About Antwerp Antwerp Travel Guide

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History
Antwerp, the diamond capital of the world, is situated on the eastern bank of the river Scheldt. The word Antwerp is made up of two words, Dutch hand werpen similar to old English terms of hand and wearpan ( with time it changed to warp

The legend of Brabo

According to a legend, a giant named Antigoon used to extract toll from ships crossing the river and cut the hands of those who could not pay. A young hero named Brabo cut the giants hand and threw it in the river. Hence, the city got its name Ant+wearpan = hand+ throw

Statue of Brabo.

CATHEDRAL OF OUR LADY

Listed as a World Heritage site. Though there were plans to construct five towers, only one was built finally. The constructed tower has one of the tallest spire in the nearby regions with a height of about 123m.

PLANTIN PRESS

The Plantin Press was the center of publishing in Europe during the sixteenth century. Currently a Unesco World Heritage site and is known as Museum PlantinMoretus. It consists of one of the oldest surviving printing presses in the world.

Rubenshuis

Home of Peter Paul Rubens, a German-born Flemish Baroque painter. The self portrait of Rubens is a major attraction for tourists. The museum is open from 10 am to 17 pm, closed Monday every day.

Het Steen HET STEEN

Het Steen is a fortress in the city of Antwerp. Built to protect the city after the viking invasions in the fifteenth century, the fortress has now been converted into a museum. At the entrance bridge there is a statue of a giant and two humans, depicting the giant Lange Wapper who used to terrorise the inhabitants during the medieval times.

Grote Markt

Situated in the middle of the city, the place is surrounded by the Town hall and the houses of Guilds with the Cathedral of our lady in the background. The famous Brabo fountain, named after the hero who killed Antigoon is also situated here.

 Some of the other major sights in Antwerp are Antwerp Zoo, Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Musuem of Modern Arts, Middelheim park etc. To know more about the various attractions you can visit our Antwerp Travel Guide, which will provide you more more information about Antwerp or use the travel planner.