Antwerp

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Maritime Antwerp is the capital of the Antwerp Province, situating in the northen Belgium and on the banks of the River Scheldt, being linked to the North Sea by the Westerschelde estuary. The Port of Antwerp is one of the biggest in the world, ranking third in Europe and within the top 20 globally. The city is famous for its diamond trade, about 84% of the world’s rough diamonds were passed through the city’s diamond district in 2012.

Recreation

Aquatopia aquarium (Koningin Astridplein 7) is a splendid all-family site.

Tours:

Port of Antwerp – a tour of one of the largest ports in the world.. 2.5 hours long. €12 for adults, €10 for students.

Ghostly Nighttime Tour – This ghost tour will teach about the dark history of Antwerp.

Shopping

The main shopping area is the Meir, a street stretching out from the Keyserlei to the Groenplaats. The Huidevettersstraat, Nationalestraat, and Kammenstraat (all located close to the Meir) are also very interesting shopping streets to visit.

Trendy shopping can be done in the Kammenstraat and surroundings. In this area, you will also find the Fashion Museum and many shops of famous Antwerp fashion designers.

The Kloosterstraat has many cozy antique shops.

Something to explore

Rubenshuis

This former home and studio of Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens serves now as a museum with restorated interior. It houses notable collection of artworks by Rubens and his contemporaries. Also a centre dedicated to the study of Rubens, The Rubeniamum, lies on the building. A must-see for an art enthusiast. Rubenshuis is located at the address Wapper 9-11.

Het Steen (The Stone)

This medieval fort is Antwerp’s oldest building and used to be the core of its oldest centre. Previously known as Antwerpen Burcht (fortress), Het Steen gained its current name in around 1520, after significant rebuilding under the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. The rebuilding led to its being known first as “‘s Heeren Steen” (the King’s stone castle), and later simply as “Het Steen” (the stone castle). Until 1823 Het Steen was used as a prison. After briefly serving as a residence, a sawmill and a fish warehouse, it was used as a museum from 1862: initially as a Museum of Antiquities, and then as the National Maritime Museum from 1952 to 2008. Today the collection of the latter museum is at the MAS Museum.

At the entrance of the fort is a bas-relief of Semini, above the archway, around 2nd century. Semini is the Scandinavian God of youth and fertility (with symbolic phallus). Currently HETPALEIS and the city of Antwerp have a ‘question centre’ for visitors, aged six years or over. A splendid all-family site.

Saint Paul’s Church

This Baroque-style Catholic church at the Veemarktkade was built in 1571, near the site of former church, which was demolished for the risk of flooding of the Scheldt river nearby.

The exterior is mainly executed in the Brabantine Gothic style and is characterized by the austere architecture with little exterior decoration. The tower was rebuilt in the late 17th century with a Baroque top. Among the many works of art in the church are works by major artists such as the Antwerp painters Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck.

The Jewish Quarter

Approximately 15,000 Jews, many of them Hasidic, live in Antwerp today and the city’s diamond business keep their hands busy. City has many kosher shops, Jewish schools and 30 synagogues. The Jewish Quarter (Joodse wijk) is located on the Pelkinstraat and surrounding streets, near the Centraal railway station. Here a visitor can feel the atmosphere of everyday Jewish life and visit several kosher shops. Just around the corner from the train station is Diamondland, where visitors can view diamond processing.

How to get around in Antwerp

The public transportation company De Lijn operates a decent network of buses, trams, and underground tram lines in the city and its surroundings. The journey planner and ticket prices are here.

Taxis are available, but they can be quite expensive. They await customers at specific locations around town like the Groenplaats or the railway station. One can recognize these places by an orange TAXI sign. The prices are fixed in the taximeter.

Horse tram (”paardentram”) leaves from the Grote Markt every hour. It is an approximately 40 minutes ride through the city.

How to get in Antwerp

International Antwerp Airport serves the region, locating 12 kilometres south-east from the city center. List of its destinations is here. There is a regular bus from Antwerp Airport to Berchem train station (lines 51, 52, 53), from where there are multiple connections to the city centre (e.g. tram line 9).

The Brussels Airport, being located 11 km northeast of Brussels, offers more selections. List of its destinations is here. Every hour there is a direct bus to and from this airport, it has two stops in Antwerp: at Hotel Crowne Plaza and in the city centre, in front of Central Station. Belgian Rail also has the connection between the airport and Antwerpen. Antwerp Central is one of the few railway stations in Europe with its own IATA code (IATA: ZWE), therefore many airlines can offer integrated tickets directly to Antwerp. In Amsterdam, Paris or Düsseldorf Airport, after collecting your luggage, one should register at the transfer desk to collect a “boarding pass” for a high-speed train or bus connection to Antwerp.

Eurolines offers bus routes to Antwerpen from e.g. London and to most cities in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. Ecolines serves Antwerp through its Riga-Paris route, with tickets that can be booked online or through the Euro-Maror company (located at Paardenmarkt 65). Its buses stop on the Borsbeekbrug, near Antwerp-Berchem railway station.

Highways E24, E17 and E19 lead to Antwerpen.

Text: Timo Hellman

Photos: With the CC licence / Maros, Athenchen, Tania Dey PhD, Carolus, Johan Bakker, The Jewish Web Index[/fusion_text]