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19th-century neo-classicist theatre building. Charming from the outside and even nicer if you manage to get in for a theater show or a concert. It houses a spectacular pastry salon inside the large cupola above the theatre. Great place to have tea with cake or waffles, of course.
Bourla Theatre is a theatre located in Antwerp that seats around 900. The building is designed in a neoclassical style on the site of the former Tapissierspand tapestry market. The theatre was designed on request from the city in 1827 by the city architect Pierre Bourla. Construction began in 1829, but was delayed due to the Belgian Revolution. The theatre was finally finished in 1834 and opened under the name, Grand Théâtre or Théâtre Royal Français, on account of its ownership by a French company. Presently, the Bourla houses the theatre company Het Toneelhuis, which is a merger of the companies, Koninklijke Nederlandse Schouwburg and Blauwe Maandag Compagnie.
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The house of painter Peter Paul Rubens is now a museum of his life and artwork. Many of his paintings and artworks and his contemporaries are installed in the rooms, as well as furniture of his period. Paintings include his early Adam and Eve (c. 1600) and a self-portrait made when he was about fifty.
Farmers' Tower
Now called KBC Tower after the company that owns it, this 97-m skyscraper in the historical centre of town is said to be the oldest one on the European continent. It was built between 1929 and 1932. It is at the end of the Meir shopping street. The tower is renowned for its typical art-deco sculptures. It is not a skyscraper on the same scale as some that were erected in North America; for example the Empire State Building in New York, built at the same time, is 381 m.
Unlike the cathedral, this is a Baroque church. With a safe and minimal exterior, you would not know the beautiful decorations (done by Rubens' studio) are inside. It is on the picturesque square Conscienceplein.
Onze Lieve Vrouwekathedraal
One of the most impressive and largest Gothic cathedrals in Northern Europe, built in 1351 it stands over 400 ft tall. It also houses some of Rubens' most famous paintings.
The home of 16th-century bookbinder and printer Christoffel Plantin. Regarded as one of the finest museums dedicated to printing in the world. Its extensive collections of important books and printing presses along with its role in spearheading the technology of printing have seen it added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Connects Hoogstraat, Oude Koornmarkt and Pelgrimsstraat. It is a real street, but only accessible through unassuming medieval front doors in the streets. The medieval equivalent of a gated community. It now houses nice, informal restaurants and chic, discrete houses. A must see!