Ghent, Belgium

The meeting is held in the conference center "Het Pand" in Ghent, Belgium.

Ghent is the capital and biggest (nearly 250,000 habitants) city of the East-Flanders province. The city settled at the confluence of the "Schelde" and the "Leie" and in the middle-ages it was one of the largest and richest cities of Northern Europe. The city has managed to preserve its medieval power while keeping up with the times. Strolling along the small streets and the little canals in the historical centre of Ghent will bring you back to the days where Emperor Charles V lived.

The emperor, born in the city in 1500, not only left the city with streets, houses and even beers named after him, but also gave rise to the nickname of the people of Ghent, namely 'Stroppendragers'. The citizens of Ghent received this name because of the punishment inflicted by Charles V around 1540 because they where not willing to pay additional taxes. The resistant citizens where first humiliated by having to walk barefoot through the city wearing the "strop" and then hanged in public.

The skyline of the centre is dominated by the "three towers" of Ghent. These are the towers of "Sint Niklaas"-church, the "Belfort" (the Belfry) and the "Sint Baafs"-cathedral. The last one contains the world famous "Het Lam Gods" ("the mystic lamb") by the brothers Van Eyk, with one of the panels ("de rechtvaardige rechters") still mysteriously missing. "het Gravensteen", "het Patershol", "de Vrijdagsmarkt", "de Gras-en Korenlei" are among the numerous things that you must see when you take a trip to Ghent.

Modern Ghent certainly cannot be overlooked in Belgium. The city has an important harbor, thanks to the canal Ghent-Terneuzen which allows sea-going vessels to bring their products to the city and its industrial hinterland. A lot of large factories are lying near the canal among which "ArcelorMittal Gent", one of the largest steel producers in the world.

The University of Ghent (UGent) continues to grow in importance. The presence of so many young people and students has turned Ghent into an important Flemish cultural center. With it's 28,000 students and about 6,500 staff members it is the second largest University of the country.

Every year about a billion of people visit Ghent when the biggest outdoor festival in the country takes place. During these ten days citizens and tourists can enjoy numerous free concerts, theatre performances, fireworks, street acts. This makes all the streets of the centre filled with people, joy, happiness, music and beer. If you ever have the chance of passing by during the "Gentse feesten" do not hesitate!