Standing at the centre of the most populated municipality in Belgium, Antwerp is the second-largest city in the Country after Bruxelles, and it’s a charming harbour city sitting on the Westerschelde estuary. Its name is said to come from the Dutch handwerpen, “hand throwing“, because a giant called Antigoon used to live on the nearby Scheldt river and used to extort a fee from boats which wanted to pass through: should they fail to comply, he cut off their hands and threw them in the river. This went on for decades until a young hero called Silvius Brabo confronted the giant, was able to defeat him, and served him a spoonful of his own soup: he cut off the giant’s hand and threw it in the river. We aren’t privy to what the river thought of this.
Should you drop by, I have a few recommendations of places for you to visit. There would be four, but the House of Rubens is currently closed.
1. Het Steen and the riverbank
This stone castle is the oldest building in Antwerp, a characteristic that apparently didn’t stop town planners and designers from attempting (and partially succeeding) in ravaging it: it was almost demolished in the XIX century, saved by just one vote against the motion, and a modern extension was hammered through the historical body in 1952.
Still, the XII Century walls provide a charming sight.
If you decide to walk around it, you’ll find yourself by the riverbank and you’ll see the only modern construction I will mention in this Belgian Chronicles: the Cruise Ponton designed by Ney & Partners.
2. The Grote Markt
literally “Big Market”, it’s the central square of the city and it’s a stunning sight, flanked by beautiful buildings all around: the Renaissance Town Hall, a mixture of Flemish and Italian design by one Cornelis Floris de Vriendt. Apparently the blue niche with a statue of the Virgin Mary is a recent addition.
The Town Hall is rivalled by the beautiful guildhalls, each of them with their golden insignia on top.
At the centre, you’ll find the 1887 fountain depicting young Brabo in the act of throwing the giant’s hand away into the river: it replaced a tree which represented freedom and I’m not sure how I feel about this replacement.
In wintertime, the square hosts a Christmas market and an ice ring with sharp wooden corners to test your skating skills.
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3. Elfde Gebod
It’s a pub. It’s a museum. It’s a stunning place where you can eat a delicious stew, drink your pick of a wonderful beer and be judged by countless statues of saints. Yes, you heard me right.
The first account of the building dates back to 1425, when it was a dwelling for people working in the turbaries (also known as turf bearers). This association still lives in the name of the street: Torfburg. The nearby Cathedral of Our Lady was outside the city walls, back in those days, and the road connected it to the first city centre. Allegedly it also served as a shelter and resistance stronghold during the 1576 Spanish Fury, one of the bloodiest events in Antwerp during the Eight Years War.
When it became property of the church, the house was dubbed ‘Het Paradijs’ (The paradise) and, according to the waiter who attended to our table, it was connected to the cathedral by an underground tunnel: through this passageways, priests and monks came into the building and… well… entertained themselves.
A private collector first established the extensive assemblage of statues you can admire today, with the initial idea of founding a museum, but the enterprise wasn’t successful. The second attempt of establishing a brewery was evidently much better received by locals and visitors alike.
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Me and my colleague decided to drink in style.
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