Page 150 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Belgium & Luxembourg

148  BEL GIUM AND L UXEMBOURG REGION B Y REGION

1 Antwerp

The largest city in Flanders and one of Europe’s busiest ports,
Antwerp is also known as Belgium’s second city. Beginning as
a settlement on the banks of the Scheldt in the 2nd century AD,
Antwerp went on to become part of the Duchy of Brabant, and
its main port, in 1106. Over the next 200 years, it was a thriving
hub of the European cloth industry. However, its golden age
came during the era of Spanish rule (see p45), when it was
illumi nated by the artistic genius of its most famous son,
Pieter Paul Rubens (1577–1640). Today, mirroring this vigorous Carvings around the door at the
mer cantile and cultural past, Antwerp is undergoing a spirited Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal
regeneration, seen in its widespread pro gramme of rebuilding
and renovation, and in its reputation as a key European centre Museum aan de
Stroom (MAS)
of cutting-edge fashion design. 600 metres NOSESTR ST-PAULUSSTR HUIKSTR FALC ON R U I
KLAPD ORP
(660 yards)
Het Steen St-Pauluskerk MUTSAARDSTR BLINDESTR
Brabo Fountain is an Antwerp JORDAENSKAAI Vleeshuis VE KE STR A AT
land mark, commemorating L. KOEPOORTSTR MINDERBROEDERSUI
the legend of a Roman soldier, OUDE BEUR S Rockoxhuis P.VAN HOBOKEN
Silvius Brabo, who killed KAASRUI KEIZERSTR STRAAT
an evil giant terrorizing GROTE MARKT St-Carolus St -
Borromeuskerk
Jacobskerk
Onze-Lieve-
shipping. A Christmas S c h e l d t STEENPLEIN E. VAN DIJCKKAAI Stadhuis Vrouwekathedraal ST-JACOBS MARKT FRANKLIN
Groenplaats
market is held REYNDERSSTR Groen- L A N GE ROOSEVELT
here annually. Museum plaats EIERMARKT Meir EIKENSTR N I E U W E S T R A AT PLAATS GEMEENTESTR Astrid
De Vlaamse
OUDE KOORNMARKT
Plantin-Moretus VRIJDAG SCHOENMARKT Opera Bus Station
MARKT M E IR M E I R LEYSSTR STATIESTR ASTRIDPLEIN
KONINGIN
C ARNO T S TR
Key AUGUSTIJNEN STR K.GA STHUISSTR JODENSTR H O PLA ND KIPDORPVEST Opera D E K EY SE RLE I
Rubenshuis
Street-by-Street Modemuseum KAMMENSTR KOMEDIE Q U EL LI N STR AAT Diamant Centraal
pp150–151 P L A N T I N K A A L (MoMu) PLEIN GRAAN- VESTINGSTRAAT Station
MARKT
Brabo Fountain portraying the story of the K LO OS T E RSTRAAT ST ANDRIES Museum Mayer ARENBERGSTR THEATERPLEIN TABAKVEST A P P L E M A N S STRAAT
van den Bergh
PLAATS
legendary Roman hero Brabo PREKERSTRAAT NATIONALESTRAAT BREDESTR STR LEOPOLD- F R A N K R I J K L E I P EL I K A AN S T R A AT Antwerp Zoo
P Grote Markt VLEMINCKVELD LANGE GASTHUISSTR Maagdenhuis P LO E G ST R AAT
Tel (03) 2320103. 7 S C HEL D E ST R A AT ST-ROCHU S S TR A AT BEGIJNEN STR JORISPOORT R U B E N S L E I QU INT E N MAT SI JS LEI
ST-
LAN GEKIEVITSTR
Antwerp’s central square, or M HKA STR LEUVEN KLOOSTER- STRAAT KR ON EN B UR G S TR A AT TERNINCK STR Stadspark
Grote Markt, is flanked by the (Museum van
Hedendaagse
ornately gabled Stadhuis, which Kunst Antwerpen) WAALSE KAAI VERLATSSTR VOLKSTRAAT Antwerp Airport
VRIJHEIDSTRAAT
was completed in 1564 by the Middelheimmuseum V A N E Y C K L E I 6 km (4 miles)
architect and sculptor Cornelis VLAAMSE KAAI LEOPOLD DE 3 km (2 miles)
WAELPLAATS
Cogels-Osylei
Floris. The square’s north side FotoMuseum DE BURBURESTR Koninklijk Museum B R I T S E L E I 1.5 km (1 mile)
has a series of guildhouses, all voor Schone
Kunsten
decorated with gilded figures.
The tallest building is the House
of the Crossbow men, on top of
which is a statue of St George 0 metres 400
and the dragon. The central 0 yards 400
R Onze-Lieve-
Vrouwekathedraal
Handschoenmarkt 1. Tel (03) 2139951.
Open 10am–5pm Mon–Fri, 10am–3pm
Sat, 1–4pm Sun. & 5 7
The building of Antwerp’s
Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal
(Cathedral of Our Lady) took
almost two centuries, from 1352
to 1521. It has a graceful tiered
spire that rises to a height of
123 m (404 ft) above the winding
streets of the medieval city
Murals depicting the dukes of Brabant in Antwerp’s Stadhuis centre. Inside, the impression
For hotels and restaurants see p268 and pp286–7
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