The old post office is not normally on Gent tourist's lists of things to see. I wandered in because it was the nearest place to escape a rainstorm. I was very pleasantly surprised.

The interior has been restored exposing the original iron work, windows and communication post office murals. Take time to study the art work on the walls. There are scenes from around the world that try to convey the power of the post office to transport parcels across the globe.

Carrier pigeons are paint on the wall to represent the fast transportation of messages. Clothing shops now occupy the space that once was used to sell stamps and send parcels.

The construction of the old Post-office building was one of the large projects for the world exhibition of the year 1913 which was held in Ghent. The architect, Cloquet, who also constructed the main railway station of Ghent, was fascinated by the orient and the new neo-gothic style. You can clearly see this in the railway station. The conservative, catholic bourgeoisie of Ghent was very much in favour of this new architectural style.

The front facade of the former post-office building shows the heads of the International Post Organisation. Totally right at the top on the facade, a smaller image can be seen. Some think that this represent the lover of the architect, others think this represents Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.

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