Antwerp on the Scheldt River

You’ll find Belgium’s international port city, Antwerp on the Scheldt River. In the very heart of the city is the centuries-old Diamond District where many traders, cutters and polishers live. Founded in 1663 the city’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts is today a well-known European fashion academy.

One of Antwerp’s main landmarks is the Antwerpen-Central train station dating from 1905 with an impressive neo-Gothic facade. Newsweek magazine rated it as one of the world’s five most beautiful train stations.

Chocolate Nation is located across from the Central Railway Station and is the largest Belgian chocolate museum in the world. Visitors learn about the chocolate making process their a multimedia presentation and interactive exhibits. You learn about the special place chocolate take in Belgian culture and tradition. There are exhibits that show how chocolate is used and presented. Visitors can sign-up for a chocolate workshop. Chocolates can be purchased in the museum shop.

Visitors are quite impressed with MAS, a ten-storey museum-gallery complex that opened its doors in 2011. The floors of the museum are designed around big-idea themes and illustrate such themes as “power” and “life and death” making use of different media like Old Master paintings, tribal artifacts and even video installations. By using an iPod or smart phone you can read the QR-codes. There are also special exhibitions for an extra charge. You’ll want to go up to the open roof for spectacular views of Antwerp and do visit the three small pavilions outside of the museum which offer exhibits on Antwerp’s port and diamond and silver industries.

The Museum Plantin-Moreturs has become a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was once home to the world’s first industrial printing works and became a museum in 1876. It is a fantastic medieval building with a lovely 1622 courtyard garden. Among the highlights here are the 1640 library, the historic bookshop and Rooms 11 and 12 housing gilt leather “wallpaper”. Visitors can also see a priceless collection of manuscripts, tapestries and the world’s oldest printing press. There is a valuable collection of painting to delight the eye including an original Rubens. There are also examples of books by Ruben’s brother, illustrated by Pieter Paul and published by Moretus.

Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal is Belgium’s finest Gothic cathedral that took almost 169 years to complete. It has an amazing 123m high spire. Inside are late-Baroque decorations among them four early Rubens canvases. Visitors can get a free look down the nave by turning left on entry to the “prayer” area. Guided tours are available at 11 AM.

About 4km to the south of the city center you’ll discover a large, landscaped park. The name is quite a mouthful so if you have to ask directions make sure you have the name written down - Openluchtmuseum voor Beeldhouwkunst Middelheim or Open-Air Statuary Museum. The highlights are more than 300 sculptures including carvings by Rik Wouters and Auguste Rodin.

There are also indoor sculptures in the Braem Pavilion.

The other building in the park is Castle Middleheim, a farm dating back to the 15th-century converted into a Louis XVI type of castle.

Southwest of the train station is the Diamond District. An amazing 80% of the world’s uncut diamonds are traded in Antwerp. Along Hoveniersstraat and Schapstraat there are four dour exchange buildings. These pedestrian streets are heavily guarded and are also home to Indian banks, specialist transportation companies, diamond “boilers” and the industry’s governing body, HRD Antwerp. Today the district is mostly Indian dominated.

St Carolus Borromeuskerk is an amazing Baroque church dating from 1621. One of its interior designers working as part of a team was Rubens. Its incredible altarpiece was created to let vast canvasses be changed with the help of a series of wire pulleys. Even thought the church’s original Ruben’s paintings were sent off the Vienna, Austria, in 2014 Ruben’s painting “Holy Family Returning from Egypt” was returned and can be seen on the right-side of the gallery. There are magnificent carved confessionals.

Every day life in Antwerp stretches out from the Grote Markt, a large, triangular market square. It is overlooked by the amazing Renaissance-style Antwerp City Hall which was designed by Cornelius Floris De Vriendt. Its palatial facade is a mix of Flemish and Italian styles with a gable topped by a gilded eagle and flanked by the statues of Wisdom and Justice.

There is a wonderful Baroque Brabo Fountain depicting Antwerp’s hand-throwing legend. Here you can also view two guildhalls.

Den Botaniek or The Kruidtuin is a small botanical garden that was created for the students of the School for Surgery, Chemistry and Botany in 1804. It is a most charming garden with around two thousand herbs. Here one can relax on benches and there is a small pond with large goldfish and a sculpture. At the north end of the garden is a greenhouse, closed to the public but worth taking a look at. At the other end of the garden visitors will find a picturesque building that looks like a Swiss Alpine lodge and is a popular brasserie. In front of the building is a statue of Peeter van Coudenberghe who was a local pharmacist and botanist. He kept a garden with exotic plants just outside of the city walls.

The Waterpoort, is an early 17th century gate that is decorated with large sculptures. Moved twice the gate ended up in the center of a small square just south of the city center. Originally it was part of the defensive wall that surrounded the city from the 14th till the 19th century. Since at that time it gave access to the river bank it was named Water Gate. It now looks like a triumphal arch and residents refer to it as the “walking gate”. The gate is decorated in Baroque style and on its east side is a statue of the mythological god Neptune and on the opposite side a coat of arms and heraldic lions.

In Marnix Square, from which radiate eight streets is a large monument inaugurated in 1873 to commemorate the settlement with the Netherlands that allowed for free passage of ships to Antwerp, so very vital to the city’s maritime commerce. The square was named after Marnix van St. Aldegonde, Mayor of Antwerp during the fall of the city in 1585. The stone monument was named “Schelde Vrij” or “Scheldt Free” and set up in the new Zuid neighborhood in 1873. It was designed by Jan Jacob Winders. It stands 20m tall and is decorated with many statuary and reliefs. At the top is Nepture, god of the sea, holding a trident in his right hand. He is flanked by Mercury, god of trade and a kneeling woman representing Antwerp. Behind them is a little boy taking notes. Below the monument you can see ships’ prows, medallions, garlands, lions and at the pedestals are reliefs of water gods spouting Scheldt water. The statues of Neptune and Mercury were created by Frans Joris and the lions by Louis Depuis. The monument is surrounded by an iron fence with lovely cast-iron street lamps at each corner.

The Royal Museum of Fine Art originally belonged to the Lucas Guild of Painters and Sculptors. It was founded in 1442. The art collections is housed on two floors. On the ground floor are 19th and 20th century paintings and sculptures. On the first floor is an exhibition of Old Masters with over 1,000 artworks, mostly from Flemish and Dutch schools.

Groenplaats Square was Antwerp’s main cemetery up until the 18th century. After it was converted into a square residents tend to call it “green cemetery”.

Here is a bronze statue of Rubens honoring Antwerp’s most famous citizen. The painter lived in the city from 1587 until his death in 1640. The statue was commissioned by the city council in 1840, at the bicentennial of Ruben’s death. It was created by local sculptor Willem Geefs. The square offers visitors a great view of the Cathedral bordering it to the north and is the place to catch the tourist tram to some of Antwerp’s most interesting sights.

Rubens' House at number 9 in 1610 is where Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens lived until his death in 1640. He made the left wing of the house his home and the right wing his studio. There are ten rooms furnished in the style of the period and have a large collection of paintings by both Rubens and his contemporaries. Outside are formal gardens for strolling.

The Museum Mayer van den Bergh is located at Lange Gasthuisstraat 19 and is an impressive neo-Gothic house. Art connoisseur Fritz Mayer van den Bergh collected over 3,000 art pieces. The collection includes paintings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Rubens, van der Weyden, and others. There are Flemish and French religious statues. On the second floor is a collection of porcelain and on the third floor 17th century furniture and paintings.

The late Gothic Butcher's Hall or Vleeshuis is an impressive brick building. It is a museum of applied art amd archaeology with collections of prehistoric Egyptian, Roman, and Merovingian artefacts. You can also see weapons and armor, ceramics, furniture, sculpture, woodworks, and coins. There is also a collection of musical instruments.

Antwerp Zoo is located right in the center of the city. It is considered to be one of the finest zoos in Europe. The zoo has an impressive Art Deco facade at the entrance area. Some of the highlights are the giraffe and elepant house in the style of an Egyptian temple. Over 6,000 animals make their home here and include rare breeds like the white rhino, okapi, and mountain gorillas.

The Port of Antwerp is among the major seaports of Europe.

The Havenroute is a sightseeing tour of the port area. You can explore on foot or hire a bike. Start the tour from the Loodsgebouw/Pilot House on the embankment north of the Steen.

The route heads out of the city past the 17th century Eenhoorn Windmill to Lillo which is 16 km northwest of Antwerp.

At Lillo, you can drive on to inspect the huge Berendrechtsluis, the world's largest lock.