A quiet, industrial town, Dendermonde is about 20 kilometres southeast of Ghent. Its strategic position, at the confluence of the Scheldt and Dender rivers, has attracted the attention of a string of invaders over the centuries, including the Germans who shelled Dendermonde in 1914. But the town is perhaps best-known as the site of the Steed Bayard, a carnival held every ten years at the end of August.

Today, the town’s spacious main squared is framed by the quaint turrets and towers of the Vleeshuis or Meat Hall. The Town Hall is an elegant fourteenth century building which was extensively restored in 1920. Dendermonde also possesses two exquisite early religious paintings by Anthony van Dyck which are on display in the Church of Our Lady.