CITY WALK IN GHENT 'Van Wereldexpo 1913 to the Millionaires' Quarter'

In 1913, the World Exhibition descended on Ghent around the Sint-Pieters station. Afterwards, the site was exclusively parceled out, resulting in a whole host of impressive mansions. Travel back to the days of yore with our guide and walk past the most beautiful architectural gems in the 'miljoenenkwartier' (millionaires' quarter). De Wereldexpo took place in Ghent from April 26 to November 3, 1913. In that short period, Ghent was the navel of the commercial and industrial Western world, and everyone was wildly enthusiastic about the expo, which was seen as the starting signal for the progress of the 20th century. After the exhibition, the city decided to build a new neighborhood on the former grounds. The plots of land were so expensive that the neighborhood was given the name 'miljoenenkwartier'. The result – now a protected cityscape – is still impressive today: beautiful villas in a hodgepodge of architectural styles stand side by side, from classical and art deco to cubist and modernist. Based on photos of the World Expo, we return to the days of yore and walk past the most impressive mansions in the millionaires' quarter.