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This is another photograph taken at the the Graslei (Grass Quay) in Ghent, Belgium. Depicted is the grain meters house (Coorenmetershuys), situated at 12 Graslei.
In the Middle Ages, the grain meters were charged with measuring the grain that was unloaded in the port of Ghent. This was done by pouring the grain into calibrated bronze vessels that were filled to the brim. The grain meters also determined the amount of grain to be traded in the market.
The original owner of this house is unknown, but the building is (unnamed, however) already mentioned in 1374. The earliest known owners of the building are people with the name Pijnders. In 1540 they bought this property in order to replace their first grain meter house.
The current Baroque stepped gable dates from 1698. The general design of the house still strongly resembles the Gothic and contrasts with the Baroque decorative elements. The facade was restored at the beginning of the 20th century.