Page 226 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Europe

224  FR ANCE AND THE L OW C OUNTRIES

cathedral are two triptychs by equipped with period furniture,
Antwerp’s most famous son, his studio, and the kunst-kamer,
Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640). or art gallery, where he exhibited
The narrow, winding streets of both his own and other artists’
the old town are lined with fine work and entertained friends
medieval guildhalls, such as the and wealthy patrons.
Vleeshuis, or Meat Hall, once
occupied by the Butchers’ Guild. E Koninklijk Museum voor
Dating from the early 16th Schone Kunsten
century, it is built in alternate Leopold de Waelplaats 1–9. Tel 03-224
stripes of stone and brick, giving it 9550. v 8. Closed for renovations
a streaky bacon-like appearance. until 2017.
When Rubens died in 1640, E Rubenshuis
he was buried in the family’s Wapper 9–11. Tel 03-201 1555.
chapel at the lovely sandstone @ 22, 25, 26. v 4, 7, 8, 10, 11.
Sint Jacobskerk (1491–1656), Open 10am–5pm Tue–Sun.
also located in the old town. Closed public hols. & 7
One of the most prestigious
Bronze statue of Silvius Brabo in Antwerp’s of Antwerp’s many museums is 3 Bruges
Grote Markt the Koninklijk Museum voor
2 Antwerp Schone Kunsten, which houses See pp226–8.
an impressive collection of
* 500,000. k £ @ n 13 ancient and modern art. Works
Grote Markt (03-232 0103). from the 17th century include
∑ visitantwerpen.be masterpieces by the “Antwerp
Trio” of van Dyck (1599–1641),
In the Middle Ages, Antwerp Jordaens (1593–1678), and
was a thriving hub of the Rubens. More modern exhibits
European cloth trade, and the include works by the Surrealist
principal port of the Duchy of René Magritte (1898–1967)
Brabant. Today, it is the main city and Rik Wouters (1882–1916).
of Flemish-speaking Belgium, During renovations which will
and the center of the last until 2017, major works
international diamond trade. will be on display at various
At the heart of the city’s old locations across the city.
medieval district is the Grote Other museums of note are
Markt. The Brabo Fountain, at the Diamond Museum and the
its center, has a statue of the Museum Plantin-Moretus,
soldier Silvius Brabo, said to which is devoted to the early
be the nephew of Julius Caesar. years of printing and celebrates
The square is overlooked by the the achievements of Antwerp’s Stone gatehouse of Ghent’s medieval
ornately gabled Stadhuis (Town most successful printer, Het Gravensteen
Hall), built in 1564, and the Christopher Plantin. 4 Ghent
Gothic Onze Lieve Vrouwe Rubenshuis was Rubens’
Kathedraal (Cathedral of Our home and studio for the last * 240,000. £ @ v n Sint-
Lady), which dates back to 1352. 30 years of his life. A tour takes Veerleplein 5 (09-266 5660).
Among the paintings inside the you around his living quarters, ∑ visitgent.be
The heart of Ghent’s historic
center was built in the 13th and
14th centuries, when the city
prospered as a result of the
cloth trade. The closure of vital
canal links in 1648, however,
led to a decline in the town’s
fortunes. In the 18th and 19th
centuries Ghent flourished again
as a major industrial center.
Dominating the old medieval
quarter is the imposing Het
Gravensteen, or Castle of the
Counts. Parts of the castle,
Jacob Jordaens’s joyous As the Old Sang, the Young Play Pipes (1638), in the Koninklijk once the seat of the Counts
Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp of Flanders, date back to the
For hotels and restaurants see p234 and p235

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