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| The giant hand slaying hero |
It's easter again and this weekend we got in the car
and drove south into Belgium! With some slight trepidation after recent
terrorist attacks we forewent our purchased bus tickets and opted for the car
(in case we needed to make a quick get away).
However there was nothing to be concerned about and
the whole weekend was amazing! Having the car though meant we were much more
flexible and so we were able to explore the northern city of Antwerp on our way
to and from Bruges.
According to old folk tales the city of Antwerp got
its name from a legend about a fierce giant called Antigoon who lived near the
city's river. He exacted a toll from passing boatmen, and for those who
refused, he kindly severed one of their hands and threw it into the river.
Eventually the giant was killed by a young hero who is idolised in statue form
in the city’s main centre.
The hero cut off the giant's own hand and flung it
into the river! Karma right? So the name Antwerpen comes from Dutch ‘hand werpen’, akin to Old English hand and wearpan (to
throw), which has evolved to today's warp. So the city’s name literally translates to hand thrower!
However, before the hand-throwing giant, historical
Antwerp allegedly had Roman roots. Excavations carried out in the oldest
section near the river, indicate the area was populated mid-2nd century to the
end of the 3rd century.
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| Heading into the old town |
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| Walking through Antwerp |
As we arrived into Antwerp it was cold, cloudy and
gusty. We drove around looking for somewhere to park. Initially we weren't
impressed by what we saw, it was grey and everything looked ‘square’ and we
even thought about just driving on through. Eventually we found a parking spot
by the old wharf along the city river (the river Scheldt) and walked towards
the old centre.
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| Easter parades under the town hall |
We walked into the old town, down the Vlasmarkt and we
heard whiffs of music caught in the gusting wind. A marching band was playing
under the towering city hall and their music created an amazing atmosphere as
we realised how beautiful Antwerp really was!
We did feel a little nervous and
exposed in the square but the beauty of the buildings and the easter show had
us relaxing.
We grabbed a seat and watched the traditionally dressed folk
dancing and singing for a few minutes.
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| Amazing 16th century guild houses |
Antwerp really came into its own during
the 15th and 16th centuries. At the time the Spanish ruled over the area which
was then considered Hasburg Netherlands as the Spanish King was part of the
Hasburg Empire.
The then Dutch-speaking city (it wasn't part of Belgium until
1832 after the Siege of Antwerp) grew greatly in importance and at the end of
the 15th century when trading in nearby Bruges began to decline Antwerp began
to flourish.
Antwerp was the richest city in Europe in the 15th
century as trading boomed and during the first half of the 16th century Antwerp
grew to become the second-largest European city north of the Alps.
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| Blauwmoezelstraat |
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| Carolus Borromeuskerk |
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| Relaxing with a coffee on the main square |
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| Erfgoedbibliotheek (public library) |
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| Plaza in the centre of the old town |
Many foreign
merchants traded and stayed in the city selling their wares and making
fortunes. Hundreds of ships would pass through the ports in a day, and 2000
carts entered the city each week. At the beginning of the 16th century Antwerp
accounted for 40% of world trade. The city continued to prosper until the Dutch
revolution.
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| Panoramic of Grote Markt |
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| Looking up at the Cathedral of our Lady |
As we sat looking at the Renaissance-style Stadhuis
(the city hall) and listening to the band play, we admired the Grote Markt (Great
Market Square) and the stunning medieval Dutch houses called the guildhalls
which surrounded it.
The square, built between 1561 and 1565, incorporates
both Flemish and Italian influences (so, everything looked beautiful). The
amazing buildings are all protected UNESCO world heritage sights. The square itself
is laced with dark cobbles and towering above watching everything was the
Cathedral of our Lady.
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| Old well in the church square |
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| Walking up Oude Koornmarkt |
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| Local cookies in the shape of hands |
We walked around the quiet almost deserted old town
wondering where all the people were. We looked into the windows of dimly lit
bakeries and admired a lot of their chocolatey treats! One unusual biscuit we
saw is the local Antwerpse Handjes, literally "Antwerp Hands". Made
from a short pastry with almonds or milk chocolate, they symbolise the Antwerp
trademark and folklore. Quite delicious, like a mildly spiced shortbread.
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| Exploring quiet streets |
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| The windy kaasstraat |
Down the dark alleys we walked until we reached the
Cathedral of our Lady, a Roman Catholic cathedral. Started in 1352 and,
although the first stage of construction was ended in 1521, it has never been
completed. In Gothic style, similar to many across Spain, the Cathedral loomed
over the square below.
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| Cathedral of our Lady |
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| Buildings along Ernest van Dijckkaai |
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| Local cafe's selling waffles |
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| South side of Grote Markt |
The wind really picked up and so we moved along
looking for somewhere to grab lunch. On our way back as the sky cleared
slightly we made our way back to the river.
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| The medieval Het Steen fortress |
Although Antwerp was a fortified city many many moons ago, hardly anything remains except a replica of a medieval fortress named Het
Steen which has been partly rebuilt near the river.
We raced over and explored
the small stone castle which was originally built after the Viking incursions in
the early middle ages. From 1303 to 1827 it was used as a prison and quite fittingly two large menacing giants guard at the entrance!
After exploring Antwerp we were back in the car and on
our way to Bruges!
Tot siens,
John and Kara
