The medieval County of Flanders constituted one of the most highly urbanized regions in Europe, characterized by a network of large, medium-sized, and small cities. Although the origins and development of these urban centres have been a subject of scholarly debate since the nineteenth century. Research received a renewed impetus in the 1990s with the emergence of medieval urban archaeology as a distinct discipline. By integrating archaeological and historical data, researchers formulated new hypotheses regarding urbanization and early city development, which resulted in The Rise of Cities in North-West Europe (1999) by Adriaan Verhulst. Since then, a substantial increase in archaeological data and advancements in understanding urbanization processes have generated new opportunities to re-evaluate prior interpretations.

But often, these contemporary data and insights frequently remain confined to local contexts. The objective of this conference is to provide an updated overview of urban development in the High and Late Middle Ages within the County of Flanders through a series of case studies focusing on individual cities, and to reflect upon the commonalities and divergences among these studies. By synthesizing recent archaeological and historical research findings, we aim to establish new perspectives on the Flemish urban network.

Programme : ici

Informations pratiques :

15 october 2026 – 16 october 2026

Fees Single day: 30 euros
Two days: 55 euros

Organizing Committee: Prof. dr. Wim De Clercq (Ghent University), Lennert Lapeere (Ghent University), Jan Decorte (CO7) en dr. Hannelore Franck (Yper Museum)

Online registration opens on this page July 15. The registration period concludes on October 10 2026.

Source : Yper Museum