent, Belgium. Its coordinates are 51.0572° N, 3.7206° E.
How do I get to Gravensteen?
The nearest town is Ghent, and the nearest airport is Wevelgem Airport (KJK), about 28.0 miles away (straight line).
When was Gravensteen built?
Gravensteen was built 1180.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravensteen — Wikipedia article — overview, history and core facts (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1543972 — Wikidata — built year, architect, height/size, visitors, official website (CC0).
- https://visit.gent.be/en/see-do/castle-counts — Official website of the landmark / managing body.
- https://github.com/jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports — Nearest major airport computed from landmark and airport coordinates (haversine); airport list: jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports.
Page last updated 13 November 2026.