‘Walden’ is the name of the new indoor climbing centre in the Galveston Building in Ghent. It is the largest bouldering hall in Belgium with around 180 climbing routes for all levels, offering 1,200 square metres of climbing area in all. The hall cost 1.2 million euros, with the Flemish government footing a quarter of the bill.
‘We opted for a ‘soft’ opening by invitation only to test everything out and also to get used to it a bit ourselves,’ explains Pieter Bruyland. He runs the venue together with his brother Bram. ‘About 100 climbers attended. They were all very enthusiastic. From now on, we are open to the general public.’
The bouldering hall is the largest in Belgium. There are 1,200 square metres of climbing space, with some 180 different routes. ‘We target all levels, from absolute beginners to very advanced climbers. Professionals designed the routes.’
Bouldering is a climbing sport without the use of a rope that originated as preparation for outdoor climbing. You will find drop mats in the climbing hall to protect the climbers. ‘It is very addictive. We are also very avid climbers ourselves’.
Since 2021 bouldering is an Olympic discipline.
From paintball hall to climbing paradise
The Bruyland brothers had a lot of tidying up to do in recent months. ‘We ran a paintball hall here for 15 years. The whole hall was full of paint and paintball balls. All that had to go before we could start building. We are very proud of the result.’
The whole project cost almost 1.2 million euros. The Flemish authorities subsidised the project to the tune of 300,000 euros.
The hall is still expanding. In early 2025 another ‘kilter board’, a modern climbing wall on which routes can be highlighted via an app on your smartphone, will be added. The gradient too can also be adjusted.
The Galveston Building was a textile mill (1910-1999). The factory was named after the Texan port city from where cotton was shipped to Europe. The building was renovated and houses a restaurant, a boxing club and an indoor play area and - as of now – also a bouldering hall.