Best attractions in Antwerp
The ancient city of Antwerp is the second city of the country after Brussels, the capital of Belgium, with many beautiful sights and a unique atmosphere. Tourists from all over the world come here to feel all the charm of the city, walk through the ancient streets, go back in time and find themselves in ancient Europe. It was this city that for many years inspired the famous painter, founder of the Baroque, Peter Paul Rubens. You can feel his spirit almost everywhere in this Belgian city, and most of the sights are connected with the creative activity of the artist, because this is where he spent most of his life. The sights of Antwerp convey the atmosphere of ancient Europe. Not sure what to see in Antwerp? Especially for you we have made an overview of the most interesting places of this ancient city.
Antwerp sights in Belgium.
Exploring sights of Belgium, you can’t miss Antwerp. If you decide to come to the city by train, you will immediately encounter one of the main monuments of architecture - the Central Railway Station. It is considered one of the most beautiful and majestic train stations in the world. Many have even given it an appropriate name - “railway cathedral”. Executed in the style of eclecticism, the station is supplemented by a dome with a height of seventy-five meters and eight towers. The interior is stunning, for decorating used about twenty kinds of marble and other materials. The design is in no way inferior to the royal premises. Here you can relax in a cafe, walk through the diamond gallery, where there are about thirty stores with jewelry. Get detailed information can be found if you search the Internet for photos with a description of the attractions of Antwerp.
All guides in Antwerp recommend visitors to the city not to neglect this attraction. Not far from the train station is one of the oldest zoos in Europe. Antwerp Zoo was created in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-three, and now he has about seventy seven hundred and all kinds of animals. Here you can talk to different representatives of the animal world, visit the planetarium, pools with cute penguins and otters, watch sea lions, see a huge aquarium and much more. Zoo workers strive to create all necessary conditions for the animals to feel comfortable. At the central entrance is sure to provide a map of the zoo and the feeding hours of the animals. There are shopping centers and cafes on the grounds where you can relax and eat with the whole family.
Official website: https://www.zooantwerpen.be/en/
Famous Downtown Places
Always tours in Antwerp are organized with a visit to this Antwerp landmark, the Castle Wall. This is the oldest building of the city, founded back in 1200. Its original role was to protect the inhabitants from the Vikings and safely guard the port. During its existence Sten Castle was also a place of city government, prison, archaeological museum, and now there is a National Maritime Museum. The building has a unique and interesting history, which should be felt by everyone. In front of the Castle Wall you can see a monument to the Long Wapper, a fairy tale character. He was known for the fact that he could change his height at any time. He could easily become a small child or a huge giant, crossing the distance between towns with a single jump.
Three hundred meters from the Castle Wall is the Grote Markt square, where there are several monuments at once - the town hall and the impressive Brabo Fountain.
Here, at the city hall, the shop houses founded back in the sixteenth to seventeenth centuries have found their place. The main attraction of Antwerp in Belgium was built thanks to Cornelis Floris back in the year one thousand five hundred and sixty-five. The building is seventy-six meters high and consists of four floors. Architectural monument perfectly combines elements of Gothic and fascinating Renaissance. In the town hall there is a sculpture of the Virgin Mary and several other statues of particular importance to the city.
Be sure to watch this beautiful video about Antwerp!
What to see in Antwerp in 1 day
In the middle of the Grote Markt you can admire the fascinating Brabo Fountain. The fountain is named after a famous hero, with whom the name of the city is associated. As the legend goes, on the way from Cologne to Paris once lived a greedy and evil giant. Everyone who wanted to pass this way alive and healthy, had to pay. Otherwise, the giant robbed the poor travelers of their hands. The Roman Brabo bravely fought the giant and defeated him by cutting off his hand and throwing it into the beautiful river Scheldt. It is believed that the city itself was founded on this spot with the name meaning “to throw his hand”. The peculiarity of the fountain is that it has no bowl where the water would run down. Therefore, it goes down directly under the stones, which are the foundation for the sculpture of Brabo.
If you’re going to get around the sights of Antwerp in one day, be sure to include the Cathedral of Our Lady, located near Grote Markt Square. The magnificent tower, towering over the cathedral building, visible from all points of the city. Its height is 1303 meters. The construction of the cathedral was carried out from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century, and during this time above it had to work about ten architects. The building is made in the style of the Gothic style in Brabant. Today, the Cathedral of Our Lady also serves as a museum, where you can get acquainted with the outstanding works of the inimitable artist Peter Paul Rubens.
Official website: http://www.dekathedraal.be/
It is definitely worth a trip to the unique Plantin-Moretus Museum to see the ancient library, the printing presses of 1600. The library houses about thirty thousand books. Historians will be particularly interested in visiting this place to learn as much as possible about life in old Antwerp. Many works by the painter Rubens are also offered here to view.
Official website: https://www.museumplantinmoretus
Antwerp - City of Museums
One of the modern attractions of interest in Antwerp, a city in Belgium, is the museum “anne de Strom”, opened to the public only in two thousand and eleven. The building was built of Indian red sandstone in all sorts of shades. On the walls of the structure can be seen images of the hand, which again recalls the legend of the emergence of the city. The museum is an art museum and at the same time a steamboat museum. Here you can consider various findings of archaeologists, stone crafts, jewelry, unique works from around the world.
Official website: https://www.mas.be/en
The Royal Museum of Fine Arts, founded in the year one thousand eight hundred and ten, is located on the ancient Leopold Square, built in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety. The museum reflects the development of art in the sixteenth to seventeenth centuries, when the city acted as the cultural center of Europe.
Official website: http://www.kmska.be/en/
Finally, one cannot ignore the Rubens House, a museum that reflects the versatility and depth of the artist known throughout the city and beyond. It features the artist’s art collections and an incomplete reproduction of the painter’s interiors. Unfortunately, there are quite a few original objects from Rubens’ collections in the museum. It is not possible to recreate the original Rubens paintings because they were located far away from Belgium. Many are already in other famous museums, for example:
- In New York, USA - the Metropolitan Museum of Art;
- the Prado in Madrid, Spain;
- the Louvre in Paris, France;
- in St. Petersburg, Russia, the Hermitage;
- Munich, Germany - Old Pinakothek.
Official website: https://www.rubenshuis.be/en
If you want more information, Wikipedia presents the sights of Antwerp in full, you can read about them and see pictures. Armed with knowledge about the history of the city and its main points of interest, you can safely go there to enjoy its uniqueness and unique atmosphere live. Read also about sights of Ghent and be inspired to continue your journey around Belgium.
