Kraanlei

Kraanlei is a historic quay running along the River Leie, defined by a row of remarkably preserved seventeenth-century houses with ornate facades. Once known as the Onion Place because of the produce sold there until the nineteen forties, it earned its current name from the massive wooden crane that formerly stood here. Inspired by the designs of Archimedes, this crane was one of several used to hoist heavy cargo from barges navigating the river, marking this stretch as a center of medieval trade.