A brilliant new attraction for the City

A diva used to be the prima donna of the ballet. These days she is also known as a fickle, demanding and cosmopolitan figure,” says scriptwriter Frank Van Laecke, who was enlisted to tell the story of the new Antwerp diamond museum, DIVA.

DIVA is the name of the new diamond museum behind City Hall that will open its doors at the end of the year. It is a combination of the former Diamond Museum and the now-closed Silver Museum in the Sterckshof in Deurne. The story of the brilliant stone will be told in the former Ethnographic Museum on the Suikerrui starting in several months. “From mine to finger”, as Ludo Van Campenhout (N-VA), Antwerp’s Alderman for the Diamond Trade, describes it.

Scriptwriter Frank Van Laecke and interior architect Gert Voorjans were enlisted to tell the story and beautify the museum. “A visit to the museum will become an experience. Those who have visited it will have learned about Antwerp’s crucial role in the diamond trade and will hopefully come back again”, says Gert Voorjans.

200,000 visitors each year

Flemish Minister of Tourism Ben Weyts (N-VA), who designated 3.4 million euro for the museum, compares the initiative with investments in Flanders’ culinary traditions. “We did not invent food and drink, but culinary Flanders is widely known for its quality. It is all about craftsmanship. It is no different with diamonds. We do not mine them here, but do fantastic things with them.”

The Commissioner for Culture and chairman of DIVA, Luk Lemmens (N-VA) expects 200,000 visitors to the museum annually, and preferably more. “This will be another tourist attraction that will hopefully encourage people to also visit the rest of the city.”

Patrick Van De Perre

Gazet van Antwerpen - 25 Jan. 2017