Someday we will visit Antwerp or begin to dream about going there! However, for now its not on our radar.
Let us know in the comments if you think that should change!
Antwerp
Antwerp is a large city and the capital of the eponymous province in the region of Flanders in Belgium. At a population of just over half a million people, it is the second largest city in Belgium, and it has a major European port. Due to its long and culturally rich history, the city of Antwerp houses many interesting historical buildings from different historical periods, as well as a lot of interesting museums. Antwerp is also known as the global diamond trade hub - more than 70% of all diamonds are traded in Antwerp.
Antwerp had an artistic reputation in the 17th century, based on its school of painting, which included Rubens, Van Dyck, Jordaens, the Teniers and many others.
In the 16th century, Antwerp was noted for the wealth of its citizens ("Antwerpia nummis"). The houses of these wealthy merchants and manufacturers have been preserved throughout the city. However, fire has destroyed several old buildings, such as the house of the Hanseatic League on the northern quays, in 1891. During World War II, the city also suffered considerable damage from V-bombs, and in recent years, other noteworthy buildings have been demolished for new developments.
- Antwerp Zoo opened in 1843 and is one of the oldest in the world.
- Antwerp City Hall dates from 1565, and is built primarily in Renaissance style.
- Antwerp Central Station is a railway station designed by Louis Delacenserie which was completed in 1905.
- Cathedral of Our Lady. This church was begun in the 14th century and finished in 1518. The church has four works by Rubens, viz. "The Descent from the Cross", "The Elevation of the Cross", "The Resurrection of Christ" and "The Assumption"[16]
- St. James' Church, is more ornate than the cathedral. It contains the remains of numerous famous nobles, among them a major part of the family of Rubens.
- The Church of St. Paul has a baroque interior. It is a few hundred yards north of the Grote Markt
- St. Andrew's Church
- St. Charles Borromeo Church
- Museum Vleeshuis (Butchers' Hall) is a fine Gothic brick-built building, situated a short distance to the North-West of the Grote Markt.
- Plantin-Moretus Museum preserves the house of the printer Christoffel Plantijn and his successor Jan Moretus
- The Saint-Boniface Church is an Anglican church and headseat of the archdeanery North-West Europe.
- Boerentoren (Farmers' Tower) or KBC Tower, a 26-storey building built in 1932, is the oldest skyscraper in Europe.[31] It is the tallest building in Antwerp and the second tallest structure after the Cathedral of our Lady. The building was designed by Emiel van Averbeke, R. Van Hoenacker and Jos Smolderen.[32]
- Royal Museum of Fine Arts
- Museum Mayer van den Bergh, with works from the Gothic and Renaissance period in the Netherlands and Belgium, including paintings by Pieter Brueghel the Elder.
- Rubenshuis is the former home and studio of Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) in Antwerp. It is now a museum.
- Rockox House is the former 17th-century Residence of Nicolaas II Rockox, lord Mayor of Antwerp.
- Bourse of Antwerp. Originally built 1531; extensively restored 1872; now Antwerp Trade Fair.
- Law Courts, designed by the Richard Rogers Partnership, Arup and VK Studio, and opened by King Albert II, in April 2006.[33][34] This building is the antithesis of the heavy, dark court building, designed by Joseph Poelaert, which dominates the skyline of Brussels. The courtrooms sit on top of six fingers that radiate from an airy central hall, and are surmounted by spires, which provide north light and resemble oast houses or the sails of barges on the nearby River Scheldt. It is built on the site of the old Zuid ("South") station, at the end of a magnificent 1.5 kilometres (1 mile) perspective at the southern end of Amerikalei. The road neatly disappears into an underpass under oval Bolivarplaats to join the motorway ring. This leaves peaceful surface access by foot, bicycle or tram (route 12). The building's highest 'sail' is 51 m (167 ft) high, has a floor area of 77,000 m2 (830,000 sq ft), and cost €130 million.
- Zurenborg, a late-19th-century Belle Époque neighbourhood, on the border of Antwerp and Berchem, with many Art Nouveau architectural elements. The area counts as one of the most original Belle Époque urban expansion areas in Europe.
- Museum aan de Stroom
- Den Botaniek or Antwerp's Botanical Garden, created in 1825. Located in the city centre, at the Leopoldstraat, it covers an area of almost 1 hectare.
- Harmonium Art museuM, a museum on pump organs in Klein-Willebroek
- Museum of Contemporary Art (M HKA)
Your notes (private)
What's on your mind? (you can type here notes just for you and they will show on your dashboard)
Information for getting there
When someday comes you'll need to get in.
Information for getting around
When someday comes you'll need to be able to get around.
Your tips and questions
Let us know your best tips about Antwerp.
