Ghent

In the early twentieth century, Ghent, Belgium, made a massive switch to electric power for trams, street lighting, and harbour cranes. To meet the growing demand, the city commissioned the construction of coal-fired power stations.

At barely 25, Jules de Hemptinne stood at the cradle of a cotton spinning and weaving mill on the Kolveniersgang.

In 1967, Ghent's municipal electric power plant was expanded with a brand-new building that housed three giant diesel engines.

Melle, near Ghent, was once the walhalla for flower and ornamental cultivation. Greenhouses, florist houses and horticultural businesses flanked the roads.

The Wiedauwkaai bridge over the canal-Terneuzen is a swing bridge that allows passenger traffic over the railway line between Ghent and Eeklo and freight transport towards the Kluizendok.

On the eve of World War I, the World Exposition was organized in the Belgian city of Ghent.

A row of stones divides the neighbourhood park "De Porre" in Gentbrugge. Looking a little closer, you soon see that some stones are numbered, and others have a rather elegant shape. This is more than just a pile of old stones.

To highlight the industrial past of the former harbour docks, the city of Ghent parked several old harbour cranes around the water, including the ST1 crane at the disused Timber Dock (or Houtdok).

The "Houtdok" (or timber dock) was repurposed in 2015. This harbour dock was dug out around 1880 to load and unload timber. 

A 20-metre-high harbour crane casts its shadow over the new Matadi Bridge at the Handelsdok in Ghent. The crane, designed in 1988 by the Belgian firm Sobemai of Maldegem, casts its shadow over the new bridge.