Antwerp was the last Belgian city I visited during my stay in Brussels which I did with my travel partner in May 2019. I knew the city by popularity but I had no idea of the places of interest or important monuments to visit. I don't remember why but I had an unjustified curiosity about Antwerp that dated back to times even before I planned the trip to Brussels. However, in the months before this trip, I began to study something about the city. After realizing that in cities like Antwerp the main places of interest were all in the centre, I traced the route between the station and the centre, after which I started looking for other additional places of interest. At the time I still appreciated modern architecture and I had seen that there was a particular work by Zaha Hadid, it was called Port Authority, a very singular building where a modern structure was superimposed on a classical building, giving the effect of emerging from this classical structure which had a rectangular plan. In reality I had already seen something similar in Amsterdam, a work called “Eye Filmmuseum”, except that it was totally modern. In addition to this structure there was the “Parkbrug”, a covered pedestrian bridge connecting two buildings. These structures were not very far from each other but further from the center and represented somewhat of a challenge in my daily visit to the city of Antwerp. I had to find a way to visit both the center and these structures in a strategic way, essentially exploiting the time from late morning until afternoon. The train journey from Brussels was about 45 minutes and we arrived at the Antwerp station which was almost midday. I still remember as if it were today the few steps I took from the train exit to the escalators that were on my left, in a modern context, above the stair area there was a glass and arched roof, as if they see them in large stations throughout Europe. The particular thing, however, could be glimpsed at the end of the escalators, where a very large clock was set in what looked like a very ancient building. Going up the staircase I no longer had any doubts, the clock was at the center of an imposing building where the facade was composed of columns, an arched window and enriched with triangular frames. It was immediately clear to me that they had in a certain sense used a building as some define it as "Tartaria" as a railway station. In reality the tracks were underground and this building was in a certain sense the luxury access. Unfortunately, as can also be seen at the Milan station for example, other steel and glass structures had been added. In particular in Antwerp they had tried to create an Art Nouveau style and while the part that covered the perimeter above the building had its charm and style, the larger arched roof was horrendous for me! But the real beauty of the structure was after crossing the central arch, the part that went towards the exit, there was a majestic marble staircase, something worthy of a museum. Personally, I don't understand this type of solution for re-evaluating certain buildings. While on the one hand it's nice to be able to experience them on a daily basis, I think it's more logical to use them as something else like a museums for example. In fact, people, especially in a place like the stations, don't stop to observe because most of the time they're in a hurry. In the end, it could be that the building was used as a station for this very reason; people don't stop to observe and don't ask questions. Getting to the center from the station was decidedly simple, in fact a wide and long road led to a main square from where we could access the Cathedral square. Along this road it was full of parked bicycles and I immediately loved the pedestrian solution that the city had adopted. The central part of the road was more used as benches or to give access to cars while the lateral parts were paved differently for pedestrians. There were many ancient buildings that recalled the architecture of the station, all renovated with an imperial appearance. The modern structures were fortunately fewer in number and had a more linear and flat style. There were a lot of people around doing shopping and in general the atmosphere was calm. Before arriving in the cathedral area, the only more modern building that caught my attention was an Art Deco style building, a sort of miniature Empire State Building, all in gray concrete with symmetrical and linear windows. After about half an hour of walking we arrived at “Groenplaats”, a very simple square with a statue in the center depicting Rubens and where there was a beautiful view on the left side of the Cathedral. This Gothic structure had two towers of different heights, both were square in plan, only the taller one ended up with a round design. All around the square there were restaurants and cafes and even there the atmosphere was serene and welcoming. What disappointed me a little, however, was the area in front of the Cathedral; in fact this square was triangular in shape and decidedly small to appreciate the structure. Although the place was beautiful and welcoming with the typical Belgian structures that made a wonderful setting, unfortunately there was not enough space to appreciate the beauty of the Cathedral. In fact, this gave the impression of falling on us, very imposing with the tallest tower taking on a strange perspective where it was only possible to see some parts. Right nearby, turning the corner there was the most popular Grote Markt, the main square where there was also the town hall building. This place with the buildings placed asymmetrically, was very similar in style to the Grand Place in Brussels. Not for the shape but for the surrounding buildings which were very similar to the "Corporation Houses" present in the Belgian capital. However there was another difference with the Grand Place and that was that in the center of the Grote Markt there was a fountain with a very large statue. The fountain was overrun by tourists who took photos also encouraged by some details of the structure. In fact, the base was made up of large stone blocks, some of which were detached from the structure itself and positioned like podiums so that people used them for photos. Personally I liked the statue for its difference in colors and dynamism. The dark color of the stone parts contrasts with the turquoise of the central part where statues of women supported the statue of a man placed in a dynamic position. Unfortunately the entire facade of the town hall was under renovation and was covered by a print of the facade itself. I was only able to see and photograph that one, however I understood how beautiful the original facade composed of arches, columns and statues must have been. I liked Grote Markt and initially thought about returning there for lunch after finishing visiting the nearby areas. In reality there was only one structure nearby that I was interested in seeing and it was on the river bank. However, when we arrived in that area, together with my partner, we were attracted by the large ferris wheel which we didn't know existed. It was located right behind a sort of walkway that became a building. This structure was very particular, large and paved with stone cobbles. Right at the beginning, there were stone lions placed as guardians, I personally liked them so much that I took photos with them. The end of this walkway was a sort of view of the river and what lay beyond it. Unfortunately there wasn't much to see and we left the area after a few minutes. The structure I wanted to see in that area was called “Het Steen” and was an ancient fortress placed on the river bank. Unfortunately when we arrived the fortress was closed and fenced off because it was being renovated. All sides of the various facades were covered by scaffolding, however it was possible to perceive the shape of the fortress but certainly not its real beauty and its details. Nonetheless I tried to climb and take photos and thus avoid the horrible gray iron fences. Another structure adjacent to the fortress which I did not know was a series of iron sheds, I believe it was an ancient goods storage area. The structure was closed but I hope it will be redeveloped in the future because it had a very beautiful Art Nouveau style. After leaving that area, we returned to Grote Markt and stopped for lunch in an adjacent street which was full of mostly Italian restaurants. After lunch I intended to visit Port Authority but the weather had worsened with the intensification of a wind that was becoming increasingly annoying. We went to see Rubens' house but only from the outside, it was a building in red bricks, nothing special compared to what we had already seen but clearly the interesting things to see were inside. Trying to stall to see if the wind would calm down, we continued on the way back to see another structure. However, at that point I realized that I had to give up the visits I was talking about at the beginning of this post. Above all, Port Authority was an open and exposed place, even if we arrived there by taxi, we would not have been able to enjoy the time there because the wind kept increasing rather than decreasing. After sharing the choice with my partner, we went to see the Stadsschouwburg, a modern theater that overlooked a large square. This structure had a very simple rectangular design but on the outside there was a huge white roof that housed the market. The last thing I did in Antwerp was wander around that area for a bit, after which we returned to the station quite early compared to my initial plan. In reality, I dedicated my last tribute to the city to the station, taking photos of the main facade and the beautiful staircase inside. Although Antwerp represents a small failure compared to my initial plans, I always remember with joy those hours spent there. Without a doubt the city seemed different and more interesting to me than the few works I knew and wanted to go and see. The visit to Antwerp taught me that many times we shouldn't focus only on certain works of architecture as the purpose for visiting a city. I have said many times that personally, I like both discovering certain things in the moment and knowing them in advance to then appreciate them better in person. Let's say that Antwerp amazed me immediately after getting off the train, looking at that imperial palace which, even if I don't agree with its new function, still remains valued as a building. Added to this is that Antwerp appeared to me as a lively city with many people, many shops and restaurants, an aesthetically beautiful and welcoming place. These may seem like obvious things but this is not always the case, especially in slightly larger cities. The many pedestrian streets together with the large number of bicycles make it clear that Antwerp was also a dynamic and ecological city, where people preferred to move rather than be sedentary. Even if simple things, especially today, should not be taken for granted and Antwerp, more than two works of modern design, was the discovery of authenticity which today is difficult to find in most of the places we visit. A. M.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |