Antwerp, Belgium – A Travel Guide
Posted On August 12, 2011
Antwerp is one of Belgium’s most beautiful cities, and a center for culture, commerce, sea faring, diamonds, fashion and a whole lot more. The city is a pulsating metropolis, with the best of attractions for the seasoned traveler. There are a great number of historical attractions that stand in picture book testimony to the history of the city. Antwerp is also famous as the city of Pieter Paul Rubens, the world famous painter.
Antwerp is home to a number of attractions related to culture and history. The architecture here is just as impressive. But the crowning attraction is definitely the beer here. Belgium is definitely the beer capital of the world, and you can sample everything from Trappist beer, to the ones available at the various cafes, pubs, bars and other estaminets.
Let us take a look at the top attractions worth visiting Antwerp for.
The Cathedral of Our Lady . . .
The Cathedral of Our Lady was started to be built in the fourteenth century. The primary construction stage was completed by the sixteenth century, but the rest could not be finished. The cathedral is home to numerous works by Rubens and numerous others. The cathedral was declared a world heritage site by the UNESCO.
The Central Station . . .
The Central Station is one of the most beautiful railway stations in the whole of Europe, if not the world. It was designed by Louis Delacenserie, and was built at the turn of the twentieth century. This is a new baroque monument, with gilt and marble in the interior and a large dome of metal and glass.
The Rubenshuis . . .
The Rubenshuis was once the studio and residence for Pieter Paul Rubens in the 16 t h and 17 t h century. The house, along with the courtyard and garden was designed by Rubens himself drawing inspiration from baroque and Italian renaissance architecture.
