An exceptional museum-a pretty city Antwerp

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The last city we visited in Belgium was Antwerp. A small can compact heart with a large square overlooked by a impressive Stadhuis. From every available space flew an EU country flag. In the middle of the square was a baroque styled fountain. Impressive but not to my taste. Antwerp was on the River Scheldt a large wide and muddy river. There were the usual merchants houses with steep rooves and immaculate brickwork. One of the most interesting features of the city was the museum which was the home of printing. Some years ago we watched a programme on BBC2 narrated by Stephen Fry who visited the Plantin Moretis museum and this was put on the list of things to do. It holds the oldest surviving printing press in the world complete with sets of dies and matrices. Even today the press could be used for printing. The museum was the home of Christoffel Plantjin who lived in the city during the 16th century. He was renowned across Europe for his expertise in printing high quality books and prints. It was however his son in law Moretis who dominated the business. The museum holds a wonderful collection of old manuscripts and prints of 16th century books. Portraits of the family were painted by Rubens and were displayed together with Mercator maps. The gardens of the house were full of shrubs, trees and herbs very evocative of the period. The house was furnished in the flemish style. This was a museum with something for everyone. We also visited the cathedral of Antwerp another glorious confection of Gothic architecture externally. Built between 1352 and 1521 another very important building in the city.

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Photos

Antwerp
What water is meant for