Practical information

Venue

The conference will be hosted at Ghent University Campus Boekentoren (15th-17th of September 2025) and at the Royal Museums of Art and History Brussels (18th of September 2025). Transfer from Ghent to Brussels and back will be taken care of by the conference organisation. The exact room and building of the conference will be announced at a later date.

Workshop

The conference will be followed by a Transferable Skills Workshop (19th of September 2025) on Stylometry and Open Linked Data hosted by Ghent University Doctoral Schools and open to all PhD students and interested parties (more info soon).

Ghent

If ever in doubt about Ghent, consult the visit Ghent website.

Accommodation

As most cities, Ghent can offer expensive and cheap accommodations. Visit Ghent and your preferred hotel search engine can be consulted for various options.
Ghent is not a big city, but it can still be an advantage to check if your hotel is in walking distance (note that the Campus is on a hill), or close to a tram line or bus.
A popular choice within walking distance of the Campus is Ibis Gent Centrum Opera.

What to see

The historic Ghent city centre lies north of the Campus and it is dominated by a line of cathedrals and a belfry. Of the city centre landmarks, the following is worth noticing:

• Gravensteen is a very well kept medieval castle with a good guided tour that takes you through torture practices, medieval power struggles and the love life of the nobility (Pro tip, if you are hungry buy a pizza at Plant a Pizza and eat it on the lawn in front of the caste, if you are peckish get a piece of cake at Julie’s House or if you are thirsty grab a drink at Copador).
• Saint Bavo’s Cathedral not only houses ‘The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb’ by the Van Eyck brothers, it can also boast of beautiful mosaic windows and a intricately ornamented preacher’s chair. In front of the cathedral you have an excellent view of the other two cathedrals and the belfry (Pro tip, there are many chocolate stores close by which might be expensive but they are of high quality and O’yo can provide you most meals).
• Belfry of Ghent, can you spot the dragon on top, a famous beer of the city is named after it: Gulden Draak (Pro tip, whether you are peckish, hungry or looking for an edible souvenir you should visit the light open cafe/restaurant/shop Knol&Kool).
• Graslei and Korenlei is today a tourist hotspot with many restaurants and boat tours that start here. The river Leie is flanked on both sites by historical houses whose facades tells a story of a rich commercial hub (Pro tip, the Grasbrug and Saint Michael’s bridge are good places to photograph Ghent).
• Korenmarkt is the central square in Ghent and a good place to start your sightseeing, from here you can see or quickly visit most of the historical city of Ghent (Pro tip, on the square is the old Post Office with a nice atmosphere to sit down and have a coffee or a meal).
• De Krook, the architecturally impressive library, is a cultural hub of Ghent and the waterfront at the foot of the library offers a place to sit and enjoy a bit of calmness.
• Viernulvier was build for cultural experiences for the labour movements in Ghent back in the early 20th century. Today it’s an art centre with many events.
• The Watersportbaan and Blaarmeersen are recreational and sports areas. Around the Watersportbaan there is a 5km running route and Blaarmeersen has multiple outdoor training facilities. You can also enjoy a day at the beach and a swim in the Blaarmeersen itself. Close by is also the large green area of Bourgoyen-Ossemeersen where you can see many birds and grazing animals.
• Close to the conference venue there is also the Our Lady of Saint Peter’s Church with an adjacent Garden and Abbey, and a little further you’ll find the Citadelpark which is a green breathing space of the city, it also holds museums and even a velodrome.
• Ghent in the evening is a sight to behold, many of the beautiful old buildings are lit up.

Where to eat

City center:

• Knol&Kool
• Plant a Pizza
• Le Botaniste
• O’yo
• Steamy Windows
• Horn OK Please
• Le Pain Quotidien
• WAY Speciality coffee bar
• Ludo Kafe

Vicinity of venue:

• Greenway Gent
• AYWA
• Currychiwa