Tourist attractions

Central Station: The renovation works of the beautiful Central Station in Antwerp started in 2000. In 2009, almost 9 years later, the renovation was complete. The station was modernized and expanded for high-speed trains. The main building was renewed on the outside as well as the inside. The unique metal platform roof was already restored earlier. Newsweek places the Antwerp Central Station in the top 5 of the most beautiful stations worldwide.

Het Steen: ‘Het Steen’ is the oldest historical building in the city of Antwerp. It is a small castle in the centre of the city next to the banks of the river Scheldt. It was one of the first stone buildings in Antwerp and thanks its name to that fact: the translation of ‘stone’ in Dutch is ‘steen’. Even though there are not many ships being loaded or unloaded there nowadays, you can still feel the atmosphere of the 19^th century port along the riversides and hangars. Today, mostly cruise ships, sailing ships or battleships anchor there.

MAS (Museum aan de Stroom): The MAS is more than a museum. It is an architectural masterpiece with a tower of no less than 60 meters, which makes it one of the new orientation points in the skyline of the city of Antwerp. The MAS museum tells the story of the five centuries long relationship between Antwerp and the world. A story that is further being written by contemporary artists. The MAS is located at ‘Het Eilandje’, a place with a history in brewing, a port history and … a new future. More info on www.mas.be

Museum Plantin-Moretus/Prints room: French printer, Christopher Plantin established his reputed printing and publishing house in Antwerp in 1555. His successors - the Moretus family - maintained the Officina Plantiniana for the next 300 years. The museum opened his doors in 1876 and is the world’s only surviving printing and publishing museum from the Renaissance and Baroque period. The Prints room presents prints and drawings by Antwerp masters from the 16th century to the present. In the unique typographical treasury, you can take a look at the oldest presses in the world (c. 1600). More info on www.museumplantinmoretus.be

Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal: The one thing you absolutely cannot skip when visiting Antwerp, is the Cathedral of Our Lady. The Cathedral is world renowned because of its impressive collection of major art works, among others ‘Elevation of the Cross’ and ‘Descent from the Cross’ from Pieter Paul Rubens. The Cathedral has a 123m heavenward-reaching steeple and is the highest Gothic building in Belgium and The Netherlands. It took 169 years to build this architectural masterpiece, from 1352 till 1521. After a restauration that took 20 years, the seven-naved church has been restored to its former glory. UNITAR added the Cathedral to the list of World heritage. It is one of the most important buildings of the Antwerp Architectal heritage.

Paleis op de Meir: Throughout history, ‘Paleis op de Meir’ had several illustrious residents. The building also changed name once and a while, from ‘Vorstelyck huys’ and ‘Hof de Roose’ to ‘Quartier Impérial’ … It had famous residents like Napoleon, Willem I of the Netherlands, Leopold II … The building has a history of more than 250 years and was renovated quite a few times by the different owners. The most recent renovation started in 2001 and in 2010 ‘Paleis op de Meir’ opened. This 18th century historical monument is still alive and kicking after more than 250 years! More info on www.paleisopdemeir.be

Rubenshuis: The literal translation is ‘house of Rubens’, so when you visit this place you really step into the world of the leading Baroque artist of his era. In this palatial setting, Pieter Paul Rubens and his family lived for well over 25 years. It is also here that he created the lion’s share of his work, entertained Europe’s nobility and Royalty and stored his impressive art collection. This wonderful and exquisite house, in the middle of the city centre, is surrounded by an amazing and charming garden. Furthermore, you can take a look in the creators’ workshop and admire the fabulous art collection. More info on www.rubenshuis.be

Sint-Annatunnel naar Linkeroever: This is a tunnel for pedestrians and cyclists, underneath the River Scheldt. It connects Antwerp (right shore of the River Scheldt) with Linkeroever (left shore of the River Scheldt). It is a 572 meter long tunnel, 31.57 meter below surface. It took 2 years to build the tunnel, from 1931 to 1933. When you go to Linkeroever through the Sint-Annatunnel, you can enjoy the beutiful skyline of Antwerp, which is even more astonishing when it is dark and the lights of the port create a wondrous romantic atmosphere.

Stadsfeestzaal: One of the most remarkable buildings at the ‘Meir’, the most important shopping street in Antwerp, is the ‘Stadsfeestzaal’, a neoclassical building from 1908. For a long time, it was one of the most important halls in Antwerp, where art expositions, trade fairs and the most beautiful ceremonies and festivities took place. It became a classified monument in 1983, but in 2000 a heavy fire parctically destructed the building. The reconstruction works started in 2004 and the official reopening took place in 2007. It became an hyper modern and exclusief shopping centre, but some of the authentic elements like the gold foil glass dome, the stairwell, original decorations, sculptures … were rebuild.