The ancient city of Antwerp is the second city in 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 experience the charm of the city, walk along the ancient streets, return to the past and find themselves in ancient Europe. It was this city that inspired for many years the famous painter, the founder of the Baroque, Peter Paul Rubens. You can feel the spirit of the creator in almost all corners of the Belgian town, most of the attractions are associated with the creative activity of the artist, since it was here that he spent most of his life. The sights of Antwerp convey the atmosphere of ancient Europe. Don’t know what to see in Antwerp? Especially for you, we have made an overview of the most interesting places of this ancient city.
Sights of Antwerp, a city in Belgium
While sightseeing in Belgium, you cannot pass by Antwerp. If you decide to come to the city by train, then you will immediately encounter one of the main architectural monuments – the Central Railway Station. It is considered one of the most beautiful and majestic railway stations in the whole world. Many even gave it the appropriate name – “railway cathedral”. Designed in an eclectic style, the station is complemented by a seventy-five meter high dome and 8 towers. The interior is stunning, about twenty types of marble and other materials were used for decoration. The design is absolutely not inferior to the royal premises. Here you can relax in a cafe, walk through the diamond gallery, where there are about thirty jewelry stores. You can get detailed information if you find a photo on the Internet with a description of the sights of Antwerp.
Antwerp Central Railway Station. Belgium Paul Hermans
All guides in Antwerp recommend that guests of the city do not ignore this landmark. One of the oldest zoos in Europe is located near the railway station. The Antwerp Zoo was created back in one thousand eight hundred and forty-three, at the moment it has about seven hundred and seventy different species of animals. Here you can chat with various representatives of the animal world, visit the planetarium, pools with cute penguins and otters, arrange a sea lion show, see a huge aquarium and more. Zoo staff strive to create all the necessary conditions for the animals to feel comfortable. A zoo map and animal feeding hours are required at the central entrance. There are shopping malls and cafes on site where you can relax and have a snack with the whole family.
The main entrance to Antwerp Zoo on Queen Astrid Square ScaraMcDuck
Official website: https://www.zooantwerpen.be
Famous places in the city center
Excursions in Antwerp are always organized with a visit to this Antwerp landmark – the Castle of the Walls. This is the oldest building in the city, founded back in 1200. His original role was to protect the inhabitants from the Vikings and to reliably guard the port. During its existence, the Castle of Walls has also been a place of city government, a prison, an archaeological museum, and at the moment the National Museum of Navigation is located there. The building has a unique and interesting history, which everyone should feel. In front of the castle Wall, you can see a monument to the Long Wapper, a fabulous character. He is known for being able to change his height at any time. He could easily become a small child or a huge giant, covering the distance between cities with a single jump.
The entrance to the medieval Castle Walls in Antwerp Jean-Pol GRANDMONT
Three hundred meters from the castle Wall is the Grote Markt square, where several architectural monuments are located at once – the town hall and the impressive Brabo fountain.
Antwerp City Hall stands on Grote Markt Square in Antwerp Klaus with K
Here, on the city hall, the guild houses, founded in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, found their place. The main attraction of Antwerp in Belgium was built thanks to Cornelis Floris back in one thousand five hundred and sixty-fifth year. The building is seventy–six meters high and consists of four floors. The architectural monument perfectly combines both elements of Gothic and delightful Renaissance. In the city hall there is a sculpture of the Virgin Mary and some others of particular importance to the city of statues.
Bravo Fountain on the Grote Markt in Antwerp G.Lanting Be sure to watch this beautiful video about Antwerp!
What to see in Antwerp in 1 day
The amazing Brabo Fountain has been built in the very center of Grote Markt Square. The fountain is named after the famous hero, which is associated with the very name of the city. As legend has it, there once lived a greedy and evil giant on the way from Cologne to Paris. Everyone who wanted to walk this path alive and well had to pay. Otherwise, the giant deprived the poor travelers of their hands. The Roman Brabo bravely fought the giant and defeated him by cutting off his arm and throwing it into the beautiful river Scheldt. It is believed that the city itself was founded on this place with a name that means “throw a hand” in translation. The peculiarity of the fountain is that it does not have a bowl where the water would flow. Therefore, it descends directly under the stones that are the foundation for the Brabo sculpture.
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Grote Mark Square tAd Meskens
If you are going to explore the sights of Antwerp in one day, then by all means include the Cathedral of Our Lady, located near the Grote Markt Square, in their list. The magnificent tower towering over the cathedral building is visible from all points of the city. Its height is one hundred and twenty-three meters. The construction of the cathedral was carried out from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century, during which time about ten architects managed to work on it. The building is designed in the style of Brabant Gothic. Today, the Cathedral of Our Lady also acts as a museum, where you can get acquainted with the outstanding works of the unique artist Peter Paul Rubens.
Official website: http://www.dekathedraal.be/
Plantin Moretus Museum in Antwerp Ad Meskens
You should definitely go to the unique Plantin-Moretus Museum to get acquainted with the ancient library, printing presses from 1600. There are about thirty thousand book editions in the library. It will be especially interesting for historians to visit this place in order to learn as much as possible about the life of old Antwerp. It also offers a variety of works by the painter Rubens.
Official website: https://www.museumplantinmoretus
The aan de Stroom Museum and the observation deck of the Antwerp Zinneke Museum
Antwerp is a city of museums
One of the modern attractions of Antwerp, a city in Belgium, of interest, is the museum “an de Strom”, which was opened to visitors only in the two thousand and eleventh year. The building was built of Indian red sandstone of various shades. On the walls of the building, you can see images of a hand, which again reminds you of the legend of the appearance of the city. The museum is both an art museum and a shipping museum. Here you can see various finds of archaeologists, stone crafts, jewelry, unique works from all over the world.
Official website: https://www.mas.be
Royal Museum of Fine Arts on Leopold Square Astro vls
The Royal Museum of Fine Arts, founded in one thousand eight hundred and ten, is located on the ancient Leopold Square, built in one thousand eight hundred and ninety. The museum reflects the development of art in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when the city was the cultural center of Europe.
Official website: https://www.kmska.be
The garden in front of the house of the artist Pedro Pablo Rubens in Antwerp Alonsolej
And finally, it is impossible to ignore the Rubens House, a museum reflecting the versatility and depth of the artist known throughout the city and beyond. The artist’s art collections and incomplete reproduction of the painter’s interiors are presented here. Unfortunately, there are quite a few original objects from Rubens’ collections in the museum. It is not possible to recreate the original Rubens paintings, since they were located far beyond the borders of Belgium. Many are already in other famous museums, for example:
- in New York, USA – the Metropolitan Museum of Art; in Madrid, Spain – the Prado; in Paris, France – the Louvre; in St. Petersburg, Russia – the Hermitage; in Munich, Germany – the Old Pinakothek.
Painting by Pedro Pablo Rubens Lisby
Official website: https://www.rubenshuis.be
If you want to get more information, then the sights of Antwerp are presented in full on Wikipedia, you can read about them and see photos. Armed with knowledge about the history of the city and its main interesting places, you can safely go there to enjoy its uniqueness and unique atmosphere in person. Read also about the sights of Ghent and be inspired to travel further in Belgium.
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