The free boatmen's guild house
This is the guild house of the Vrije Schippers — the "free shippers", the boatmen who moved goods along the water and made the city's trade possible. The facade is a boast in stone: coats of arms, mottoes and carved figures spelling out the guild's activities and pride. In medieval Ghent, your guild was your identity, your insurance and your social life. The boatmen wanted you to know exactly which one was theirs.