The 5 Continents

One of the most remarkable housing complexes on the southside is the 5 continents. It is situated at the back side of the Royal Museum of Arts and consists of a group of 4 houses in Art Nouveau style, a style often found in this part of Antwerp. One of the houses, like so many in Antwerp, has been demolished and replaced by an anonymous house in the beginning of the seventies.

The complex was commissioned by the shipbuilder P. Rouis who added a boat to the original design of the architect, F. Smet-Verhas. This remarkable feature has given the houses the nickname 'the little boat'. Another feature which makes this housing complex so remarkable is the stepped structure ending in a terrace. Other characteristics of the houses are the layers of yellow brick, which are typical for Antwerp Art nouveau architecture.
The exterior also contains other nice examples of Art Nouveau architecture like the use of wrought iron and the use of dynamic curved lines in the design.

'The 5 continents' is located at the corner of the Schildersstraat and the Plaatssnijdersstraat. It was built in 1901 and was declared a protected monument in 1976.

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