Gravensteen Castle, locally simply known as Gravensteen, lies in the city of Ghent, in the East Flanders province in the Flemish region in Belgium.
The first fortification at this site, a sand dune with swampy borders inbetween the anabranches of the River Leie, was built in the mid-9th century by Baldwin I, the first Count of Flanders, to fight off Viking raids. This fortification grew out to be the seat of the Counts of Flanders, hence its name ‘Gravensteen’, which literally translates back to ‘Stone of the Counts’. Aabandoned over time after stints as a home for royalty, a courthouse and a prison, it was restored in 1885. Today, this stone monolith features plenty of space to walk around, with a fascinating torture museum revealing terrifying devices actually used, including a guillotine.
