Antwerp Attractions

Rightly dubbed the 'Railway Cathedral', Antwerp's monumental Central station was built between 1895 and 1905. Modernized and expanded between 1995 and 2009, it is one of the world's greatest railway stations.

This gothic masterpiece of lacework in stone was built between 1352 and 1521. As one of the prime remainders of Antwerp's golden era, the cathedral continues to dominate the city's skyline.

The oldest building in Antwerp is the Steen (stone in English). It was named as such since it was one of the first buildings in stone. Until 2008 the historic castle was home to the National Maritime Museum.

The city's central square, known as Grote Markt is lined with magnificent historic guild houses. At the center of the square, in front of the 16th century city hall is the statue of Brabo, a legendary city hero.

The Antwerp Zoo, located in the center of the city, is one of the oldest and largest zoos in the world. There are several exotic themed 19th century buildings in the zoo such as an Egyptian temple.

The palatial house where P.P. Rubens, Antwerp's most famous painter lived and worked is now one of the city's most popular museums.

At the turn of the 16th century, during the city's heyday, the Meir was Antwerp's most prestigious street. Today the pedestrianized street is best known as the city's prime shopping street.

Zurenborg is a remarkable neighborhood developed at the end of the 19th century. It offers a extraordinary display of buildings in different styles, ranging from neo-Byzantine to Art Nouveau.

Once a cemetery in the heart of the city, the Groenplaats is now one of Antwerp's most popular squares. It is a perfect place for drinking one of the many local beers.

Middelheim is a park at the southeast of Antwerp's city center. The park boasts a large open air sculpture museum created in 1950 for an international exposition. There are now more than 300 sculptures on display.

The Bourla is a picturesque theater building, originally built in 1834 by the French architect Pierre Bourla. Even though the building has been a protected monument since 1938 it was almost demolished during the 1980s.

The Stadsfeestzaal was built in 1908 as the city's Festival Hall. After a fire destroyed the building, it was renovated and converted into an upscale shopping center.

MAS is a museum built in 2010 to group different collections of artifacts related to the city's tumultuous history. The new collection is housed in a conspicuous modern tower with a stacked design.

In 2005 this fine printing workshop and museum was the first museum added to Unesco's World Heritage List. The museum was once home to the world's most prolific printing shop.

Antwerp's palatial City Hall was built between 1561 and 1565. Its Flemish-Renaissance style architecture influenced the design of many government buildings across Europe.

A favorite among tourists is a walk along the 16th century Vlaeykensgang, one of Antwerp's few remaining historic alleys. The narrow street's entrances are no wider than a doorway.

The Royal Museum of Fine Arts was built at the end of the 19th century in a newly developed neighborhood. The museum's collection features many works from Rubens and other famous Antwerp artists.

The Carolus Borromeus Church is located at a small Italianesque square. The ornately decorated church is exemplary for the Baroque architecture favored by the Jesuits in the 17th century.

The Vleeshuis was built in 1504 for the Butcher's guild. The building - long the tallest secular building in the city - functioned as a meat market until 1810 when the French occupying forces abolished the Butcher's guild.

Originally part of the walls encircling the city, this gate was built in honor of the Spanish king Philip IV and is said to be designed by P.P Rubens. The gate moved twice before being installed at its present location.

The very first skyscraper in Europe, the KBC tower, was built in Antwerp during the early 1930s. When the Art Deco skyscraper was completed in 1932 it measured 87.5 meter.

Zuid (South) is one Antwerp's most fashionable neighborhoods. Many museums can be found here including the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Photography and the Museum of Fine Arts.

This late 19th century fountain depicts the legendary hero Silvius Brabo who defeated the giant Antigoon. The statue symbolizes the free waterways, crucial to the city's survival.

Ever since this square was created in the 16th century, auctions of second-hand goods have been held here every Friday. The square is also the site of one of the city's most important museums, Plantin-Moretus.

This partly gothic, parly baroque church was originally built in 1571 by a Dominican order. It is best known for its large collection of Flemish paintings and its unique Cavalry Mountain.

Richard Rogers designed Antwerp's modern palace of Justice, which was built in 2005 to centralize the different law courts spread over the city. Its most eye-catching characteristic are the tall scaled roofs.

This charming small garden close to the city center originated in the early 19th century as a herbal garden. A statue commemmorates Peeter van Coudenberghe, a 16th century botanist.

Antwerp's stadspark (city park) was created in the 19th century at the site of a military fort. The triangular park is laid out as an English style landscaped garden and features a pond with an 1869 iron suspension bridge.

The Felix Pakhuis is an impressive warehouse, built at the end of the 19th century in Antwerp's port area. Today it the home of the FelixArchief, the central archive of the city.

Commissioned by a shipbuilder, this conspicuous Art Nouveau style building nicknamed 't bootje (the little boat) is one of the most interesting Art Nouveau buildings in Antwerp.

Hidden behind a brick wall lies Antwerp's Béguinage. The about 40 picturesque historic houses date back to the 17th century when the counter-reformation caused a religious revival in the city.

Sterckshof is a 16th century castle built by the wealthy financier Gerard Sterck as a countryhouse. Today, the castle is home to the Zilvermuseum, a museum with silver artifacts from the 16th century to the present.

Rivierenhof, situated in the district of Deurne, is one of the largest parks in Antwerp. It was created by combining the estates of two historic castles and opened to the public in 1921.

This historic square, created in the 16th century, was laid out around a weighing house. The weighing house burned down in the 19th century, and the area is now an open, pedestrian friendly square.

Leopoldplaats is a square situated near the historic center in Antwerp and named after the first king of Belgium, Leopold I, whose equestrian statue graces the center of the square.

The old exchange building was originally constructed in the late 15th century as a merchants' house. Here traders gathered until 1531, when the new stock exchange building opened.

Paleis op de Meir is a former royal palace that was originally built in the mid 18th century for a wealthy merchant. Some of its illustrious owners included Napoleon and the Dutch king Willem I.

Schelde Vrij (Free Scheldt) is a towering monument created in 1873 to commemorate the settlement of 1863 that abolished the toll levied by the Dutch on ships sailing to Antwerp.

St. James Church, one of Antwerp's largest churches, was built between 1491 and 1656 in late gothic style. The church is best known as the last resting place for Antwerp's famous painter Pieter Paul Rubens.