13 best sights of Antwerp – photo with description, map, what to see in Antwerp
Today we are going to visit one of the most famous cities in Belgium – Antwerp. Looking ahead, it is worth noting that the place is famous for its diamond cutters, and more recently it has been among the places where the best designer clothes on the planet are produced. But his fame and significance is not limited to this. Even the most demanding tourist will be able to appreciate the impressive sights, plunge into the world of unusual architecture and get acquainted with local traditions that can be called unique without exaggeration.
Legends and myths
According to one of the local myths, control over the river on which Antwerp is located was controlled by an evil giant. He demanded an exorbitant payment from each traveler for the right to continue his journey here. If no payment was received, he cut off the hand of all those who refused. And so it continued until one brave Roman was able to defeat the giant. The severed hand of a giant, which the hero threw into the river, gave such an unusual name to the settlement.
Well, if we discard the legends, you can find a completely reasonable explanation for the name. Translated from the local dialect, “aanwerp” means an alluvial hill on which the city walls were built. The first mention of it dates back to ancient times, when the influence of the Halo-Roman tribes spread to the lands. Already in the 7th century, the first fortifications could be observed here, which helped to hold back the furious onslaught of the invaders.In general, there are many bright spots and memorable dates in history, many names are associated with this particular place in Belgium.But we will not delve into it.
Grote Markt
One of the most impressive sights of the city, which attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world every year, is the Grote Markt shopping area. This place is steeped in centuries of history. It was here that the most significant events took place. The area is “belted” with unique architectural structures, the beauty of which can be envied by any place on the planet. The Grote Markt was built in the distant 16th century and to this day has retained its amazing beauty and charming uniqueness. Why is there an incomparable fountain in the very center, which appears before tourists in the form of a legendary Roman, who put an end to the tyranny of a ferocious giant.
Sylvius Brabo froze forever with the giant's hand raised victoriously. This place seems to symbolize the beginning of a new era in Antwerp. Here you can taste all the beauty of the ingenious town hall, which is recognized as one of the most striking architectural masterpieces in Europe at that time. The building captivates with an unusual and rare combination of two trends in architecture at once – Flemish Gothic and Italian Renaissance.
If you turn your gaze to the northern part of the Grote Markt, before your eyes opens up an equally charming view of the richly decorated guild houses, which are generously furnished with statues of the purest gold, and the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary, which is made in the best traditions of the Gothic. Just imagine, the construction of the cathedral lasted two long centuries!
Castle Sten
It is located in the very center and is a monumental architectural monument. According to preliminary data, construction began in the 9th century. What stone walls did not have to see over the long years of its existence! First, the castle housed the estate of one of the main leaders of the Crusades – Gottfried of Bouillon. A little later, the spacious halls were chosen by representatives of the municipality, and a few years later it became the main center of the Inquisition. In the dungeons, cruel sentences were set in motion that severely settled accounts with all heretics, dissidents, and even witches.
Nowadays, the castle has turned into a real home of navigation, which has been given the status of National. And only here you can see a brilliant sculpture dedicated to one of the main characters of local legends and horror stories for children – Lanky Wapper. He had a unique ability to change appearance and turn into dwarfs, then into giants, frightening naughty children.
Cathedral of Our Lady of Antwerp
To appreciate the full cultural, religious and historical significance of the ingenious Cathedral of Our Lady of Antwerp, you should definitely include a visit to this place in your tour plan. Just think about it, according to the vast majority of experts and historians, the cathedral is a real monument of the culture of the Middle Ages, and is also included in the list of the most impressive churches of the Catholic Church. Not surprisingly, it is recognized as another symbol of modern Antwerp and is the tallest building of a religious orientation throughout Belgium.
Its height reaches a breathtaking 123 meters. Today, the cathedral has another appointment. For some time now, the most impressive works of such masters as Rubens, van Veen, Jacob de Backer and Martin de Vos have been stored in its grandiose halls. Require special attention and a couple of huge organs. The most impressive one is over 130 years old and occupies the space of three floors!
butchers house
Once in Antwerp, it is worth visiting another impressive architectural landmark – the Butcher's House. Its facade is framed by a successful combination of red brick and white stone. From a distance, it looks very much like a piece of delicious bacon, hence the name. Every inch of the House makes you fall in love with yourself. There is also a mysterious twinkling of glass, and gabled ledges of the roof, and rich decorations made from rare natural materials.
At one time, it was the House of Butchers that emphasized the status and wealth of the privileged guild of merchants. Once upon a time, social events were held on the upper floors, to which only the elite were admitted. And today everyone can visit this place, because a brilliant museum of archeology, history and applied arts is open here. Here is one of the most impressive collections of weapons of different times.
World Diamond Center
To visit Belgium and not visit the house of diamonds in the city of Antwerp is akin to a crime. The World Diamond Center is glad to welcome every traveler, hastily opening before him the world of wealth, luxury and abundance. Once in the society of a huge number of precious stones, you will certainly feel like an aristocrat, endowed with unlimited power. Stones sparkling with all the colors of the rainbow inspire, enchant and conquer. It is very difficult to resist the temptation to at least touch the colossally expensive exhibits, which have no analogues in the whole world!
What are diamond jeans or unique replicas of jewelry owned by the British royal family worth. By the way, only in this museum you can see the best copy of the most famous Kohinoor diamond. Indulge yourself in pleasure and be sure to look into the unique halls of the Diamond Museum! By the way, we strongly recommend using the services of guides or at least an audio guide. In such a company, you will not be able to get lost among this abundance of precious stones and will have time to see the best of them with your own eyes.
You have to give credit to the authorities. Thanks to their efforts, the museum is equipped with “the latest technology”, allowing even tourists with disabilities to take a full walk.
Well, for especially demanding visitors, the museum staff is ready to organize a real tour to find the perfect stone. True, this is only a virtual service.
Antwerp Zoo
If during a walk you see an inviting sign to visit the zoo, do not twist your nose. Believe me, you will not see this in any city in the world! Let's start with the fact that the Antwerp Zoo is considered one of the oldest. The first mention of it dates back to 1843. Today, there are about 5,000 animals here, many of which are on the verge of extinction. The throughput of the zoo is amazing. During the year, more than 1.5 million visitors manage to visit cages, pavilions, and fences, who come from thousands of kilometers to look at the marvelous inhabitants of the most beautiful and protected zoo in the world.
And to even more accurately assess the scope of the zoo, imagine that animals eat more than 50 tons of meat, 40 tons of fish, 128 tons of hay and 70 tons of vegetables and fruits every day. And the number of loaves of bread that the inhabitants of the zoo “gobble up” per day exceeds 10 thousand! One of the oldest zoos in the world was organized outside the city in 1843, and now it is hard to imagine, because over the past years Antwerp has grown so much that the abode of animals and birds was in the city center. Its territory has become an oasis of wildlife among the urban heaps of a big city, and the zoo itself has become a historical monument of the past and a favorite place of entertainment for people in the present.
Hundreds of Antwerp residents and tourists strive to get here, attracted by the beautiful view of ancient buildings, spectacular columns of the central entrance with interesting design elements. But it is difficult to convey in words how many positive emotions visitors experience when they are inside, where 5,000 animals of more than 950 species live in clean, well-groomed enclosures, reservoirs, public gardens and lawns! The maintenance of animals and birds here is at such a high level that their free counterparts can only envy them. African predators and primates, Australian unique animals and representatives of the Arctic fauna live freely and satisfyingly in this zoo country, where ideal living conditions are created.
Giraffes, elephants, zebras, camels, rhinos, hippos live not just anywhere, but in the Egyptian temple, built in 1856 specifically for these animals. The exterior decoration of the “temple” is indeed made in a typical ancient Egyptian style. The artistic painting, restored in 2014, looks bright and fresh, emphasizing the flavor of North Africa. To make it easier to navigate the large area of the zoo, you can look at the illustrative map and use it to determine your route, although there are signposts everywhere on the territory.
It is so beautiful and comfortable here that many people spend their birthdays, meetings, mini-conferences in nature here. The impressions of everything seen here are simply amazing, especially for children who see exotic animals live for the first time.
Royal Museum of Fine Arts
Looking at the building of an unusual design and irresistibly beautiful architecture, you immediately conclude that it is the best possible fit for its purpose – to accommodate works of fine art. High Corinthian columns with stucco decorations, sculptures on the attic, arched vaults of the windows make the building a magnificent example of the neoclassical style of architecture of the late 18th century. It is no coincidence that such a museum appeared in Antwerp, where the Guild of Belgian Artists was very active, later growing into the Academy, which inherited the art collections of the guild. It was they who became the basis of the future Museum of Fine Arts.
The interior layout also corresponds to the purpose: large bright rooms, a wide staircase can accommodate a respectable audience and many exhibits, most of which are works of art by Belgian masters.
The works of famous Flemish and Dutch painters are presented here (in separate rooms).
Mayer Van den Berg Museum
There is a place in Antwerp, visiting which, you will find yourself in the atmosphere of the 15th century. This is the Van den Berg Museum, housed in a patrician house, with well-preserved features of that era: dark oak paneling, a narrow spiral staircase, and many-paneled windows. Entering the museum, you immediately feel not the official nature of the institution, but a certain intimate individuality and you learn that the museum collection is private, donated to the city. In the placement of exhibits, in their classification, one can feel the hobbies and preferences of the collector – Mayer Van den Berg.
The unique collection began with the young Mayer's passion for numismatics, which later grew into collecting a wide variety of art objects, both classical and applied. The expositions of the museum include paintings by famous painters, sculptures made of wood, bronze, marble, ivory; items made of porcelain, earthenware, lace, tapestries, embroidery. In memory of the son who died early, the mother carefully preserved everything, and then donated it to the city.
Through the unique exhibits one can see the peculiar taste of the collector, his versatile passion, deviating from the rules of science. He did not seek to observe chronology and periodization in the collection, paying tribute to the beauty and grace of things. They are real treasures that delight visitors to the museum. Among them is an unsurpassed artistic masterpiece – a triptych on the altar, created by an unknown painter: “The Nativity of Christ”, “St. Christopher” and “Resurrection”. There is more than one such masterpiece here, so the authorities of Antwerp are kind to the priceless gift of Van den Berg.
Anne de Strom Museum
“Museum on the River” – this is how its name sounds in translation, because it is really located by the river. A bright building of original architecture, like the mast of a ship, rises above the river expanse. This is the new Shipping Museum, opened in 2011, which houses 6,000 thematic expositions. The unusual configuration of the building is the result of a winning design competition by a Dutch architectural firm whose innovative ideas are perfectly expressed in an amazing structure. It can be seen from afar, like a lighthouse, because the walls are lined with Indian red sandstone. On one of the walls, the legend of the brave warrior Brabo, who cut off the hand of the giant ruler who dominates the city, is embodied in the decor, and thereby freed its inhabitants from the burden of tribute. The image of the hand is a symbol of Antwerp's victory.
The expositions of the museum acquaint visitors in detail with the history of the port of Antwerp, with the past of the city, with the history of the shipping company. Rare exhibits illustrate the development of shipbuilding in Flanders, Antwerp's long-term maritime connection with all continents. Models of various sea vessels from antiquity to the present are presented in it. There are exotic exhibits – evidence of the colonial possession of Belgium over the Congo. The richest collections of “An de Strom” amaze the imagination with their quantity and uniqueness.
Central railway station
All passengers arriving in Amsterdam are met by a huge building of the railway station, more reminiscent of a medieval luxurious castle of the Renaissance style. It is the largest intracity and international transport hub. Every day, 250,000 passengers pass through the portals of the station. The paths of several tram and bus lines of the city were laid here, ferry companies' berths are located here, providing delivery of people and vehicles to the northern part of Amsterdam.
The station building is a magnificent monument of neo-Renaissance architecture, opened in 1882. The external beauty of an architectural masterpiece is sought to be preserved in its original form. Now the station is undergoing regular reconstruction, a grandiose construction is underway on the station square, where a new metro line is being created.
Rubens' house
This modest name goes against what is meant by it: a house is too primitive a definition for everything that visitors see here. Rather, it is the abode of artistic art, where every detail, every object is the personification of the great gift of the artist from God. The masterpiece was built for 7 years (1611-1618), step by step embodying the creative ideas of the owner, who decided to create not ordinary housing, but a work of art. The first guests who came to the house froze in admiring amazement, engulfing them from the first steps to the last: everything here was incredibly beautiful and unusual. Among the visitors were very noble persons: dukes and queens, generals and marshals, great scientists, artists and writers.
Rubens' art workshop was his favorite place, where he created his best canvases, met with fellow painters. He selflessly loved his house, in which his children were born from his second marriage, in which he lived until his last days (1640). The facade of the house goes Rubensstraat, leaving the main part in the depths of the courtyard. The wing of the house with living rooms is built in the old Flemish style, without frills. The workshop, the portico of the inner courtyard, the garden pavilions were created in the spirit of the Baroque, with luxurious sculptural decoration.
Amazing decorations made of wood, stone and marble are amazing. We must pay tribute to those who restored the brainchild of Rubens according to sketches and drawings, since after his death different people owned the house and made their own changes. The national shrine of Antwerp – Rubens' house – has taken its rightful place among other museums.
Antwerp City Hall
The ancient 4-storey building, which has absorbed the bright features of the Gothic and Renaissance of the Renaissance of the Netherlands into its architecture, attracts attention with a rather elaborate, richly decorated facade. He (the building) from the very beginning was intended to become a city hall, the project of which was developed by the famous architect Floris, who used a synthesis of Italian mannerism and Flemish Gothic. As a result, a beautiful architectural monument of the 16th century appeared, which for centuries served as a haven for the city administration. The undoubted merit of the Antwerp is the almost complete restoration of the town hall in its original form after the military fire of 1587.
Looking at the building inside, you will never say that the interiors are decorated in the 19th century: everything here is so skillfully stylized as a medieval color: oak panels, fireplaces with luxurious decor, paintings and frescoes with urban scenes, leather furniture and a lot of gilding. The facades of the town hall, decorated with columns, gilded noble coats of arms, royal and ducal heraldic symbols, are unusually magnificently decorated. In the wall niches of the magnificent tower of the attic, 3 statues are installed – the Mother of God, Justice and Providence.
Tourism.com.de recommends the following hotels in Antwerp: