Antwerp
City of Diamonds, Fashion and Rubens
- Location: At the right side of the river Scheldt in the North of Belgium
- Area:204.50 km2
- Climate: mild sea climate
- Population: 472.071 (as of 2008, Source: National Institute for Statistics - NIS)
- People: 403.101 Belgians, 68.970 with foreign nationality
- Main religion: Christianity
- City subvisions: 9 city districts
Geography
Antwerp is the largest city of Flanders and after Brussels the second largest city of Belgium. She is a very important European maritime centre. Because of her central location the city together with the Port of Antwerp belongs to one of the most important trade centres in West -Europe. Antwerp is also the world centre for diamonds.
A peculiarity of Antwerp is its diversity of cultures. In Antwerp more than 170 nationalities are represented and because of that the city belongs to one of the most multicultural cities of the world.
Thanks to its convenient location, Antwerp is very easy to reach by public transport, by your own car, by plane or by ship.
Antwerp - a pocketsize metropolis
By attracting over 1.56 Million guests from all over the world every year, Antwerp is characterized with an international flair.
Antwerp is the real urban deal, a refreshingly down-to-earth yet vivacious cosmopolitan habitat blessed with magnificent architecture, fashionable shop fronts, beer-washed pubs, dazzling monuments, jazzed-up clubs, inspired artworks and restaurant tables piled with plates of superb Belgian and multicultural food. All those things will make sure of it that guests in Antwerp never get bored – whatever the reason of their visit is private or business like.
The Port of Antwerp is the second largest port in Europe, is one of the ten largest ports worldwide and also the most productive. A dense network of rivers and canals, streets and rail roads ensures a rapid connection with the hinterland. Today the Antwerp Port covers the area north of the city and stretches out over some 13,500 ha.
Every year 190 million tons of goods are treated.
Antwerp - World centre of diamonds
Antwerp World Diamond Centre is not just a slogan. “Antwerp quality” and “Antwerp cut” are international trade terms synonymous with perfect processing and flawless beauty.
After the port, the diamond industry is the second pillar of commercial activities. Every year more than 80% uncut diamonds and 50 % cut diamonds from all over the globe pass Antwerp.
The diamond trade of Antwerp has a yearly turnover of 23 billion dollars.
Some 1,500 diamond companies are concentrated in the city centre. In less than one square kilometre, nearby Central Station, more than half of all cut diamonds pass through a network of diamond cutting shops, diamond bourses and selling centres. Of the 25 diamond exchanges worldwide, 4 operate in Antwerp. Elegant showrooms offer the visitor fascinating tours and the opportunity to visit interesting exhibitions.
Antwerp – A Museum on its own
Landmark of the city is the gothic Cathedral of Our Lady with its 123 metre high tower. The Our Lady’s Cathedral of Antwerp reconciles ‘being’ with ‘becoming’. For five centuries, its north tower, which points toward God like a finger, has dominated the silhouette of the city without changing. But during that same period, the Cathedral was repaired and refurnished repeatedly. It assembles the various styles of the times - gothic, renaissance, baroque, rococo, and so on - without ever taking on a definitive form. Since 1999 the Cathedral belongs to the UNESCO world cultural heritage.
Antwerp’s „most famous resident” is Peter Paul Rubens, who was born 1577 in Germany and moved back together with his mom and brothers and sisters to Antwerp in 1589. His house and studio are one of the most important sights in Antwerp. This master of the Flemish Baroque was not only a leading painter, but also a book illustrator, designer and diplomat.
Important places in Antwerp where you can still follow in the footsteps of Rubens:
- Rubens House, the house where Rubens lived and worked for a large part of his life.
- The Royal Antwerp Museum for Fine Arts, housing the largest collection of Rubens paintings in Antwerp.
- Museum Plantin-Moretus, the printing house with which Rubens enjoyed both professional and friendly connections.
- Rockox House, the house of Mayor Nicolaas Rockox, a personal friend and important client of Rubens.
- Cathedral of Our Lady, where his masterpieces the Erection of the Cross and the Descent from the Cross can be admired.
- St. James's church, the parish church where the tomb of Rubens is located
- St. Charles Borromeo's church. Rubens worked on the construction and decoration of this Baroque church
- St. Paul’s church, where Rubens shines in a beautiful series of paintings next to works by Van Dyck and Jordaens.
Antwerp – city of fashion makers
As a fashion city Antwerp owes its reputation to the pioneers of the fashion movement, the so-called 'Antwerp Six': Walter Van Beirendonck, Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Van Saene, Dirk Bikkembergs and Marina Yee traveled to London and Paris together in the Eighties as well as Martin Margiela (the seventh). Together they conquered the fashion world with their very distinct vision of fashion.
In the wake of this inspirational movement a new generation of designers entered the field in the Nineties: Lieve Van Gorp, Anna Heylen, Stephan Schneider, Wim Neels and Christophe Broich. The movement has grown ever since. Raf Simons, Veronique Branquinho, A.F. Vandevorst, Jurgi Persoons, Angelo Figus, Bernhard Willhelm, Bruno Pieters, Tim Van Steenbergen, Anke Loh, Dirk Schönberger, Marjolijn Van den Heuvel, Christian Wijnants, Haider Ackermann, Erik Verdonck, Tom Notte and Bart Vandebosch for Les Hommes are all designers who have studied in Antwerp and still have an atelier, showroom or store in Antwerp.
Since 2002 the fashionable city of Antwerp also has its own fashion centre: the ModeNatie.
In this unique building in the historic centre of Antwerp the Flanders Fashion Institute, (see: MoMu), the Antwerp Fashion Academy, an artistic book store and a brasserie have all found a new home.
The high point of the Antwerp fashion season is the yearly fashion show of the Antwerp Academy, which draws more than 6,000 international visitors.
Antwerp – City of recreation & gastronomy
Almost 35 Museums, 6 concert halls, 1 opera, 3 cinema complexes as well as more than 25 theatres und free theatre groups characterize the diverse und varied recreation scene in Antwerp. Even during the summer time innumerable recreation activities such as theatre, circus & movie performances, music concerts, festivals and much more are being organised.
Over 600 restaurants and 1800 cafés will make sure of it that you will enjoy the most marvellous Belgian dishes and drinks. As a port, Antwerp already had an international presence. This can also be noticed by the huge variety of ethnic restaurants: Chinese, Japanese, Greek, Spanish, African, Arabic …
Invest in Flanders
Information on qualified Industrial Zones for foreign direct investment in Flanders
