New York City, Holland and Belgium in the Springtime
April 19 - May 6, 2014
Part Four - River Cruise from Rotterdam to Antwerp, Belgium
Page 13 - Antwerp, Belgium
Our last stop was Antwerp, Belgium. Here is Het Steen Castle.
At the entrance bridge to the castle is a statue of a giant and two
humans. It depicts the legendary giant Lange Wapper who used
to terrorize the inhabitants of the city in medieval times.
Het Steen is a medieval fortress in the old city center of Antwerp,
one of Europe's biggest ports. Built after the Viking incursions in the
early Middle Ages as the first stone fortress of Antwerp, Het Steen
is Antwerp's oldest building and used to be its oldest urban center.
Antwerp is capital of the Antwerp province of Belgium. With a
population of 510,610, it is the second most populous city in Belgium,
after the capital Brussels, and its metropolitan area, with over 1,190,769
inhabitants, is also the second largest metropolitan area in Belgium.
Antwerp is located on the river Scheldt, which is linked to the North
Sea by the Westerschelde estuary. The Port of Antwerp is one of the
biggest ports in the world, ranking third in Europe and within the
top 20 globally.
Antwerp City Hall at the Grote Markt
The City Hall stands on the western side of Antwerp's Grote Markt
(Great Market Square). Erected between 1561 and 1565, this
Renaissance building incorporates both Flemish and Italian influences.
The City Hall is on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
In the middle of the 'Grote Markt' stands the Brabo fountain. The statue
was made by sculptor Jef Lambeaux in 1887. According to a legend,
a terrible giant, called Druoon Antigoon, lived on the banks of the
river Scheldt in ancient times. Whenever sailors on the Scheldt river
refused to pay toll to the giant, he punished them by cutting off their
hands. A Roman soldier, Silvius Brabo, managed to kill the giant.
Brabo cut off the hand of the giant and threw the hand away in the
river. Hence, according to the legend, the name of the city (to throw
a hand). A nice legend, but untrue. Nevertheless, the 'hand' is the
symbol of Antwerp. There are hands in the town flag. Also there are
several sweets in the form of a hand (cookies, chocolates).
In any case, without the Brabo fountain, the Grote Markt would
not be complete. The water of the fountain is not caught in a
basin, but just simply disappears under the stones of the
monument where it enters in a closed water circuit.
16th century guildhouses at the Grote Markt
A guild is an association of artisans or merchants who control
the practice of their craft in a particular town. The earliest types
of guild were formed as fraternities of workers. They were organized
in a manner something between a professional association, trade union,
a cartel, and a secret society. They often depended on grants of letters
patent by a monarch or other authority to enforce the flow of trade to
their self-employed members, and to retain ownership of tools and the
supply of materials. A lasting legacy of traditional guilds are the guildhalls
constructed and used as meeting places.
Cathedral of Our Lady is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Antwerp.
Today's see of the Diocese of Antwerp was started in 1352 and, although
the first stage of construction was ended in 1521, has never been
completed. In Gothic style, it contains a number of significant works
by the Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens, as well as paintings by
artists such as Otto van Veen, Jacob de Backer and Marten de Vos.
The cathedral is on the list of World Heritage Sites.
Lace, Belgian chocolates, and Belgian Beers stores,
all things Belgium is known for.
2 kids playing
Cathedral of Our Lady and Statue of painter Peter Paul Rubens,
who lived in Antwerp in the 17th century, as seen from Groenplaats.
The Groenplaats or 'Green Place', one of Antwerp's most
prominent squares, is located in the heart of the city's historic district,
near the cathedral. At its center stands the statue of Antwerp's most
famous painter, Rubens. Groenplaats is a square bordered mainly by cafés.
Store in Antwerp where Pat purchased hand made Belgian chocolate.
Cathedral of Our Lady
Above the entrance to the Cathedral of Our Lady
Inside the Cathedral
"The Raising of the Cross" by Peter Paul Rubens on display inside the
Cathedral.
Cathedral ceiling
"The Descent from the Cross" by Peter Paul Rubens
It's a dog's life
Mannequin in lace
Mom and kids outside an ice cream store
The crew of the River Harmony at the end of the cruise
THE END
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