Antwerp
Not your typical city
Antwerp is a city like no other. During history the city has been quite insignificant, however this all changed in the 16th century when Antwerp became the capital of European trade.
With Antwerp’s port being the biggest at that time it also increased the industry in the city and the welfare. Besides being an important trading hub, Antwerp became also the center for Art, mainly paintings and printing. For instance the famous book printer and publisher Christophel Plantijn opened up a shop in Antwerp.
The Antwerp School, consists of world renowned painters like Pieter Breughel the Elder, Jan Brueghel the Elder, Quinten Massys, Joachim Patinir and Peter Paul Rubens to name a few.
More recently in 1920 Antwerp was granted the privilege to host the 7th Olympiade. At this edition of the Olympic Games, the Olympic Flag was first used.
In the 2000’s and the 10’s Antwerp made a big shift in architectural innovation. The city started to merge old buildings or monuments with modern architecture. ‘Het Havenhuis’ ‘t’Steen’, the Antwerp-Central railway station and the Jeanne Brabantstunnel are a few examples.
Even though the city likes to combine the old with the new you can still find some beautiful ancient buildings like the Cathedral of Our Lady, the Antwerp CIty Hall, The Grote Markt with its 16th century guild houses and the Rubens House.
As of today Antwerp has the 2nd biggest port in Europe and it is in the top 20 of biggest ports worldwide. The petrochemical and the diamond industry are its biggest economical features.
We will welcome you in the Flanders Meeting & Convention Center. A 19th century building that has a historical and a modern wing, keeping the old and the new in perfect balance. The venue is right next to the Antwerp-Central Railway Station. There is a direct train connection from Brussels Airport (BRU) and Schiphol Airport (AMS).
Did you know?
The first European skyscraper was built in Antwerp. The ‘Boerentoren’ was built in 1932.
The building is currently still being used as office building but might have a different purpose as it will transform into a cultural exhibition.
The Cathedral of Our Lady was supposed to have 2 similar looking towers. However one of the towers was never finished due to mainly funding issues.
The novel ‘A Dog of Flanders’ is set to take place in Antwerp. In front of the main portal of the cathedral you can find a monument of the main characters ‘Nello and Patrache’.
The Zoo of Antwerp is one of the oldest and one of the first scientific zoos in the world.
There are 5 tunnels that connect the right bank and left bank of Antwerp. 3 for motorized vehicules (Kennedytunnel, Waaslandtunnel and Liefkenshoektunnel), 1 for cyclist and 1 for pedestrians (Sint-Annatunnel). The Sint-Anna tunnel was completed in 1933 and everything you see on the inside is still orginal. The wooden escalators, the warning signs, the fences, they have been there for over 90 years.
The tunnel is 572 meters long and 31.57 meters deep.
A view on the Cathedral of Our Lady
The MAS Museum
The ‘Havenhuis’