Boerentoren

Being an old port and merchant city, Antwerp has sumptuous guild houses and historic churches aplenty. In recent years, ambitious contemporary projects like the MAS Museum and the Port House have joined the landscape, leaving the Belgian city with an exciting architectural mix. Here are 11 of the most impressive buildings to check out.
Erected in 1905 to reflect Belgium’s transportation prowess, the Antwerp Central Station is one of the world’s foremost railway beauties. Especially striking is its collage of styles. Louis Delacenserie, who earned a name for himself by sprucing up much of Bruges and returning the city to former glory, clad the ticket hall in gold and marble to recall the Renaissance. Meanwhile, railway engineer Clément van Bogaert used the materials of the industrial revolution to create a state-of-the-art train shed. Fanciful stone turrets guide the way when chugging in or out of the station.
Station Antwerpen-Centraal, 2018 Antwerp
Central Station | © Gregoria Puga Bailón / Flickr
Antwerp’s latest architectural prestige piece recalls a ship glittering with diamonds. In designing the new international Port House, Zaha Hadid Architects had to take into account the old firehouse already present on site, a protected monument. The eye-catching expansion on top usually elicits a love it/hate it response.
Hoofdzetel Havenbedrijf Antwerpen, Nieuw Havenhuis, Zaha Hadidplein 1, 2030 Antwerp
The Port House | © Bobo Boom / Flickr
As far as avenues go, the Cogels-Osylei in the charming Zurenborg neighborhood is one for the books. This cobbled lane is lined with turn-of-the-century villas in every ‘neo’ style imaginable, with each more extravagant than the next. A great place for a walk.
Cogels-Osylei | © Dave Van Laere / courtesy of Visit Antwerp | © Dave Van Laere / Visit Antwerp
While the sprawling City Hall on the Grote Markt Square technically dates back to the 16th-century, only its outer walls are that old. Even then, it’s often the over-the-top 19th-century baroque interiors that leave visitors breathless. Antwerpenaars have taken to calling the lush mayor’s chambers ‘t Schoon Verdiep, or ‘the beautiful floor’. The remarkable rooms are only open to the public on special occasions.
Stadhuis, Grote Markt 1, 2000 Antwerp
City Hall | © Dave Van Laere / courtesy of Visit Antwerp
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