Today we are going to take the train to Antwerp for the day and explore this city. To catch the train it appears that we need to get to the Midi station which is not difficult. As it turns out, we learned later, the North Station is a stop for this train and since that station is within walking distance, we are not sure why we the internet suggested we needed to go to the Midi station. Live and learn.
Before we left we discussed taking our passports with us and I had mine with the Eurail ticket so ended up taking it. The debate was based on the potential need to show the passport to verify our rightful use of the Eurail. In the more than 2 ½ months of travel with the Eurail pass we have been asked only once for the passports so it did not seem to be a need. So Wes did not take his passport, and of course today was the day we were asked for it. Fortunately we only got a lecture of the importance of having our passports with us and the Eurail pass was accepted. This of course made us a bit nervous about our return trip, but once again no request was made for the passport. In fact the train person commented on the amount of wear and tear there was on the ticket.
It is a short trip by train to Antwerp from Brussels (less than one hour) and a very comfortable ride. We arrived to the Antwerp Central Station and got off the train to stand in awe at this station. There are at least 3 levels where there are train platforms and we arrived in the lowest level. The ride up the escalators seemed lengthy but that was hard to notice as we gawked at the impressive domed ceilings high above. The station is now widely regarded as the finest example of railway architecture in Belgium.
The original station building was constructed between 1895 and 1905 as a replacement for the original terminus of the Brussels-Mechelen-Antwerp Railway. The stone clad terminus buildings, with a vast dome above the waiting room hall were designed by Louis Delacenserie and the vast (185 metres long and 44 metres high) iron and glass train shed by Clement van Bogaert. The viaduct into the station is also a notable structure designed by local architect Jan Van Asperen.
At the end of the waiting room is a massive multi-story high ‘building front’ with a clock set in the center. Above this is the dome which is clearly visible when you step outside of the station and look back and up.
As we headed down the street we noticed a McDonald’s and since we have wanted to bring the blackberry up todate with files, we stopped there for a coffee and use of the hotspot. Little did we know that we would encounter at least 3 more McDonald’s today in the short distance we walked. I am not sure why there seem to be so many, but there are.
We walked from the Central Station down the main avenue towards the old city and the Grote Market (Grand Market). In the distance of a couple of km the name of the street changed 4 times, so do not ask for a name, just walk forward but assume that you can call it the Meir Avenue.
The Ruben House was our first stop. In a side-street (named 'Wapper') of the Meir Avenue stands the former house of Peter Paul Rubens, the greatest and most famous of all the Antwerp painters. Rubens bought an existing 16th century house here, after he had returned from his stay in Italy (1600-1608). He lived in the house from 1616 onwards and died here in 1640. He had it embellished and turned it into one of the most elegant Renaissance-Baroque Houses of the Low Countries, with a beautiful restyled garden and an impressive entrance. It was here that most of his splendid Baroque paintings were created.
After his death the house was sold to others who, through the course of time, changed it considerably. In 1937 the severely damaged house was bought by the City of Antwerp. Two old sketches from the 1680's (the oldest known images of the house) were used as basis for the restoration. We walked through this museum of art and other collectibles with including engravings, stoneware, enamel on copper, ivory sculpture and marble, terracotta pieces, silver, carved household pieces and gilded leather.
What was very nice that with the entrance fee we were given a well prepared booklet with descriptions of the major highlights in the sequence we walked through the house. This may have been self-guided, but it definitely was guide supported.
After leaving the Ruben House we returned the Meir Avenue (another name by now) and headed towards the steeple of the The Cathedral of Our Lady (Dutch: Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal) which is a Roman Catholic cathedral. Today's see of the Diocese of Antwerp was started in 1352 and, although the first stage of construction was ended in 1521, has never been 'completed'. Where the cathedral now stands, there was a small chapel of Our Lady from the 9th to the 12th century, which acquired the status of parish church in 1124. During the course of the twelfth century, it was replaced by a larger Romanesque church. In 1352, construction was begun on a new Our Lady’s church which would become the largest Gothic church in the Netherlands. In the beginning, it was to be provided with two towers of equal height. In 1521, after nearly 170 years, the new church of Our Lady was ready. The south tower reached only as far as the third string course. During the night of October 5–6, 1533, the new church was largely gutted by fire. The completion of the second tower was therefore delayed, which led to its ultimate postponement.
As we rounded the corner to reach the base of this very impressive structure we debated going in to have a look around. However, once we learned of the cost for entrance we decided to skip it this time. It is very impressive on the outside and I am sure also impressive on the inside, but we have seen several cathedrals in Europe and we had other things we wanted to do today in preference.
From the Cathedral it was an extremely short walk to Grote Market (Grand Market) which is a square in the city, situated in the old town. Within walking distance (via Suikerrui ) is the Scheldt River. Here we found:
The Town Hall (Stradhuis), built on the foundations of the old city hall which had burned, is a Renaissance building. It was built between 1561 and 1564. The town hall was mostly built in the Renaissance style; the middle section is already reminiscent of the Baroque.
Very obvious were the Guild Halls, such as St. George Guildhall and the Falcon, in all their splendour. The Guild Halls were the buildings where the board of a guild was housed and where the members held their meetings.
In the center of the Grand Market is the Brabo Fountain which was sculptured by Jef Lambeaux representing the legend. According to the legend, more than 2,000 years ago, when Antwerp was just a small settlement in the Roman Empire, Druoon Antigoon - a giant from Russian descent - built a large castle along the river Scheldt. He exacted a toll from every passing ship sailing down the river. The giant cut off the hands of sailors who were unable or unwilling to hand over half of their cargo, and threw their hands in the river. One day, the Roman soldier Brabo sailed along the giant's castle. He refused to pay the toll and challenged Antigoon to a duel. Brabo managed to defeat the giant, cut off his head and hand and threw it in the river.
According to popular etymology the city's name - Antwerpen - is derived from the act of Brabo throwing the hand ('handwerpen' in Flemish). The hand symbolizes the free waterway, which was vital for the city's survival. The hand also became a symbol of Antwerp and appeared on city seals as early as in the 13th century. Even today it is prominently visible in the city: the hand is displayed on the city's coat of arms and a local delicacy, known as 'handje' is shaped like a hand.
I was not all that impressed with the statute until I read about the legend because it does have a hand chopped off and being thrown. Not only that but at the base of the fountain is the figure of a body which has been be-headed and has one had missing (guess where that hand is!). If that was not enough, the fountain has water spraying out of several ‘arteries’ of the severed parts creating the image of blood squirting forward. This is not something you would want to have to explain to a very impressionable child. However, after hearing the legend it all makes sense.
As we walked over to the river we noticed the Steen Castle which was not in any of our write-ups. Of course we simply added a visit to our list of to-do’s.
The Steen Castle is an historic medieval fortress in the old city centre of Antwerp. Built after the Viking incursions in the early Middle Ages as the first stone fortress of Antwerp, Steen Castle is Antwerp's oldest building and used to be its oldest urban centre. Previously known as Antwerpen Burcht (fortress), Het Steen gained its current name in around 1520, after significant rebuilding under Charles V. The rebuilding led to it being known first as "'s Heeren Steen" (the King's stone castle), and later simply as "Het Steen" (The stone castle). The fortress made it possible to control the access to the Scheldt River. It was also used as a prison between 1303 and 1827.
At the entrance bridge to the castle is a statue of a giant and two humans. It is the depiction of the giant Lange Wapper who used to terrorise the inhabitants of the city in medieval times. This is just before the bridge that leads into the front gate of the castle.
In 1890 Het Steen became the museum of archaeology and in 1952 an annex was added to house the museum of the Antwerp maritime history. Here you’ll also find a war memorial to the Canadian soldiers in WWII. Again finding the plaque and war memorial dedicated to Canadian soldiers was not planned but very a much welcomed surprise. Since the castle itself was not open to the public all we managed was to walk through the main gate and up to the boardwalk behind before retracing our steps.
One of the things we had heard about was the St Anna Tunnel. The St. Anna Tunnel is a pedestrian and bicycle tunnel under the River Scheldt. The construction of the St. Anna Tunnel began in 1931 and the tunnel was opened in1933. This 572 meters long tunnel, which is 31.57 meters below the ground, is known as the Pedestrian Tunnel and connects the city on the two sides of the river, in other words, the older with the newer Antwerp.
We could find the information on the map but it took some critical thinking to figure out how to find the entrance. We expected to find the entrance beside the river, but in fact it was on the far side of the street. Once we located the entrance it was a simple matter to take the escalators down (two sets of escalators in fact) to reach the tunnel and walk to the far side. After taking the escalators back up again we were on the river bank looking back towards the old town of Antwerp.
Our visit to Antwerp was rapidly coming to an end as we looked at the clock and decided that we needed to start the process of returning to the train station for a train back. We had a really good day as we strolled through an old city and saw many of the things that make it an unique and interesting place to visit. We have only one more day here in Brussels and we are looking at several options, but as usual after one week we are just starting to feel we know our way around, and then we are heading off again. Well, we can not stay in any place too long now can we!
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