Thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed our video. We had a wonderful time in Gent, a city with so much history, and we found it so friendly. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. All the best, Gary & Janis
Wow, how wonderful, and you could be right. However, we're really Londoners at heart, so we may have to respectfully disagree. Gent is a fantastic though, we have some amazing memories. Thanks for taking the time to comment, All the best, Gary & Janis
Wow, so that means you're there today! Have a great time. How long you there for, what have you got planned? What ever happens enjoy - seeing somewhere new is fantastic. All the best, Gary & Janis
Thank you, friends. I wasn`t sure I wanted to watch this, as most of my fathers family, Belgian Jews living around Ghent were transported and murdered by the Nazi`s at Auschwitz, only my father and his two siblings, all in their mid teens survived - thanks to the brave Belgian resistance and underground Jewish agencies. Belgian resistance to the Germans was strong, and many thousands of individuals have been awarded and recognized as : ' The Righteous among Nations ' by the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum, Jerusalem, I made a journey to Ghent in the 1960`s to familiarize myself with family history, but so little remained, and I recall that Ghent wasn`t quite as attractive as it most certainly is now :) Nevertheless, a wonderful video, and how beautiful and lovely Ghent does look. Well done as always.
I think Ghent has rebuilt itself substantially over the years, however, checking through our literature, there is no mention of this dark side of the history. Our next video on this trip, the city of Mechelen, does have a memorial, museum & education centre - 'Kazerne Dossin'. It is recognised that there was a direct link from here to Auschwitz. The itinerary provided by Visit Mechelen did not include a tour (we only had limited time in each location). However, we did make our way to the memorial to experience the site. It is still very moving to stand at a place where human life was judged, by the Nazis, to be worthless. I think think the education, and reminders of what passed, is so important to future generations. Perhaps Ghent will address this oversite in future; it has a young and dynamic population of students. Belgium is handling its failures of its past, including the colonialism of Leopold II. Here's hoping a fitting Holocaust memorial can be created. Here's hoping for a brighter future. Gary & Janis
@@OurWorldForYou Thank you, yes. Kazerne Dossin, Mechelin was the main collection and transport site to the death camps out of Belgium. It must be understood that the Nazi Gestapo and SS had initiated a focused concerted, brutal and vicious campaign to transport Jewish children, in their thousands to be murdered at the death camps. Whilst I mentioned the many, many Belgian individual who have been recognized and honoured for their bravery and humanity, there were also many small rural hamlets who, collectively chose to protect and save hundreds of Jewish children - at the great risk to their own lives from Nazi depravity. But yes, the times move on, we stand and enjoy the sun, and the Belgians, as a people can stand proud -and in my few interactions, found today`s Belgians to be warm, friendly and very good company. Thanks once again for another excellent video tour :)
@@OurWorldForYouhere has been a monument to the Holocaust in Gent since 1998, the Michael Lustig monument. It's a large sculpture of an oversized dreidel in metal. But it's located in a small quiet park on the waterside of the lindenlei, and If you're not specifically aware of it or looking for it, you'll just wander past it. Also something to keep in mind is that the Jewish community was tiny in Gent, and "only" about 67 people were deported from Gent. So while ever single one was one too many, it's not as big a part of the city's history as it is in Mechelen or Antwerp. Antwerp had, and still has a large Jewish community that suffered immensely under the Nazis. And Mechelen, as one of the largest railroad hubs in the country back then, was used as one of the biggest deportation sites in the country by the Nazis in WW2. Hence the history of the holocaust is far more remembered there. As mentioned in the video, Gent escaped reasonably unscathed in WW2. And finally, since the mid-1990s Gent has put a lot of effort in a Dutch style traffic plan, pedestrianisation, and investment in bike infrastructure and public transport. The city center is now very car resistant, with through traffic made completely impossible in the city center, a huge pedestrianised area, car parking removed from a lot of public squares and public spaces, bike infrastructure and parking built, etc. This has immensely beautified the city, and has made it a much, much more pleasant place to live, work, and visit. I've heard so many tourists and visitors comment on how nice and peaceful the gent city center is, but not many realise it's because a large part of the entire city center has little to no cars.
Hi Johan, Thanks so much for your comment. While researching the city for our visit we did discover the Monument Michael Lustig, but we also came across this article, www.brusselstimes.com/67833/ghents-holocaust-memorial-must-be-better-respected, which dissuaded us from visiting. We noticed the changes to Gent, having visited in 2006. I think keeping the core of historic cities restricted and pedestrianised is a good thing, but it needs to be in balance; people will still want to visit, and if it is made too difficult to get to from the outside, then the risk is loss of tourist trade. However, I think Gent has got the balance right. We were able to drive to our accommodation at Monasterium PoortAckere, and walk to the centre in a few minutes. The short of it is Gent is a wonderful city, and we would recommend people to visit because it has so much to offer. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, All the very best, Gary & Janis
Excellent, we've been to Brussels (back in 2012), and we probably need to return for a fresh look. Antwerp is on our list; hopefully, we can make it in 2023. Now I'm just a little bit jealous 😊. I hope you have a great time and you manage to squeeze Ghent in too.
Thanks @baerney, Bruges is beautiful (even with all the tourists). We've stayed twice, but visited a few times whilst in the area. We just love it. Thanks for your comment, Stay safe & well, Gary & Janis
Çok teşekkürler Sul - burası çok güzel bir şehir Herşey gönlünce olsun Gary & Janis ---------- Thanks so much Sul - it is such a beautiful city All the best Gary & Janis
You failed to mention the most famous person born in Ghent: Charles V, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and king of the Spanish territories (as Carlos II), ruler of the Netherlands, Bourgondy, France-Comté, kingdom of Naples, duke of Milan, etc...
Indeed, you have me there. Perhaps because his domain was so great or because we didn't stumble across the last remaining gate of Prinsenhof, he got overlooked. He does get a mention in our Mechelen video, but again, only briefly. There's also another reason: when I created this video, I wanted to highlight the things that link us together, hence the mention of John of Gaunt, and despite the magnitude of the Hapsburg Empire, it's one that doesn't appear to overlap English history. Around this point in history, we have Henry VIII, and his story makes our history books. Anyway, thanks for stopping by an taking the time to comment. All the best for 2024, Gary & Janis
Loved your video ! I live close by and I love Gent, but after watching your video I'm longing to explore more of this beautiful city
Thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed our video. We had a wonderful time in Gent, a city with so much history, and we found it so friendly.
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
All the best,
Gary & Janis
Great video, this is my hometown, best city in the world
Wow, how wonderful, and you could be right. However, we're really Londoners at heart, so we may have to respectfully disagree.
Gent is a fantastic though, we have some amazing memories.
Thanks for taking the time to comment,
All the best,
Gary & Janis
Heading there tomorrow
Wow, so that means you're there today! Have a great time. How long you there for, what have you got planned?
What ever happens enjoy - seeing somewhere new is fantastic.
All the best,
Gary & Janis
Thank you, friends. I wasn`t sure I wanted to watch this, as most of my fathers family, Belgian Jews living around Ghent were transported and murdered by the Nazi`s at Auschwitz, only my father and his two siblings, all in their mid teens survived - thanks to the brave Belgian resistance and underground Jewish agencies. Belgian resistance to the Germans was strong, and many thousands of individuals have been awarded and recognized as :
' The Righteous among Nations ' by the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum, Jerusalem,
I made a journey to Ghent in the 1960`s to familiarize myself with family history, but so little remained, and I recall that Ghent wasn`t quite as attractive as it most certainly is now :)
Nevertheless, a wonderful video, and how beautiful and lovely Ghent does look.
Well done as always.
I think Ghent has rebuilt itself substantially over the years, however, checking through our literature, there is no mention of this dark side of the history.
Our next video on this trip, the city of Mechelen, does have a memorial, museum & education centre - 'Kazerne Dossin'. It is recognised that there was a direct link from here to Auschwitz. The itinerary provided by Visit Mechelen did not include a tour (we only had limited time in each location). However, we did make our way to the memorial to experience the site. It is still very moving to stand at a place where human life was judged, by the Nazis, to be worthless. I think think the education, and reminders of what passed, is so important to future generations.
Perhaps Ghent will address this oversite in future; it has a young and dynamic population of students. Belgium is handling its failures of its past, including the colonialism of Leopold II. Here's hoping a fitting Holocaust memorial can be created.
Here's hoping for a brighter future.
Gary & Janis
@@OurWorldForYou Thank you, yes. Kazerne Dossin, Mechelin was the main collection and transport site to the death camps out of Belgium. It must be understood that the Nazi Gestapo and SS had initiated a focused concerted, brutal and vicious campaign to transport Jewish children, in their thousands to be murdered at the death camps. Whilst I mentioned the many, many Belgian individual who have been recognized and honoured for their bravery and humanity, there were also many small rural hamlets who, collectively chose to protect and save hundreds of Jewish children - at the great risk to their own lives from Nazi depravity.
But yes, the times move on, we stand and enjoy the sun, and the Belgians, as a people can stand proud -and in my few interactions, found today`s Belgians to be warm, friendly and very good company.
Thanks once again for another excellent video tour :)
@@OurWorldForYouhere has been a monument to the Holocaust in Gent since 1998, the Michael Lustig monument. It's a large sculpture of an oversized dreidel in metal. But it's located in a small quiet park on the waterside of the lindenlei, and If you're not specifically aware of it or looking for it, you'll just wander past it.
Also something to keep in mind is that the Jewish community was tiny in Gent, and "only" about 67 people were deported from Gent. So while ever single one was one too many, it's not as big a part of the city's history as it is in Mechelen or Antwerp. Antwerp had, and still has a large Jewish community that suffered immensely under the Nazis. And Mechelen, as one of the largest railroad hubs in the country back then, was used as one of the biggest deportation sites in the country by the Nazis in WW2. Hence the history of the holocaust is far more remembered there.
As mentioned in the video, Gent escaped reasonably unscathed in WW2.
And finally, since the mid-1990s Gent has put a lot of effort in a Dutch style traffic plan, pedestrianisation, and investment in bike infrastructure and public transport. The city center is now very car resistant, with through traffic made completely impossible in the city center, a huge pedestrianised area, car parking removed from a lot of public squares and public spaces, bike infrastructure and parking built, etc. This has immensely beautified the city, and has made it a much, much more pleasant place to live, work, and visit. I've heard so many tourists and visitors comment on how nice and peaceful the gent city center is, but not many realise it's because a large part of the entire city center has little to no cars.
Hi Johan,
Thanks so much for your comment. While researching the city for our visit we did discover the Monument Michael Lustig, but we also came across this article, www.brusselstimes.com/67833/ghents-holocaust-memorial-must-be-better-respected, which dissuaded us from visiting.
We noticed the changes to Gent, having visited in 2006. I think keeping the core of historic cities restricted and pedestrianised is a good thing, but it needs to be in balance; people will still want to visit, and if it is made too difficult to get to from the outside, then the risk is loss of tourist trade. However, I think Gent has got the balance right. We were able to drive to our accommodation at Monasterium PoortAckere, and walk to the centre in a few minutes.
The short of it is Gent is a wonderful city, and we would recommend people to visit because it has so much to offer.
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment,
All the very best,
Gary & Janis
I’m off to Belgium for Christmas so based on your video I’ll now definitely pop into Ghent!
That's fantastic, you'll have a great time. Where else are you planning on heading on your trip?
@@OurWorldForYou Brussels and Antwerp.
Excellent, we've been to Brussels (back in 2012), and we probably need to return for a fresh look. Antwerp is on our list; hopefully, we can make it in 2023. Now I'm just a little bit jealous 😊. I hope you have a great time and you manage to squeeze Ghent in too.
You’d better visit Bruges.
Thanks @baerney, Bruges is beautiful (even with all the tourists). We've stayed twice, but visited a few times whilst in the area. We just love it.
Thanks for your comment,
Stay safe & well,
Gary & Janis
Çok güzelsin Gent❤
Çok teşekkürler Sul - burası çok güzel bir şehir
Herşey gönlünce olsun
Gary & Janis
----------
Thanks so much Sul - it is such a beautiful city
All the best
Gary & Janis
Remembering my student's day at university of Gent,1983-1990
Ahmad, how cool. Some things will have changed, and others probably not. I think the traffic will probably be the most notable.
You failed to mention the most famous person born in Ghent: Charles V, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and king of the Spanish territories (as Carlos II), ruler of the Netherlands, Bourgondy, France-Comté, kingdom of Naples, duke of Milan, etc...
Indeed, you have me there. Perhaps because his domain was so great or because we didn't stumble across the last remaining gate of Prinsenhof, he got overlooked. He does get a mention in our Mechelen video, but again, only briefly.
There's also another reason: when I created this video, I wanted to highlight the things that link us together, hence the mention of John of Gaunt, and despite the magnitude of the Hapsburg Empire, it's one that doesn't appear to overlap English history. Around this point in history, we have Henry VIII, and his story makes our history books.
Anyway, thanks for stopping by an taking the time to comment.
All the best for 2024,
Gary & Janis