There’s a statue of artist Peter Paul Rubens and plenty of shops, restaurants, and pigeons in Groenplaats, Antwerp’s main square. Fun fact: this spot was the city’s main cemetery until the 18th century.
The Cathedral of our Lady sits in the main square. It took about seventeen decades to build this gothic church and was completed in 1521. The spire reaches one hundred twenty three meters high and can be seen from much of the city.
It always impresses me to see the ceilings in gothic churches. This one is painted white with gold stars and some detail work.
There are several paintings by Rubens inside, including Raising of the Cross of 1609-1610 and Descent from the Cross of 1612, respectively.
The church is in the midst of a fifty year renovation project, which is expected to be finished around 2015 and end up costing a total of fifty three million euros. I’m sure it’ll be lovely when it’s all done but I kind of like seeing the bits that haven’t yet been renovated.
To be fair, the exterior seems to be benefitting from a thorough cleaning.
There are a couple of competing theories as to where the name Antwerpen came from, but the most colorful one involves a giant getting his hand chopped off and the city lies where the thrown hand eventually landed (hand werpen, hand throwing). The Brabo fountain in Grote Markt depicts the famous hand throwing legend.
Also in Grote Markt is the town hall, completed in 1565.
Grote Markt.
Going for a walk along the Schelde River, there’s a four foot wall with Flemish on it. I haven’t been able to figure out what it says or why, but it’s a guaranteed good time for this English speaker to read it out loud!
Views from the elevated boardwalk along the river.
Because buildings in Antwerp are generally quite short, the ten story Mas Museum has a fantastic 360 degree panoramic view.
I’m not really a diamond kind of gal so I was happy enough to skip the city’s bustling diamond trade.
The train station in Antwerp is stunning. Absorbing its neo-gothic facade and arched glass dome can help pass the time as you wait for your train.
