Geeraard de Duivelsteen

13th-century medieval fortress in Ghent named after a knight called "the Devil," now home to the Ghent State Archive.

The Geeraard de Duivelsteen — literally "Gerard's Devil's Stone" — is a medieval fortress complex in the heart of Ghent and one of the oldest surviving secular stone buildings in Belgium. Its oldest section, built of large sandstone blocks, dates from the early 13th century and was constructed for Geeraard Vilain, a local knight nicknamed "de Duivel" (the Devil) on account of his dark complexion. Over the centuries the multi-wing complex served as a monastery, asylum, barracks, and prison. Today it houses the State Archive of the city of Ghent. Seen from the street, the massive facade with its tall lancet windows offers a striking and unexpected window into Ghent's deeper history.