Guide for architecture lovers
The most impressive buildings in Antwerp
As an old port and trading city, Antwerp has guild houses and churches in abundance. Bold projects like the MAS and the Port House made the mix even more exciting. Inspiration for photographers, models and anyone with a soft spot for architecture.
Antwerp Central Station
Opened in 1905 and one of the world’s most beautiful stations. Louis Delacenserie lined the ticket hall with gold and marble; engineer Clément Van Bogaert added an ultra-modern train shed in steel and glass. Little towers show you the way.
The Port House
A ship that sparkles like a diamond. Zaha Hadid Architects placed it on an old fire station, a protected monument. It usually triggers a love-hate reaction, which is exactly what makes it photogenic.
The Cogels-Osylei
In charming Zurenborg: villas from around 1900 in every imaginable neo-style, each more extravagant than the last. A walk here is an architecture lesson, five minutes from the loft.
The MAS
From afar it looks as if Neutelings Riedijk Architects built the museum from red Lego: stacked boxes with wavy glass in between, in the middle of a dock. The rooftop panorama is free.
The Felix Warehouse
Diagonally opposite the MAS, on the water of the Eilandje. Once storage for cheese, coffee and grain, now the FelixArchief, “the memory of the city”, among beautifully repurposed warehouses.
St Charles Borromeo Church
On the peaceful Hendrik Conscienceplein. Rubens’ ceiling was lost after a lightning strike, but the baroque facade, said to be designed by Rubens, the marble and the woodcarving survived.
Rentaloft
Sleep in architecture?
After a day of buildings, sleep in a 220 m² architect’s loft with a 6-metre atrium. Minimum 2 nights, up to 6 people.