Page 118 - (DK Eyewitness) Top 10 Travel Guide - Brussels Bruges Ghent & Antwerp

116  BEY OND BRUSSELS

3 Antwerp
Antwerp is Belgium’s second city and the largest city in
Flanders, and it has one of Europe’s busiest ports (its docks
situated well to the north of the centre). Beginning as a
settlement on the banks of the River Scheldt in the 2nd
century, Antwerp became part of the Duchy of Brabant in
1106, and its main port. Within 200 years it was a thriving
hub of the European cloth industry. But its golden age
came during the era of Spanish rule (see p35), when it was
illuminated by the artistic genius of its most famous son,
Pieter Paul Rubens (1577–1640). Today, mirroring this Carvings above the cathedral door
vigorous mercantile and cultural past, Antwerp has undergone depicting the Last Judgement
a spirited regeneration, seen in its widespread programme
of rebuilding and renovation, and in its reputation as a key Red Star MAS
Line Museum
J O R D A E N S K A A I Sint- MUTSAARDSTR. BLINDESTR.
KLAPDORP
European source of cutting-edge fashion design. NOSESTR. ST-PAOLUSSTR. HUIKSTR. FA L CON R U I
Pauluskerk
of the Cross bowmen at number Vleeshuis
seven, on top of which is a L. KOEPOORTSTR. MINDER-BROEDERSUI Rockoxhuis PRINSSTR. VE KE S T R AAT
statue of St George and the Stadhuis OUDEBEURS P.VAN HOBOKENSTR.
dragon. The central Brabo GROTE Sint-Carolus
KEIZERSTR.
KAASRUI
Sint
fountain is one of Antwerp’s Ruihuis MARKT Onze Lieve Borromeuskerk Jacobskerk
Vrouwe Kathedaal
noted landmarks. E. VAN DIJCKKAAI OUDE KOORNMARKT Groenplaats L A N GE N I E U ST JACOBS MARKT FRANKLIN
PLAATS
Key REYNDERSSTR. Groen- EIERMARKT EIKENSTR. WE S T R A AT ROOSEVELT GEMENTESTR. Astrid
plaats
De Vlaamse
Museum Meir Bus Station
Plantin-Moretus VRIJDAG Opera
Street-by-Street MARKT MEI R M E I R LEYSSTR. ASTRIDPLEIN
KONINGIN
C AR N OT ST R AAT
pp98–9 LOMBARDENVE S T STAT I ES TR .
Rubenshuis Opera D E KE Y S ER L EI
JODENSTRAAT
AUGUSTIJNEN STR.
STRAAT
Scheldt P L A N T I N K A A L PLEIN GRAAN- MEIST Station
0 metres 400 ModeMuseum KAMMENSTR. KOMEDIE H OP LA N D Q UE L LIN S TR A AT Diamant Centraal
WAPPER
S C H O EN MARKT HUIDEVETTERS-
(MoMu)
K . GA ST HU IS S T R.
0 yards 400 K LO O S T E R STRAAT ST. ANDRIES Museum Mayer MARKT R AAT F R A N K R I J K L E I A P P L E M A N S S TRAAT P EL I K Zoo OMMEGANCKSTR.
van den Bergh
PLAATS
Visitors touring Antwerp on a horse-drawn P RE K ER ST RA AT N ATI O NA L ES T R AAT AALMOEZENIER- BREDESTR. V L E MINCKVEL D L.GASTHUISSTR. ARENBERGSTR. VE STINGSTRAAT A AN S T R A AT P LO E G ST R AAT
STRAAT
S T R .
bus in the summer Maagdenhuis
L E OP O LD-
M HKA BEGIJNEN STR. R U B E N S L E I
SINT-
(Museum van ST-ROC H U S S TR AAT JORISPOORT LAN GEKIEVITSTR.
Hedendaagse S CH EL D E S TR AAT K R O N E NBU RG ST R A AT Q U I N T E N M A T S I J S L E I
Getting Around Kunst Antwerpen) TERNINCK STR. Stadspark LIER
The best way to get around VO L KS T RAAT
KLO O S T E R- ST RAAT
Antwerp is by using the public SINT-MICHIELSKAAI WAALSE KAAL VERLATSSTR. VR IJ H EI D ST RAAT WELVARTSTRAAT B E G I J N E N V E S T MECHELEN Antwerp Airport
BRUSSELS
transport system. The excellent VLAAMSE KAAL LEOPOLD DE TOLSTRAAT V A N E Y C K L E I 6 km (3.5 miles)
WAELPLAATS
bus and tram network is focused FotoMuseum DE BURBURESTR. Koninklijk Museum
on Centraal Station, where most voor Schone
Kunsten
visitors arrive. Fast and frequent B R I T S E L E I
trams and buses travel from here
to the centre. Most of the city’s
main sights are within walking
distance of the Grote Markt.
P Grote Markt
Grote Markt. Tel (03) 232 0103
(tourist office). 7
Antwerp’s central square, or
Grote Markt, is flanked by the
ornately gabled Stadhuis (town
hall), which was completed in
1564 by the architect and
sculptor Cornelis Floris. The
square’s north side has a series
of guildhouses, each of which is
decorated with gilded figures.
The tallest of these is the House Fresco paintings of the Dukes of Brabant in the Stadhuis, Grote Markt
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