Prinzenhof (Ghent)
The Prince's ( Dutch Prinsenhof ) is a historic area in Ghent , formed by the buildings around the former Hof ten Walle (yard for Walle), the birthplace of Emperor Charles V (born February 24, 1500), who also also Prinzenhof is called . At present, the environment primarily fulfills a residential function.
The Hof zum Walle
The Hof zum Walle was built in the 14th century as a luxury residence for the Italian financier and politician Simon de Mirabello . The court later became the residence of the Counts of Flanders. The Hof zum Walle was the scene of the festive entry of the future Emperor Maximilian I with his bride Maria of Burgundy in August 1477. Even before that it was one of the most valued places of the Dukes of Burgundy.
The courtyard has now completely disappeared, apart from the north portal, now called the dark portal (Donkere Poort). At the Prinzenhof there was also a (now inaccessible) Löwenhof (Leeuwenhof), which indicates a zoo that existed here as early as the 14th century. In 1360 an escaped lion killed three people. A number of lions that had been given to Emperor Charles V of the Bey of Tunis were also brought to the lion court. The zoo remained until the 17th century. In 1650 the zoo was converted into a monastery garden by the Carmelites . The large arched gate of the apartment of Baron Bethune (1821-1894) in the Prinsenhofstraat is a remnant of the outbuildings of the old courtyard to the Walle.
The prince's court environment
The area extends from Rabot to Gravensteen , with the Lieve as the natural eastern border and the Burgstraat and Rabotstraat as the southern and western border.
At the Silberhof, the "Brug der Geneugten" or Kaiser-Karl-Brücke (designed by the folk singer sculptor Walter de Buck) connects the area with the St. Antoniuskai. From the strange bridge over the Lieve Canal you have a magnificent view of the Rabot and the Augustinian monastery.
In the Abrahamsstraat the 'Mountain of Mercy' is (Berg van Barmhartigheid / Mons Pietatis), a building from the 17th century in which, until recently, the Ghent City Archive was housed, which, however, now in the ' Zwarte Doos ' after Gentbrugge moved .
Every year on the first weekend of September the Prince's Court Festival takes place, a hustle and bustle with the largest fair in Ghent.
The Lieve with the Gravensteen in the background
The building called ' Berg van Barmhartigheid '
De Lieve with the Augustinian monastery on the left and the Lievekai on the right
The prince's court in the 16th century, as part of a model in the Museum De Wereld van Kina
