MIAT

Ghent


In a five-floor 19th-century mill-factory building, this thought-provoking museum celebrates Ghent’s history of textile production and examines the social effects of 250 years of industrialisation. An extensive collection of heavy mechanical weaving equipment comes deafeningly alive on Tuesday or Thursday mornings around 10am; earplugs are provided. There are great city skyline views from the top floor.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Ghent attractions

1. St-Jacobskerk

0.22 MILES

The Romanesque twin towers of this iconic church date from the 12th century but the church itself has undergone numerous expansions, renovations and…

2. Vrijdagmarkt

0.24 MILES

Once the city’s forum for public meetings and executions, this large square is named for its Friday market (still held). Tempting cafés sit beneath step…

4. Huis van Alijn

0.3 MILES

Set in a restored 1363 children’s hospice complex, this delightful museum examines everyday life from the 1890s to the present, with a fabulous emphasis…

5. Werregarenstraat

0.35 MILES

Ghent's attachment to graffiti as an art form began in this central alley, known locally as Graffitistraatje. The website has a live map showing the…

6. Patershol

0.35 MILES

Dotted with half-hidden restaurants, enchanting Patershol is a web of twisting cobbled lanes. Its old-world houses were once home to leather tradesmen and…

7. De Wereld van Kina: de Tuin

0.38 MILES

This 7700-sq-metre garden and hot-garden with more than 1500 plants (plus live bird spiders) has a broader age appeal than its sister museum, the House…

8. Stadhuis

0.39 MILES

Ghent’s magnificent and flamboyant city hall was started in 1519 but not finished until 1600, by which time it had transformed into a Renaissance-style…