In Antwerp we have a controversial building at the outskirts of town: The Law Courts. We call it also the ‘Vlinderpaleis’ (Butterfly palace) because it has strange ‘wings’ on the roof. A sweet name for such a building.

It was designed by the famous architect Richard Rogers. When it was finished in 2006 everybody spoke of it. Some people thought it was ugly, others thought it was a spectacular beauty. It cost a fortune and it took years to build it. The roof is made of stainless steel and looks like shark fins or waves. From a lot of places in the city you can see the threatening rooftops.

They used also a lot of glass. ‘They’ say they want to make every visitor at ease by the glass and the open character of the building. I don’t find it a reassuring place. It looks dangerous and impressive on the outside. The hall is enormous.

I go there sometimes for my work (Juvenile Court). Behind the glossy facade it is a sad place where they made some crucial errors in the design and for people who have unpleasant business to take care of it’s cold and hostile.

I live very close to this building. At night it can be special – like a big dragon in the dark. It is great for photographers. I can recommend everybody to pass by, to look inside, but remember: in the belly of the dragon there is mostly misery.

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Court house of Antwerp | Art & culture | Free
Bolivarplaats 20 | Zuid | +3232578011
Mon – Fri 08:30 – 12:30 & 13:30 – 16:00, closed on holidays

The Zwarte Panther (Black Panter) is a famous art gallery in Antwerp where I walk in from time to time. In the Hoogstraat, a small street where no cars are allowed, you wouldn’t expect this interesting complex building with nice spaces, a cute inner court, a chapel, a cellar and a little house behind the chapel.

In 1303 it was a little guesthouse (Sint Julianus Gasthuis) where poor pilgrims could stay a while. In 1968 the gallery opened. They say it is the oldest gallery in Flanders and the second oldest in Belgium for contemporary art. Adriaan Raemdonck, the gallery owner is passionate and takes his job very seriously.

There are almost permanently exhibitions by famous artists like Fred Bervoets, Jan Cox, Pjeroo Roobjee, Sam Dillemans, Jan Vanriet and many others.

I find it a an interesting place, not only because of the great art you can find there, but also because of the location from the Middle ages. The chapel (restored in 1956-1958) is simple but beautiful, the art in it is special. The inner court is idyllic, the rooms upstairs are light and pleasant. The art of Fred Bervoets is impressive.

Once in a time I walk in, and enjoy this oasis in the city. It is a spot where art meets history and that’s a good marriage.

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Zwarte Panter | Art & culture | Free
Hoogstraat 70-72-74 | Meir | +3232331345
Thu – Sun 13:30 – 18:00

A couple of years ago, when I lived in the north of the city – which is a relatively poor part of the city – there was one specific object that stole my heart. It was Pepto Bismo…

This extraordinary nice ‘Panamarenko’ lands on the corner of the Sint-Jansplein, which is the biggest square in Antwerp. Pepto Bismo is a statue of the strange Belgian artist Panamarenko, who’s called a great visionary. He was born in 1940 as Henri Van Herreweghe and choose his artistname from a combination of the Pan American Airlines and the Russian ending -enko.

Panamarenko is world famous for his scalemodels and drawings of bizarre spaceships, aircrafts and submarines. He donated Pepto Bismo in 2003 to the city and Pepto was placed in this poor neighbourhood where Panamarenko lived almost all his live.

A lot of people were surprised that a such a nice statue was placed in this ‘ghetto-area’ of Antwerp. And it was also placed on a low socle. Everybody thought that Pepto would be molested very soon.

But today he is still there. Shiny and unharmed. Pepto Bismo is a wonderful statue. He makes me happy. In the time I lived there, I had to pass Pepto Bismo every time when I went to the shops. I looked up to him many times. For me he represents believe and hope.

And what do you think… Is he taking off or landing?

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Pepto Bismo | Art & culture | Free
Sint Jansplein | Eilandje
24 hours daily

When you are in Antwerp on a Friday morning, it is something you really have to see: the strange and famous ‘Vrijdagse Markt’.

It’s great and it’s so typically Antwerp. It’s Friday morning adventure. A second hand market but as an auction: they talk really ‘aantwaarps’ and sometimes you think they will be fighting soon because people get all excited.

They mostly sell furniture and bicycles but it is incredible what else you can buy there: a box with toothbrushes made in 1963, a complete correspondence between a mother and a son over twenty years, a broken toaster, etc. Sometimes it is real rubbish and sometimes it is a treasure. A lot of the things come from old people that died, shops that went bankrupt.

It starts at nine in the morning and it finishes at one o’clock in the afternoon. The garbage car comes between one and two and cleans the whole square. And that’s necessary. All the things that nobody wanted are left behind.

I don’t know how long it already exists, but I guess it has always been there. I’m mostly working on a Friday morning and I don’t go there often, but when I have the chance I don’t want to miss it, this special market, so lively, so energetic.

Tip: the museum of Plantijn en Moretus is on the same square…

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Friday Market | Art & culture, Shopping | Free
Vrijdagmarkt | Meir
Fri 09:00 – 13:00

If you are tired of the classic tourist bus, I can recommend a safari trip with tram 12. There are eleven trams in Antwerp, but this one is the most interesting.Tram 12 has its terminus at the famous Antwerp courthouse (check the Courthouse article) and when you get in there you are sure of a seat…

So you start at the trendy South, where you can see Antwerp in all its glory. Tram 12 drives you over the Leien (also called ‘den Boulevard’), the former ramparts of the city. You see the nice building of the National Bank and also by the beautiful opera building on the Amerikalei. You’ll see the impressive Central Station.

By now the tram is probably full of people with of all kinds of colours. And then you travel straight into a different world. First: the notorious De Coninckplein. On this square addicts and tramps gather. But remember: behind the glass you are safe!

Tram 12 goes on through the poor part of Antwerp where 181 different nationalities live! Eventually you’ll get to the Sportpaleis, the big arena for events (Proximus Diamond Games, concerts). On its way back tram 12 also shows you Chinatown and a piece of Africa…Tram 12 doesn’t travel through the old city centre but it shows an interesting part for the visitor that wants a deeper insight into Antwerp.

Tip: With a 10-ride card (€9) you can travel 10 times with all the trams in the city for 1 hour.

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Tram 12 | Art & culture, Relaxing | Ticket (in tram) € 1.60
Bolivarplaats – Schijnpoortweg | Zuid
05:40 – 00:40 daily (every 10 or 20 minutes)

At a stone’s throw of the big market you can find the delightful peace of the ‘Conscienceplein’. It is a small square with a big baroque church (check the Carolus Borromeus article by Niko) that on one side overrules the square, but on the other side you don’t notice the church and you see only the cute square with the white stripes on the ground and the strange fountain and the tree.

For me the ‘Conscienceplein’ is the square I spent the first years of my life. I fell in the fountain under the statue there when I was three and almost drowned. I made my first snowman there. As a kid I ran over the stripes like they were bridges over a cliff.

Now I love especially the quietness and friendliness of the place – it is an oasis in the middle of the city center.

The fairy-like tree puts you in the shadow when it’s hot and gives you shelter when it rains, and the ‘writer on his chair’ (Hendrik Conscience) is always watching over you. And under the square is the biggest and oldest library in town.

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Hendrik Conscienceplein | Art & culture, Relaxing
Hendrik Conscienceplein | Meir
24 hours daily

On a lazy Sunday I love to walk through the Kloosterstraat. It’s my favorite ‘window shop street’. Most of the shops sell antiques: furniture, books, nice African antiques, etc. Some sell bathroom antiques, others sell Christmas decoration or fifties-objects. The fun is that there is this great amusing diversity and incredible curiosa.

The Kloosterstraat is like a constant changing open air museum where you can buy the strangest objects. If you have enough money of course. That’s an important detail: almost everything in the Kloosterstraat is heavily overpriced. But it is a pleasure to discover all the secret objects that are lost in time and lost in the Kloosterstraat.

They say that this street has an international reputation and that a lot of wardrobes and tables and books and stuff are sold overseas, but that I don’t know. What I do know is that I’m full of plans and dreams when I walk through this street. Plans for how I’m going to decorate that really big castle when I have that disgraceful amount of money.

I find it an amusing walk to the city center because every time I see things that I cannot believe or things that I never expected to see ever again. I can recommend a spaziergang to the South through the Kloosterstraat. And if you can resist all the beautiful things, it’s free…

On Monday and Tuesday the most shops are closed. The weekend is the best moment to visit this street…

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Kloosterstraat | Art & culture, Shopping
Kloosterstraat | Sint Andries
Aproximately Wed – Sun 10:00 – 18:00

This old building has a rich history. It was built in 1934 as a gigantic cinema (seating over 2000 people) and variety theatre. It has seen all of Belgium’s artists and a whole range of international artists too. However, in 1982 it closed its doors and fell into decay.

In 2003 a group of enthusiastic neighbors started to renovate this amazing building in their spare time. In the beginning, there were only shows in the summer. It was a fun and strange experience enjoying a circus act in the middle of all the rubble. Nowadays, the revue is restored in its original, breathtaking stage.

Whenever I come here to see a show, it feels like I dive into the past, like any minute cancan girls will jump from behind the curtains, being cheered by a baron with a bowler hat and a monocle. In the hall there are fantastic vintage wall paintings and fun house mirrors, such a great laugh! Everybody who works there during the soirees is a volunteer, so be sure to give them a big smile for their efforts.

Check the calendar for shows: this can go from a theatre show over cinema and circus festivals, ballroom dancing nights (don’t be confused, you’ll have to do the dancing yourself!) and even a children’s flea market.

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De Roma | Art & culture, Cinemas, Music, Theaters
Turnhoutse Baan 286 | Stationsbuurt | +3232929740
Check website for shows

I remember guiding a friend around in Antwerp, showing him a great amount of fantastic places, and at the end of the day, dropping him off to go home, he was most impressed by our grand central train station.

The station was built at the end of the 19th century in a magnificent eclectic style. The roof over the platform is a translucent structure of steel and windows that will remind you of the Eiffel Tower. If this will be the first time you visit, you probably won’t believe 5 years ago this station only had 6 platforms. Recent structure works have expanded the station to about 24 platforms built into a large gaping hole. You’ll have to see it to believe it!

The station is now roofing a large part of Antwerp’s famous jewellery and diamond shops (however we Antwerpians don’t go there, beware of tourist traps!) and other facilities.

So don’t worry if you miss a train, you’ll have a great time exploring the station! In fact, Centraal Station Antwerpen has even been voted Europe’s most beautiful train station, I second that!

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Centraal Station Antwerpen | Art & culture, Shopping
Koningin Astridplein | Stationsbuurt | +3232320103
05:00 – 02:00 daily

Even though it’s only one street long, Antwerp has its own little China town. I come here of course to buy ingredients for Asian dishes at reasonable prices, but I also love to stroll by and enjoy the atmosphere: exotic fruits and vegetables being unloaded from trucks, strong and unknown fragrances, a small Buddhist temple… And if you’re lucky, there might be a Chinese festivity going on. It feels like traveling!

In September 2010 the Antwerp Chinese community was gifted a traditional gate at the entry of the Van Wesenbekestraat. It’s a beautifully decorated and it already has become a landmark in Antwerp. It was specially designed for Antwerp in China, so the trams can ride underneath it as well. A year later, it appeared to be a bit crappy built, and they are still fixing it now as you read.

There are many shops in the street, my favorite is ‘Asia Food’: a small supermarket with neat rows stacked with Asian products. I always find what I need, and sometimes discover new exotic ingredients. ‘DK’ is known as the best restaurant in the street. It serves real, authentic Chinese food.

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Van Wesenbekestraat | Art & culture, Shopping, Restaurants (Chinese)
Van Wesenbekestraat | Stationsbuurt
Daily