Antwerp Things to Do Tips by Diana75

Grote Markt, the town square, of Antwerp is not only the heart of the city but also a very nice place to spend lovely moments in one of the many terraces.
The square is surrounded by the Town Hall and the houses of the Guilds or corporations.
In the background can be also admired the tower of Our Lady's Cathedral.

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Address: Grote Markt
Directions: Between the Cathedral and the river Schelde

The Guilds houses are not unfortunately the original ones, due to the fact that a large part of the Grote Markt burned down in 1576.
Most of the houses were rebuilt afterwards by Hans Vredeman, the town architect, in Flemish Renaissance style and in the 19th century were again renovated.

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Address: Grote Markt
Directions: Between the Cathedral and the river Schelde

In the middle of Grote Markt stands the Brabo fountain with the statue made by sculptor Jef Lambeaux in 1887.
An old legend say that the statue took its name from a Roman soldier’s name, Silvius Brabo, who managed to kill the giant Druoon Antigoon, who used to punish the sailors which refused to pay him the toll by cutting off their hand. Brabo cut off the giant’s hand and threw it in the river.
Interesting is that the water of the fountain is not caught in a basin, but just simply disappears under the stones of the monument.

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Address: Grote Markt
Directions: Between the Cathedral and the river Schelde

The magnificent Town Hall of Antwerp located in Grote Markt is one of the oldest Renaissance buildings in Belgium, being finished in 1564 by the architect Cornelis Floris de Vriendt.
Although the initial plans foreseen a new town hall in Gothic style, due to the fact that much the construction material were used to defend the city against attacks from the Army of Maarten van Rossem from Gelre, the idea of building the Town Hall was reanalyzed only twenty years later when the Gothic style was out and Renaissance style had become the new fashion.
Still, the middle part of the building still clearly resembles the towers of the many Gothic Flemish and Brabantine town halls.

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Address: Grote Markt
Directions: Between the Cathedral and the river Schelde

The middle part of the Antwerp’s Town Hall is decorated with the statues of Lady Justitia and Lady Prudentia.
Above the weapons of the Duchy of Brabant (black field with gold lion), the coat of arms of the Spanish King Philip II (middle) and of the Markgrave of Antwerp (right) is a Madonna statue.
This statue, that seems too big for the niche it stands in, was put there by the Jesuits during the Counter-Reformation to replace a Brabo statue.

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Address: Grote Markt
Directions: Between the Cathedral and the river Schelde

Steen is the Dutch word for “stone” and is also the name of the little castle located at the entrance of the city center.
The castle was renovated several times and following the renovation in the period 1889-1890 a Neo-gothic wing was added to the building.
The Steen was used as a prison between 1549 and 1823 and from 1862 until 1952 it was used as the Archeological Museum.

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Phone: + 32 (0)3-201 93 40
Address: Steenplein 1, 2000 Antwerpen
Directions: next to the river, 2 minutes walk from the Market Square
Website: http://www.antwerpen.be/cultuur/scheepvaartmuseum

Since 1952 the National Navigation Museum is housed by the Steen.
Next to the castle, on the right side of the entrance, is a large storage halls where can be seen numerous vessels and boats belonging to the Maritime Museum.

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Phone: + 32 (0)3-201 93 40
Address: Steenplein 1, 2000 Antwerpen
Directions: next to the river, 2 minutes walk from the Market Square
Website: http://www.antwerpen.be/cultuur/scheepvaartmuseum

On the side of the street from the Steen, hidden between residential houses, can be found the old Meat Hall (“Vleeshuis” in Dutch).
The tall Gothic style building was built between 1501 and 1503 for the guild of the butchers of Antwerp, but after the French Revolution, the guilds were abolished and the Meat Hall lost its original function.
Following to different destination, such as theater or storage building for wine, the Meat Hall was transformed in the Museum of Archeology and Applied Arts.

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Phone: + 32 (0)3-233 64 04
Address: Vleeshouwersstraat 38-40, 2000 Antwerpen
Directions: 5 minutes North from the Market Square
Website: http://www.antwerpen.be/cultuur/vleeshuis/

This charming old square, dominated by Our Lady's Cathedral, is always full of locals and tourists sitting on the terrace of the nice restaurants and coffee shops that can e found here.
In the middle of Groenplaats is the statue of Rubens, made in 1843 by the sculptor Geefs.

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Meir is the most famous shopping street of Antwerp. Currently pedestrian street, Meir is bordered on both sides by shops located at the ground floor of beautiful historic buildings.

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Address: Meir, Wapper, Teniersplaats
Directions: From Central station, over the De Keyzerlei, cross the Leien and you are there!