ANTWERP
CITY OF DIAMONDS
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The city is known as the ‘City of Diamonds’, as 80% of the uncut diamonds are traded here [6].
The port of Antwerp is the second biggest port in Europe (Rotterdam number 1), and is the 13th largest overall [6].
The world’s first ‘stock exchange’ opened here in 1531 [6].
The world’s first Newspaper was produced here by Abraham Verhoeven (1606) [6].
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The European’s first skyscraper was built here in 1928 (KBC Tower) [6].
The city hosted the Summer Olympics in 1920 [6].
The city got its name from the giant tale ‘Druon Antigoon’, who was a fearsome criminal that controlled a bend on the Scheldt River [6].
He force the captains of the ship to pay a toll [6].
One day a Roman Warrior named ‘Silvius Brabo’ slayed the giant, and chopped his hand and threw it in the river [6].
From that day the town was called ‘hand-werpen’ [6].
‘Hand’, symbolising the hand of the giant, and werpen (Dutch) means to throw in English [6].
Eventually the name became Antwerpen [6].
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Tomorrowland
The town of Boom, which is 16km from Antwerp, hosts one of the largest electronic-music festivals in the world ‘Tomorrowland’. [6].
The festival takes place over two weekends [6].
Pieter Paul Rubens Day
The city is home to the famous Baroque Painter ‘Pieter Paul Rubens’ [6].
He is so beloved in the town, that the city celebrates a day dedicated to him, which occurs on the 15th of August [6].
In 1555, the city became the main trading, cultural, and intellectual centre in Europe [6].
At this time, the population was 100,000 [6].
In 1566, the city’s prosperity was cut when the Protestants destroyed the city’s cathedral (the event is known as the ‘Iconoclastic Fury’) [6].
In reaction, the Catholic King Philip II, sent his troops to restore order [6].
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10 years later, the unpaid troops rioted by looting the city and massacring 8000 citizens (the event is known as the ‘Spanish Fury’) [6].
Eventually the Spanish controlled Antwerp, and force-fed Catholicism [6].
This caused many skilled workers to move to the Netherlands [6].
By 1589 the population of Antwerp was 42,000 [6].
In 1648, the ‘treaty of Westphalia’ resolved the Dutch and Spanish conflict, which effected Antwerp, as non-Dutch ships weren’t allowed in the Scheldt River [6].
In 1797, Napoleon’s French Empire annexed Belgium, and rebuilt the port of Antwerp [6].
In the late 19th century, the port of Antwerp became the 3rd biggest port in the world after London and New York [6].
During World War 1 & 2, the city was occupied by Germany, and two thirds of the Jewish population died [6].
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Attractions
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Built in 1905 [6].
Regarded as one of the most beautiful train stations in the world [6].
Established in 1843 with 10 hectares of land [6].
One of the most respected zoological parks in the world, due to its international breeding program [6].
Regarded as one of Belgium’s most beautiful gothic cathedral [6].
The cathedral’s spiral reaches 123 metres [6].
The cathedral took 169 years to complete (1352–1521) [6].
The heart of Antwerp [6].
In the square you’ll find the ‘Brabo Fountain’, which is the statue of the Roman Warrior ‘Silvius Brabo’, who slayed the evil giant [6].
Antwerp’s picturesque castle [6].
Built in the 13th century [6].
The 10 story complex provides free city views of the whole town [6].
The museum dates back to 1876 [6].
Contains the world’s oldest printing press and original manuscripts [6].
A 1611 mansion that was the home and studio of Pieter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) [6].
The house includes a dozen of Rubens’ canvases [6].
This includes the hatted self-portrait and the Adam and Eve portrait [6].
Trips
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In 1473, Charles the Bold (duke of Burgundy) established Mechelen as the administrative capital of the Burgundian Low Countries [6].
After Charles’ death, his widow Margaret of York, and then her step-granddaughter, Margaret of Austria (1480–1530), continued Mechelen’s prestige of science, literature, and arts [6].
Charles V was raised in Mechelen with his aunt Margaret of Austria, yet he moved to Brussels once she died, which also lost the prestige of the city [6].
The main attractions include the Grote Markt (central square), the Speelgoedmuseum (a collection of dolls, teddies, toys and games), the Saint Rumbold’s Cathedral (a 97 metre tower), and the Fort Breendonk (a prison fort which became a concentration camp in WW2; 3500 people were held captive and tortured) [6].
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Every year on the weekend before Ascension Day, the city host a Hanswijk Procession, which is a religious parade, where the Hanswijk Madonna statue is paraded throughout the town [6].
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GUIDE
INFORMATION
The city is known as the ‘City of Diamonds’, as 80% of the uncut diamonds are traded here [6].
The port of Antwerp is the second biggest port in Europe (Rotterdam number 1), and is the 13th largest overall [6].
The world’s first ‘stock exchange’ opened here in 1531 [6].
The world’s first Newspaper was produced here by Abraham Verhoeven (1606) [6].
[expand title=””]
The European’s first skyscraper was built here in 1928 (KBC Tower) [6].
The city hosted the Summer Olympics in 1920 [6].
The city got its name from the giant tale ‘Druon Antigoon’, who was a fearsome criminal that controlled a bend on the Scheldt River [6].
He force the captains of the ship to pay a toll [6].
One day a Roman Warrior named ‘Silvius Brabo’ slayed the giant, and chopped his hand and threw it in the river [6].
From that day the town was called ‘hand-werpen’ [6].
‘Hand’, symbolising the hand of the giant, and werpen (Dutch) means to throw in English [6].
Eventually the name became Antwerpen [6].
[/expand]
Tomorrowland
The town of Boom, which is 16km from Antwerp, hosts one of the largest electronic-music festivals in the world ‘Tomorrowland’. [6].
The festival takes place over two weekends [6].
Pieter Paul Rubens Day
The city is home to the famous Baroque Painter ‘Pieter Paul Rubens’ [6].
He is so beloved in the town, that the city celebrates a day dedicated to him, which occurs on the 15th of August [6].
In 1555, the city became the main trading, cultural, and intellectual centre in Europe [6].
At this time, the population was 100,000 [6].
In 1566, the city’s prosperity was cut when the Protestants destroyed the city’s cathedral (the event is known as the ‘Iconoclastic Fury’) [6].
In reaction, the Catholic King Philip II, sent his troops to restore order [6].
[expand title=””]
10 years later, the unpaid troops rioted by looting the city and massacring 8000 citizens (the event is known as the ‘Spanish Fury’) [6].
Eventually the Spanish controlled Antwerp, and force-fed Catholicism [6].
This caused many skilled workers to move to the Netherlands [6].
By 1589 the population of Antwerp was 42,000 [6].
In 1648, the ‘treaty of Westphalia’ resolved the Dutch and Spanish conflict, which effected Antwerp, as non-Dutch ships weren’t allowed in the Scheldt River [6].
In 1797, Napoleon’s French Empire annexed Belgium, and rebuilt the port of Antwerp [6].
In the late 19th century, the port of Antwerp became the 3rd biggest port in the world after London and New York [6].
During World War 1 & 2, the city was occupied by Germany, and two thirds of the Jewish population died [6].
[/expand]
ATTRACTIONS
Built in 1905 [6].
Regarded as one of the most beautiful train stations in the world [6].
Established in 1843 with 10 hectares of land [6].
One of the most respected zoological parks in the world, due to its international breeding program [6].
Regarded as one of Belgium’s most beautiful gothic cathedral [6].
The cathedral’s spiral reaches 123 metres [6].
The cathedral took 169 years to complete (1352–1521) [6].
The heart of Antwerp [6].
In the square you’ll find the ‘Brabo Fountain’, which is the statue of the Roman Warrior ‘Silvius Brabo’, who slayed the evil giant [6].
Antwerp’s picturesque castle [6].
Built in the 13th century [6].
The 10 story complex provides free city views of the whole town [6].
The museum dates back to 1876 [6].
Contains the world’s oldest printing press and original manuscripts [6].
A 1611 mansion that was the home and studio of Pieter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) [6].
The house includes a dozen of Rubens’ canvases [6].
This includes the hatted self-portrait and the Adam and Eve portrait [6].
TRIPS
In 1473, Charles the Bold (duke of Burgundy) established Mechelen as the administrative capital of the Burgundian Low Countries [6].
After Charles’ death, his widow Margaret of York, and then her step-granddaughter, Margaret of Austria (1480–1530), continued Mechelen’s prestige of science, literature, and arts [6].
Charles V was raised in Mechelen with his aunt Margaret of Austria, yet he moved to Brussels once she died, which also lost the prestige of the city [6].
The main attractions include the Grote Markt (central square), the Speelgoedmuseum (a collection of dolls, teddies, toys and games), the Saint Rumbold’s Cathedral (a 97 metre tower), and the Fort Breendonk (a prison fort which became a concentration camp in WW2; 3500 people were held captive and tortured) [6].
[expand title=””]
Every year on the weekend before Ascension Day, the city host a Hanswijk Procession, which is a religious parade, where the Hanswijk Madonna statue is paraded throughout the town [6].
[/expand]
Antwerp Experience
My experience of Antwerp comprised of 1 night. In my stay I got to explore parts of the city, however during my time the city was under heavy construction. For this reason, I believe this has affected my review. In my opinion, I believe Antwerp is a decent city. It has nice architectural buildings like the ‘Cathedral of Our Lady’, the ‘City Hall’, and the ‘Train Station’. The most significant, are the structures surrounding ‘Grote Markt’, which is the town square. However, I feel that the city is missing something. Now this may be because the city was under construction, or it could be that the city has not much to offer for tourist. However, if you’re interested in art, then visiting the home city of Pieter Paul Rubens could spark your interest. Or if you’re interested in EDM, then having Antwerp as your base to attend Tomorrowland, which is one of the biggest music festivals in the world, could be a good option. Furthermore, Antwerp is in a very good geographic location, you have Top Flanders towns on its east, and it’s in the middle of Brussels and Rotterdam. Thus, spending a night in Antwerp wouldn’t affect your travel itinerary. Instead, you’ll get to see another city. Overall, Antwerp is a good city to include in your Belgium trip.
