BELGIUM ~ The Count's Castle - Ghent ~

...Always nice to show the beauty of my own country... one of Ghent’s most visited monuments located in the heart of the city... with newly released stamp bear the slogan, “Everybody equal, everybody different,” is aimed at promoting unity and tolerance... Thanks a lot Johan!! \_(♥‿♥)_/  (see his postcardblog HERE )

The Gravensteen is a castle originating from the Middle Ages (1180). The name means "castle of the counts" in Dutch. The castle originally served as the seat of the Counts of Flanders until they abandoned it in the 14th century.

From the 14th until the 18th century the Gravensteen Castle had an important administrative function as the seat of the Council of Flanders and the Board of the Oudburg. That means it was the place were suspects were imprisoned, accused were tortured, judgments were declared and executions were carried out.

In 1885 the city of Ghent bought the castle and started a renovation project. The newly built houses were removed and the walls and keep were restored to their original condition.

Stamp:

Tolerance
(Issued 24-10-2016)