Wapper This street is directly off of the Meir and has a lovely fountain where people congregate in the nice weather, someone will likely be playing music, and cafes and trees are in full bloom. You'll also find Rubens House on this street, and one of my favorite lace shops. The cafes are a frequent stop as they are right around the corner from home. We stop here in the warm weather every chance we get. Enjoy the pics. (text taken from jack's travel guide) A major MUST of every visit to Antwerp is the Rubenshuis, an architectural masterwork of Flemish baroque, where the master, the "prince of Flemish painters" will orientate our steps in this sumptuous palace that he built with his own design when he was 33 years old. More than an aesthetic revelation, this museum proposes a journey into the life of a man. Rubens worked here all the rest of his life and lived here with the two women he loved, Isabella Brant, died from the plague in 1626 and Helena Fourment, Rubens married when he was 53 years old and she was barely 16. It's in this patrician house that he will execute most of his masterpieces. Radiating genius, centrifugal, Pieter Paul Rubens is Flemish through his colours and passions. "His life is the one that makes love life, from the beginning to the end" said Eugène Fromentin. Grand lord and diplomat, speaking several languages, Rubens left an indelible mark on universal art painting. |
Meir (taken from Jacks Travel Guide and the belgian travel network website) The Meir is the name of the most famous shopping street of Antwerp. This large avenue is now free of traffic and invites thousands of people every day to a pleasant shopping stroll in a beautiful historic surrounding. Starting the walk on the Meir, the painter Anthony Van Dijck stares upon us from his new pedestal since November 1992. The corner house of the Jezusstraat, on your right side, a refurbished 18th century building with the homage statue to Lodewijck Van Berckem, pioneer of diamond cutting and polishing. Roughly spoken, the shopping district of the Meir stretches from Our Lady's Cathedral to Central Station. Every major department store or clothes chain store existing in Europe has a large branch on the Meir. Display windows are identical to those of London, Paris, Amsterdam. They attract a loyal clientele, mostly from Holland. |
streets & entertainment shopping....eating |
see antwerp >> |
streets & entertainment shopping....eating |
Meir (taken from Jacks Travel Guide and the belgian travel network website) The Meir is the name of the most famous shopping street of Antwerp. This large avenue is now free of traffic and invites thousands of people every day to a pleasant shopping stroll in a beautiful historic surrounding. Starting the walk on the Meir, the painter Anthony Van Dijck stares upon us from his new pedestal since November 1992. The corner house of the Jezusstraat, on your right side, a refurbished 18th century building with the homage statue to Lodewijck Van Berckem, pioneer of diamond cutting and polishing. Roughly spoken, the shopping district of the Meir stretches from Our Lady's Cathedral to Central Station. Every major department store or clothes chain store existing in Europe has a large branch on the Meir. Display windows are identical to those of London, Paris, Amsterdam. They attract a loyal clientele, mostly from Holland. |
Entertainment The weekends draw crowds of shoppers and tourists and many forms of entertainment flock in to perform for them. There is the puppeteer who performs on the Meir for the children and if you're lucky, the father/son team will be entertaining with their bongo drums. I think it is the son's smile that draws the people but whatever it is, there is always a large crowd around them. The horse and carriage rides are a regular sight, and many show up dressed from the past and all in green. This guy on the left is the best. They stand perfectly still until someone drops a coin in their cup and then you get a show. Last but not least are the wonderful musicians that you find around every corner. My favorites are the guitar player that belts out the american tunes and the group from Ecuador that plays beautiful music with the pan flute. Many sell their own CDs and all appreciate donations. |
Wapper This street is directly off of the Meir and has a lovely fountain where people congregate in the nice weather, someone will likely be playing music, and cafes and trees are in full bloom. You'll also find Rubens House on this street, and one of my favorite lace shops. The cafes are a frequent stop as they are right around the corner from home. We stop here in the warm weather every chance we get. Enjoy the pics. (text taken from jack's travel guide) A major MUST of every visit to Antwerp is the Rubenshuis, an architectural masterwork of Flemish baroque, where the master, the "prince of Flemish painters" will orientate our steps in this sumptuous palace that he built with his own design when he was 33 years old. More than an aesthetic revelation, this museum proposes a journey into the life of a man. Rubens worked here all the rest of his life and lived here with the two women he loved, Isabella Brant, died from the plague in 1626 and Helena Fourment, Rubens married when he was 53 years old and she was barely 16. It's in this patrician house that he will execute most of his masterpieces. Radiating genius, centrifugal, Pieter Paul Rubens is Flemish through his colours and passions. "His life is the one that makes love life, from the beginning to the end" said Eugène Fromentin. Grand lord and diplomat, speaking several languages, Rubens left an indelible mark on universal art painting. |
The street boasts numerous beautiful historic buildings. One of the most important is the 'Osterrieth' house at number 85. This patrician house with carriage-entrance and interior courtyard was built between 1745-1746 by architect van Baurscheit in Rococo-style. The middle section has almost literally been carved out with a chisel and is decorated with a monumental fronton. It is now the seat of the Paribas Belgium bank and houses a remarkable collection of Belgian paintings. Another of the historical buildings alongside the Meir is situated at number 50. It used to be the former Royal Residence of the Belgian Kings in Antwerp. Many sovereigns lodged here during their visit to Antwerp: Willem van Oranje, Leopold I, Leopold II, King Albert I, and queen Elisabeth. It was also built, like the Osterrieth House, by architect Jan Pieter van Baurscheit in Rococo -style around 1745. It is now used for expositions and for the film museum. It is a beautiful testimony of the last wave of Baroque art, the ornately decorative Rococo Style. |
The building "Arenberg" (corner Meir-Wapper) has a splendid façade, and is now the store Esprit. The same with the house Pijpelinckx at no. 54 (19th century) wearing the name of Rubens mother, Maria Pijpelinckx. |
fountain on wapper |
