
There are many buildings with style in Antwerp. This former shop has a front with ceramic tiles, a huge window and a great window with stained glass from the art déco era.
There are many buildings with style in Antwerp. This former shop has a front with ceramic tiles, a huge window and a great window with stained glass from the art déco era.
The current Royal Vlaamse Opera Antwerp building was opened in 1907 and can host 1000 guests. The architectural design comes from Alexis Van Mechelen and Emiel Van Averbeke. Next to the Opera there is a large building, the Antwerp Tower, a former office building transformed by Wiel Arets Architects to a residential building on the upper floors. The Belgian national road 1 in front of the Opera was relocated to a tunnel to make place for the pedestrians.
The port of Antwerp is huge and is now closer to the North Sea than it was centuries ago, when ships docked in the middle of the city. This part of the harbor, called Kattendijk Dock, was used until the end of the 20th century and then became part of the city.
Bourla Theatre (also known as Bourlaschouwburg) 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.
The Bourla is the last remaining municipal theatre in Europe with original stage machinery, which fill five levels above and below the stage. The building has been named a protected building since 1938, and therefore is regarded among the most important historic buildings in Belgium.
Text from wikipedia
The twist of the building is for a purpose. The architect wanted to capture more light and to shadow the neighborhood lesser. In addition, it is an eye-catcher and beautifully located in a newly created park.
Antwerp became a very rich community in the 16th century and these rich residents showed off their wealth. These guild houses are beautifully lit in the evening. Through intensive post-editing, I brought out these golden times even more clearly.
The Park Bridge provides a connection on foot or by bike between Park Spoor Noord and various new construction projects on Kop Spoor Nord with the Scheldt quays and the entire Eilandje.
This building is a statment. I am sure this photograph will be my favorite of all of my photographs in Antwerp I plan to make in the next years. For some insights into the building see (here on a website in German).
Today, the many types of old harbor cranes are set up on the banks of the Scheldt as an attraction for visitors. I couldn’t resist climbing up a flood wall to capture this silhouette.