Antwerp - City center part 1, Grote Markt, Old Town, Cathedral of Our Lady,Town Hall, Railway Station, Groenplaats, Kon. Astridplein, Meir, Chinatown

Antwerp City Center/Old Town - part 1
GROTE MARKT, OLD TOWN, CATHEDRAL OF OUR LADY, CITY HALL, SUKKERUI, HANDSCHOENMARKT

The city center and Old Town of Antwerp, situated in the district simply known as Antwerp, is where you find most of all famous historical buildings, many of them in Flemish Renaisance architecture. Grote Markt is the center, where you find the cathedral, the giant sculpture and the City Hall as well as many pubs and restaurant. Meir is the main pedestraian street that goes from Astridplein at the large Central Station, that is considered one of the world's most beautiful, to Grote Markt. On Meir you will find the most upscale stores as well as an old former ballroom that has been converted into a shopping galleria, but that is presented in part 2. At Groenplats you find a market and a statue of Rubens. There are many impressive museums, like the Rubens Houses, in the city center. The Old Town has been a highly important center for culture, markets and trade. To the West the city center is bordered by River Schelde from the suburbs. Along the boulevared Jordaenskaai, that is parallel with the river, you will find the historic castle Het Steen and many other interesting buildings (part 3).

GROTE MARKT:

Grote Markt is the historial heart and center of Antwerp, the city that once was the richest in Europe. Here you find the City Hall, part of the Cathedral of Our Lady, the Brabo fountain and beautiful guildhouses in Flemish Renaisance style. You will also find a sculpture of a giant and some open air restaurants. Vlaykensgang is a narrow medieval lane that is popular among tourists and begins at the square.

Grote Markt means Grand Place just like the one in Brussels, but since French is not a big language in Antwerp, it is only called Grote Markt (but it is much smaller then the one in Brussels).

City Hall and the Brabo fountain, Grote Markt.

City Hall and the Brabo fountain

Brabo fountain

Brabo fountain in front of Flemish Renaissance guild houses. The sculpture is based on a lagend about a hero, Brabo, that slays the giant called Antigoon, that probably has given Antwerpen its name (hand wearpan=to through in old English). In the sculpture he thoughs Antigoon's hand into the nearby River Schelde. The sculpture was created by Jef Lambeaux in 1887.


City Hall and the Brabo fountain		Brabo slaying the dragon's hand		Brabo fountain

Antwerp City Hall (Stadhuis), built in 1406, and Brabo Fountain. The City Hall was a symbol of the city's wealth and power in the 16th century, since Antwerp was the most powerful economical center at the time. The City Hall is considered the most important Renaissance building in the lower countries and has influenced many similar buildings in Europe. It replaced the old gothic town hall, that had became too small. The building was almost destroyed in 1576, but rebuilt in 1579.

Antwerp City Hall. The exterior is decorated with 87 flags from different countries, and the interior is decorated with famous paintings. The design by Cornelis Floris II de Vriendt is Flemish renaissance influenced by Italian renaissance.

Statue on top of the City Hall

Horse carriages are often seen on Grote Markt, here in front of the City Hall.

Chocolate store, Grote Markt

There are many open air restaurants at Grote Markt

Horse carriages are often seen on Grote Markt, here at the Eastern triangular extension of the square.

Chocolate store, Grote Markt

Old timer sightseeing bus


Renaisssance Guildhouses. The original guildhouses were destroyed by a fire in 1576. The new ones were revamped in the 19th century.		The revamping resulted in decorations and sculptures of animals on top of the buildings.		The revamping resulted in decorations and sculptures of animals on top of the buildings.


Belgian restaurant at Grote Markt		Belgian restaurant at Grote Markt		Belgian restaurant at Grote Markt

CATHEDRAL OF OUR LADY:

Cathedral of Our Lady (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal) is the most famous building in Antwerpen. It is a a Roman Catholic church, built in Gothic style. The architects were Otto van Veen, Jacob de Backer and Marten de Vos. The first phase was constructed between 1352 and 1521, but it has never been totally completed. With a height of 123m to the top of the spire, it is by far Antwerp's tallest building, and is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. There have been plans to demolish during the renaissance period, and by Napoleon, but it has always been saved in the last time! Note the vast size of the cathedral compared to the buildings in front of it.

Cathedral of Our Lady, seen from Grote Markt. The tallest and most dominating building of Antwerp. It is not only tall, it is also huge in size. Unfortunately the cathedral wasn't open to public during our visit. Even thought the exterior is gothic, the interior is 90% baroque. Some of Rubens most famous paintings are placed inside the cathedral.


Cathedral and Braboo fountain	Details of the Cathedral's clock tower	Details of the Cathedral's clock tower
You can watch more pictures of the cathedral in part 2.