For the Partner programme we offer 2 sightseeing tours which allow you to discover the history of Antwerp and its civiliants.
- HISTORIC ANTWERP TOUR with accredited guides (2 hours)
Are people in Antwerp a bit more arrogant than other Belgians or is their playful banter misunderstood pride in their glorious city?
Port of Antwerp-Bruges: the second largest port in Europe; Diamonds are Antwerp’s best friend; five monumental churches; informative and impressive museums; UNESCO world heritage; … :there are plenty of reasons to be proud.
On this historic tour you will get a first impression of our bustling, multicultural city.
City hall, Vleeshuis, het Steen, Conscienceplein and Carolus Borromeus, Officina Plantiniana: each of these centuries-old buildings had a tumultuous history and they have all found new lives.
The University of Antwerp/Stadscampus, by the way, has some splendid examples of historic buildings that retain their old-world charm while having been transformed into modern centres of learning.
There are, moreover, lots of tall stories to be told, moving and macabre, informative and entertaining tales. And if you feel a tad overwhelmed, there’s always chocolate (and chips, coffee, waffles, beer and so much more).
The tour begins at 10:00, starting point: Grote Markt 13, 2000 Antwerp.
Finish between 12:00 -12:30. in the University of Antwerp, Aula Rector Dhanis, Kleine Kauwenberg. - SNIJDERS&ROCKOX HOUSE and CATHEDRAL (ONZE-LIEVE- VROUWEKATHEDRAAL) with accredited guides (2,5 hours)
Orhan Pamuk, the Turkish Nobel Prize-winning author wrote (New York Times, 03/2014): “Museums must not confine themselves to showing us pictures and objects from the past; they must also convey the ambiance of the lost time from which those objects have come to us. And this can only happen through personal stories.”
KBC owns the Snijders&Rockox houses and the exquisite collection, which also includes engravings, furniture, sculptures and textiles. Every room breathes the ambiance of the 16th and 17th centuries.
And yes, we have plenty of stories to tell you in this wonderful museum.
Nicolaas Rockox played a leading role in the public life of Antwerp for almost half a century as burgomaster and alderman. In his splendid house, Den Gulden Rinck he had a large collection of artworks, antiques, rare objects and coins. He was a close personal friend of Peter Paul Rubens, commissioning several important pieces. Rockox was also a philanthropist.
Frans Snijders, the renowned baroque painter of animals, still life and pantries, was Rockox’s neighbour.
We spend about 1 ½ hours in the museum and from there it is but a short walk to the tallest Gothic church in the Low Countries: the Cathedral of Our Lady, a gothic jewel with Baroque works of art and 19th century Neo-Gothic additions.
You won’t know where to look first: the 4 Rubens paintings are, of course, the eye-catchers, but also the stained-glass windows, sculptures, choir stalls ánd the architecture itself will take your breath away.
The tour begins at 14:00 at Keizerstraat 10-12, 2000 Antwerp.
Finish at 16:30 in the Cathedral.
Contact
EATLP office