When visiting Ghent, one should always go to this beautiful area of the city: the Graslei and the Koornlei. These are the names of two streets which lie along the banks of the old harbor of Ghent, right in the middle of the city. Graslei means 'street of the herbs and vegetables'. Koornlei stands for 'street of the wheat'. Both names indicate that these specific products where traded or stocked in that area.This group of houses reflects the wealth and power of the medieval guilds. Even after the decay of the Flemish trade, they were still rich enough to change their original wooden houses into splendid stone mansions. One of the few remaining wooden facades can still be seen from the bridge of the Gravensteen, the castle of the count of Flanders.
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