Author: Ludo Joosen

A quiet spot in the middle of town: the Antwerp beguinage

Entrance to the beguinage in the Rodestraat
Entrance to the beguinage in the Rodestraat

A beguine is a woman who lives together with fellow sisters inside a beguinage, a little secluded from the world. Like a nun she has vowed to obey the convent’s head-mistress (grootjoffer), to live a life of poverty and chastity . Unlike a nun she can always leave the community she is living in.

History

The first beguines appeared around the era of the crusades. The many wars in Europe and the crusades themselves had resulted in a surplus of women. For many of them it had become impossible to find a suitable mate. Moreover very often they could not raise the dowry to enter a classical convent. So they started forming groups of women who lived together and performed chores to earn their living.

Among these chores were laundry work, nursing, teaching, lacework and the like. At first the Church authorities regarded them with some mistrust. They feared it might result in a new form of heresy, but gradually the Church accepted these half-nuns. Usually a monk, mainly franciscan or dominican, looked after them and guided them in their religious life.

A view of a street inside the beguinage
A view of a street inside the beguinage

In the twentieth century the number of beguines dropped drastically. Nowadays there are no beguines anymore. At least not in our region. In some German towns like Hamburg e.g. a new beguinage arose, although the religious aspect is not always as important as it used to. These present day beguines do not live in a hierarchically ordered society either.

Spread

Almost every town in the Netherlands used to have a beguinage. Some cities had more than one. In its heydays a beguinage could count 150 to 160 beguines which was a bit difficult to manage. So very often they founded a new one.

In 1998 13 Flemish beguinages were placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Unfortunately the Antwerp one wasn’t. The Antwerp beguinage used to border the city walls. In World War II the area suffered tremendously from bombings and in the 1960’s blocks of flats were built. The backsides of these blocks now befoul the view from the beguinage.

Still: the beguinage with its interior garden is an oasis in the otherwise busy environment of the students’ quarter. The center of the Antwerp University and the Ossenmarkt with its many bars, lie just around the corner. If you go there, respect the quiet of the place, please.

More information on Flemish beguinages can be found here.

Rubens’ statue

One of the most popular meeting places in town is at the feet of Rubens’ statue on the Groenplaats. This used to be a green churchyard (i.e. one without gravestones for ordinary people). But be assured: the bodies have long since been taken away and are now replaced by car that are parked in the garage underneath.

image of Rubens' statue from the west side
Source: standbeelden.be

History

The statue was made by a local sculptor W. Geefs to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Rubens’ death in 1840. Unfortunately Geefs did not succeed in getting his sculpture ready in time. He cast a plaster copy and had it transported to the place it was supposed to stand originally: the Steenplein. Suddenly the casting slid from the carriage and was broken to pieces. Eventually it was three years later, in 1843, that the image was placed on the Groenplaats.

Again things didn’t go as planned: it had been raining quite heavily, the ground was soaked and a wheel slid into what had probably once been a grave. Rubens again fell to earth, but fortunately this time he was made of bronze and survived the drop.

Description

Greefs portrayed Rubens in his three dimensions: as a gentleman, as a diplomat and as a painter. It seems that the previous aspects were more important to Greefs than his artistic side. His palette lies  behind his feet, together with a bag filled with documents. More prominent is the rich way he is dressed. It is clear this is not just anyone, on the contrary a very important person. Just watch the self confident way he stands there, the left hand carelessly resting on his sword, the right hand stretched out to bid us all welcome to his city. And maybe also to some his nicest works in the cathedral behind him.

Rubens does not face these works, neither does he look at his house and workshop. Instead he looks straight south. Might he be looking at Italy, where he perfected his craft as prof. Claes suggested in  his book “Van Mensen en Steden”?

More on W. Geefs can be found on Wikipedia.

Parks in and around town (1)

A view from the bridge in City Park
Source: Joods Actueel

Like all cities worldwide, Antwerp too has its share of parks. We have a few nice parks in the city itself. Many more are situated in the bordering districts like Merksem, Deurne, Borgerhout, Wilrijk. Up till the end of the 20th century these districts used to be separate villages, but then they fused into Greater Antwerp and became districts.

City Park

One of the most interesting parks in the city itself is Stadspark (City Park) in a triangle bounded by Rubenslei, Quinten Matsijslei and Van Eycklei: three great painters from three different eras. Rubens is the giant of  baroque painting. Quinten Matsijs is a renaissance painter. He founded the Antwerp School and Jan and his brother Hubert Van Eyck are Flemish painters of the gothic period. People all over the world know them for the Ghent Altarpiece.

An overview of the botanical gardens
source: antwerpen.be

The area of the Stadspark also borders on the diamondquarter and the jewish quarters of Antwerp. Up till the end of the 19th century the park was part of the town’s defensive wall. We still call it the ‘Spaanse Vesten’. Water for the moat came via the Herentals Canal (now the Plantin-Moretus Avenue). Part of it was used for the moats. Another part was led into the city to furnish the brewers in the Kammenstraat with fresh water.

Typical for the park is the great many statues that decorate it.

Botanical Garden

Not so far from the Stadspark is the Botanical Garden. It belonged to the old Elisabeth Hospital and borders the Leopoldstraat. The present lay-out with balustrades and glass houses goes back to the early 19th century.

Visitors in the Antwerp Zoo
Source: gardenstyle.be

Zoo

A third park, probably the most interesting one, is our Zoo. These zoological gardens are among the eldest in Europe. They house a great many different kinds of animals from all over the world. They also harbour some of the eldest trees in the city. The whole complex has been protected as a monument, trees included. At some other time I’ll certainly be back to tell you more about this shiny diamond in our city’s crown.

At a later occasion I’ll also tell you more about the parks in the different districts.

A store with a story

This facade in the Kipdorpvest now houses a branch of the America Today chain, and even if you are not really looking for a new pair of jeans you should really take a look inside.

The place used to be a theatre in the 1940’s and further on, until television became too popular in the 1960’s, and the place had to close its doors in the early 1970’s.

The theatre was known as the AB, short for Ancienne Belgique (Old Belgium) and it was run by the same management as the AB in Brussels and in Ghent. For some time Bruno Coquatrix, who was to lead the famous Olympia theatre in Paris, used to work as an assistant in the Brussels office of AB.

AB was a vaudeville theatre. Every night a show was performed that contained an orchestra, a ballet, some clowns or comedians, some acrobats, a show with poodles, some local singers, but the top of the bill usually were international stars from France, Germany, Great Britain or the USA. Gilbert Bécaud was here, so was Freddy Quinn, even Louis Armstrong performed in this theatre. Tickets were sold at a reasonable price: the management was confident visitors would spend more on food on drinks that were served throughout the evening.

The building itself dates back to 1902 and originally served as the offices of a newspaper called “La Métropole”. It is a nice example of neo-renaissance building, one of the many styles that were popular in the late 19th and early 20th century in Flanders. It is a style that imitates the way houses were built in the 16th century, incorporating modern techniques. The result usually is much more sober than the eclectic styles and neo-baroque styles that were also popular in the same era.

The architect responsible for the original building is also responsible for the eclectic building on the corner of Leysstraat and Teniersplaats, which practically borders the AB building. A clearer examples of the differences between both styles is hard to find. When the offices were turned into a theater, this was done with respect for the facade and fortunately, when the theater was turned into a shop, the interior has also been respected. So be sure to have a look at this historical place that many older Antwerp people still think of with a lot of melancholy.

Nearly 200 times Our Lady

Maybe you have already noticed them while walking through the streets of the city, or maybe your eyes were glued to the shop windows and all the goodies they had on display, anyway if you look up at almost any corner of the historical city center, you will notice a Madonnastatue. And no, it is not the one who called her daughter Lourdes, but the one who gave birth to Jesus Christ.

Spread all over the inner town some 170 statues have survived the brutal anger of the French revolutionary troops and the greedy building boom of the 1970’s. Many more used to adorn the inner city. Why are there so many of these statues you might wonder. Well, there are different reasons.

The first and probably most important reason is that Our Lady is the city’s patron: the main church is devoted to her, and her image can also be seen on the most prominent place in the city hall.

The second reason has to do with the period in which most of these statues originated. I  use the term originated because some of the statues have been newly made, mostly in the 19th century, some have been restored in recent years, some are copies of the original ones and some still are the original ones, dating back to the 17th and 18th century.

Antwerp had a first Golden Age in the 16th century: it was the most important city in the north of Europe and merchants from all over the world had their seat in Antwerp. Merchants usually are tolerant people: they do not really care what colour your skin is or what you believe in, they only want to know if they can rely on you when doing business. So this sixteenth century city quickly came under the influence of Lutheranism, Calvinism, Anabaptism and other forms of religious reformation. This was all brutally put down by Philippe II, the archcatholic king of Spain who also reigned over the Netherlands.

In 1585 the city fell in the hands of the Spanish army led by Farnese which led to the separation of the Netherlands: the southern part remained Spanish and catholic, the northern part became a republic under the name of United Provinces. Many merchants left the city and fled to northern cities like Amsterdam and Haarlem, which eventually took over the leading role of Antwerp in European trade.

In the seventeenth century our city became catholic again and was an important centre of contra-reformation. The presence of the Jesuits played an important part in the process and it was they who had the statue of Brabo, a legendary figure who is linked to the origins of the city, replaced by a statue of Our Lady in the city hall. Mary was a central figure in contra-reformation, so her image appeared on many a street corner.

Very often the statue has a lantern, which is a third reason why the statues adorn street corners. As street lights were missing in the 17th and 18th century city, the lanterns provided some kind of light and some kind of safety for people who had to walk home through the dark streets.

So much to tell…

There’s so much to tell about my city that I’ll be publishing twice a week: on Mondays as usual and on Thursdays. Hope you like it.

Something new to look out for

We may boast several hundreds different types of beer, more than any other country in the world probably, but still that doesn’t seem to be enough. Brewers of all types regularly create new tastes, try out different combinations of hops or herbs, or like Moortgat, experiment with barrels.

www.duvel.com

Duvel (literally Devil) is a strong blond beer which is very popular. In recent years the brewery has released a triple hop version, with a different combination of hops each year and a really unique taste for each of the beers. Some bars today offer up to four different types of triple hop Duvel, and later this year, in April or May, depending on the evolution of the maturation, a barrel aged variety will be released. The oak barrels which are used previously stored bourbon, so the new variety will have a completely new set of aromas and tastes.

A bar with a touch of comedy and drama

When you enter the ‘Duifkens’ on the Graanmarkt, one of the first things you’ll notice is the long line of black and white pictures that cover the wall. All of them actors of the neighbouring Bourla theater and all of them regular customer of the bar. And the actors still do come to the ‘Duifkens’. Everything in the bar breathes theater, drama and comedy. Even the statue in front has to do with drama, but that’s another story. Just like the story of the Graanmarkt.

The Duifkens on a typical Summer’s day.

The building the ‘Duifkens’ is situated in, is one of the three remaining original houses on the Graanmarkt, and they date back to mid 16th century. All of the other 16th century houses have been demolished and replaced by huge 19th century office buildings for banks and trading houses.

When it is hot enough almost half of the Graanmarkt is turned into a terrace, as can be seen in the picture. And when you’re there, don’t forget to taste some of the local beers like De Koninck (just ask for a ‘Bolleke’) or a Triple d’Anvers.

The bar opens at 11:00 am and is open till midnight, except Fridays and Saturdays when the official closing time is 3:00 am. On Sundays the bar remains closed, and bear in mind that on Saturdays the Graanmarkt will be crowded as a street market is going on until 4:00 pm, a market were fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, … from all over the world are sold. The locals call it ‘Vreemdelingenmarkt’ or Strangers’ Market.

Chocolate Secrets: free to discover


As an accompaniment to the exhibition which is held at the Groenplaats, the MAS-museum has taken a selection of its background collection, added some objects from private collection, and puts it all on display on the second floor of the building. A floor you can visit for free.

The exhibition shows ancient Maya cups that were used to drink cacao in, porcelain cacaopots from Europe and tin boxes and so on that were used by Antwerp chocolate factories. These factories started their activities in the 19th century and they turned the once exclusive delicacy of the rich into an everyman’s candy: the chocolate bar. And of course they also helped the distribution and spread the world-wide popularity of the typical Belgian chocolates. The factories like Meurisse and Martougin are no longer there, but the local chocolatiers still make great chocolates.

This exhibition opens March 3rd and closes Sept 3rd. And while you’re there: do not forget to visit the top floor, which is also free and offers a very nice panoramic view over the city.

The MAS-museum can be found at the Hanzestedenplein.

Antwerp and chocolate: an exhibition

An original poster for the Perette chocolate bar.

From Feb. 3rd till March 31st an exhibition on the role of Antwerp in the history of Belgian chocolate is organised on the top floor of Mercado at Groenplaats. The very first Belgian chocolate factory was active in Antwerp. It was led by the Meurissefamily and created chocolate bars that were popular all over the country and far beyond the borders. Anyone older than 35 or 40 will certainly remember Perette (milk chocolate bar) and Boy Scout (black chocolate bar). One of their inventions was a cold-feel filling that was used in the Zero bars, which are still sold although they are now produced by another factory as the Meurisse plant has closed down and now houses a furniture store at Damplein.

In between 1830 and 1960 over thirty chocolate stores and factories were active in the centre of Antwerp. The exhibition, which is organised by Antwerpen Koekenstad (Antwerp Cookietown, a nickname for the city given because of its great amount of bakery, chocolateries and candy stores) shows a great number of unique documents dating back to the roaring twenties and the golden era of the fifties and sixties, and to top it all: you’ll be able to taste Perette (again), from Wednesdag to Sunday from 1pm to 5pm.

Tickets are available at 8 €, groups of more than 10 pay 5 €.

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