Antwerp the cosmopolitan Port City in the Heart of Flanders

Antwerp, Belgium is a wealthy metropolis in the rich country of Flanders. It is a cosmopolitan town and international business centre, a wealthy artistic town and above all, a port, one of the largest in Europe and approximately the 3rd largest in the world. Here are some of the most famous Gothic and Renaissance buildings in all of Europe. The gothic cathedral has an exceptional carillion and many magnificent masterpieces by Rubens. The Town Hall in Market Place has a fine Renaissance facade. In one corner of the Square are several old guild houses. The Museum of Fine Arts contains 16th and 17th century paintings by great artists such as Rubens, Memling, Breughel, Van Dyck and Jordaens. In the Museum Mayer-Van den Burgh you’ll find other Flemish Masters. Other places of interest are the Steen, 10th century castle, Butcher’s Hall and Folklore Museum.

An architectural gem is the Antwerp Central Railway Station, which is the city’s main railway station. The original building was constructed between 1895 and 1905, and served as a replacement for the original terminus of the Brussels-Mechelen-Antwerp railway. The stone terminus building, with an impressive dome above the waiting hall (75 metres high!), was designed by Louis Delacenserie, a Belgian architect from Bruges. On special request of King Leopold II, Delacenserie used the station of Luzern (Switzerland) and the Pantheon (Rome, Italy) as his source of inspiration. The impressive train shed (185 metres long & 44 metres high) was engineered by Clement van Bogaert and built out of steel and glass.

An equally impressive, if somewhat quirky, contemporary building is The Port Authority Building (Dutch: Havenhuis), or the Port House.  This is a government building located in Antwerp, Belgium, and built between 2009 and 2016. It is located near the area of Eilandje, in the Port of Antwerp, and acts as the new headquarters of the Antwerp Port Authority, housing various departments.  It was designed by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid and the building opened in 2016, the year of her death.

There are a huge variety of hotel accommodation to choice in Antwerp. Because of its port being one of the biggest in Europe, Antwerp has visitors from all over the world. Antwerp has a lot of attractions ,a must is the Zoo of Antwerp that is located next to the main station. At Keyserlei you will find many Cafes and shops. Very near to Antwerp are nice villages that are worth of visiting like Beveren and Saint Niklaas. By the river Schelde and its channels you will find many parks and cafes.