Antwerp, Belgium’s second largest city is also its most hip. Always creative - in the 16th and 17th century, it was the great masters such as Rubens and Anthony Van Dyck; in the 20th and 21st centuries, its fashion designers like the world-famous Antwerp Six. There is much to do of a cultural nature, but the city is also well worth a visit for its excellent restaurants, bars and clubs, as well as for its shopping.
The City famous for Diamonds is one of the biggest and most important diamond centers of the world. More than 85% of the world's rough diamonds, 50% of cut diamonds and 40% of industrial diamonds are traded here. In addition to the flourishing trade in uncut and unpolished diamonds, countless diamond jewelers are established in the Antwerp diamond district located in the heart of the city. Shopping for diamonds in Antwerp can be a real joy especially when several diamond sellers have teamed up with the city’s top hotels to offer romantic couples a free night’s stay when they come to purchase their diamond ring.
Diamond land is Antwerp’s largest diamond show room and is open to the public seven days a week. This large store provides visitors with a short guide to the diamond trade from the mining of the precious stones to their polishing and cutting. Visitors can watch craftsmen at work, and customers are offered the opportunity of seeing their stones being set.
There is so much that is cool about Antwerp; it's hard to know where to start... but perhaps, best, with checking into a hotel.
There are several stunning boutique properties in Antwerp, including De Witte Lelie and Hotel Julien, which are a destination in their own right, having already built up an international following. Housed in old buildings, but decorated with a mix of contemporary style and antique furnishings, a visit to either is like staying in someone's ultra-chic home.
Then, of course, there are the bars and restaurants. There are so many from which to choose, but Ultimatum, the coolest bar on the Grote Markt with stunning views of the gabled guild houses, and Zuiderterras, with its prime location overlooking the Scheldt, are always popular. For dining out, among popular options are Antwerp stalwart Dock's Cafe, Brasserie den Artist, trendy Hippodroom or the innovative Hecker.
The shopping in Antwerp is fabulous. Nationalestraat and the surrounding area are best for great local fashion boutiques, whereas, if interiors are things, which individuals are looking then make to beeline for Kloosterstraat, where you will find plenty of antiques and design shops. If you are looking for upmarket international fashion brands, then you will find them on Leopoldstraat and surrounds.
Cool areas of Antwerp include the neighborhood of Zuid, with its Art Nouveau buildings and artistic vibe thanks to museums and galleries, and plethora of bars and restaurants. The docks area to the north of the city, which is in the process of regenerating and looks set to be a hip new destination and is worth watching.
It is said by Willam Jacob Cook; Travel Writer that Antwerp isn't a museum. It's a living, growing city, and its attraction for international visitors is as just much about its dynamic present as its illustrious past.
Upcoming Events in Flanders
Research at home and abroad has shown that ‘top events’ can act as a real stimulus when it comes to making a particular town or region better known or enhancing its image, as well as serving to boost tourism and related spending. Consequently, over the last few years the Tourist Office for Flanders has lent its support to events and projects with inter¬national appeal which are taking place in Flanders and Brussels. With the series of events to pamper the tourists, Tourism Flanders has a wide variety of events and exhibition to welcome her guests in the eventful cities. Following are some of the up-coming events in Flanders.
Opening M Leuven – Rogier van der Weyden 1400|1464 – Master of Passions
September 20th – December 6th 2009
The autumn of 2009 will see the reopening of the new-look Leuven museum. Designed by Stéphane Beel, the building is a combination of old and new elements, thereby reflecting the activities which will take place on the site. The Leuven collection will be central, but there will also be interaction with contemporary art and the public. Highlights of the festival year 2009 are the new permanent presentation of the museum collections and the major exhibition ‘Rogier van der Weyden, ca. 1400-1464 - Master of Passions’. The exhibition focuses on the oeuvre of Rogier van der Weyden who, along with Jan van Eyck, was the Southern Netherlands’ most influential fifteenth-century panel painter. Van der Weyden was a pioneering artist whose name and fame extended far beyond local borders. His restrained, emotional and sensual visual language inspired numerous contemporaries working in a range of artistic disciplines.
‘Rogier van der Weyden, ca. 1400-1464 – Master of Passions’ will showcase masterpieces by Rogier van der Weyden but also by his contemporaries on loan from prestigious European and North American collections, thereby illustrating the great artistic significance of the master in Brabant and beyond.
M Leuven will present early and modern art inspired by Leuven's diversity: a small but cosmopolitan city of art and innovative knowledge base. The focus of the permanent collection is on art production in Leuven and Brabant from the Middle Ages through to the nineteenth century, featuring (among other things) paintings by the Flemish Primitive Dirk Bouts (1415-1475) and sculptures from Leuven's late-Gothic carving centre. www.mleuven.be; www.rogiervanderweyden.be
To mark the opening of M Leuven, visual artist Jan Vercruysse is putting together a retrospective of his work spanning 1977 to 2009. He is also making a new work for M. The STUK arts centre is mounting a parallel exhibition of work by international artists Vercruysse regards as important.
Beaufort 03
Until October 4th 2009
Beaufort Outside: in De Panne, Koksijde-Oostduinkerke, Nieuwpoort, Middelkerke-Westende, Ostend, Bredene, De Haan-Wenduine, Blankenberge, Zeebrugge and Knokke-Heist
Beaufort Inside: at mu.ZEE, Ostend
After two successful editions of contemporary art at the sea, the coast has organized a new edition under the name of Beaufort 03, with Phillip Van Den Bossche as the curator. What was an ingenious, but chance encounter a few years ago has since become a not-to-be-missed cultural event, when the seaside and contemporary art are reunited via monumental installations and intriguing works shown in the unique biotope of the dynamic coastal municipalities. The artworks are a reflection of what is happening right now on the international art platform. A considered choice of contemporary artists represented with new or existing work makes visitors to the coast participants in the highly imaginative world of the artists.
Beaufort 03 hopes in this way to move visitors and encourage them to reflect. www.beaufort03.be
europalia.china 2009
October 8th 2009 - February 14th 2010; Brussels and other Belgian cities
The 22nd Europalia Festival is devoted to the culture of China, one of the most fascinating countries in the world. Some one-hundred events, including exhibitions, concerts, dance and theatre performances, entertainment and festivities, films, literary encounters and scientific conferences, provide an in-depth portrait of Chinese civilization and society. The festival will present masterpieces from Chinese history, as well as contemporary art, design, fashion, architecture, gastronomy, etc. China's past and present is also explored through programmes of music and the performing arts. Europalia.china is mounted in cooperation with the main museums and cultural centres in Brussels, Belgium and the neighbouring countries. Please find the overview of all the activities on the website. www.europalia.eu
Son of Heaven
October 10th 2009 – January 24th 2010; Brussels, Centre for Fine Arts (Bozar)
“Son of Heaven” - in Chinese: Tianzi – (as the Chinese emperors named themselves) is the history of kings and emperors. Almost two hundred pieces of work are woven in and around these figures that represent the embodiment of the sacred bond between heaven, earth and humans. Ancestor worship, rites and accompanying ritualistic objects, all form part of a continuum and link the rulers with each other. 5000 years of China’s magnificent past will astound with ensembles that have never been seen before: bronze works, prestigious jade objects which include a shroud, cult objects in precious metals, royal porcelain, silk brocade, ceramics, large multicoloured rolls of silk, etc. www.bozar.be
The State of Things. Brussels/Beijing
October 13th 2009 – January 10th 2010; Brussels, Centre for Fine Arts (Bozar)
With the advent of art for the sake of art, it was believed for a while that artistic practise could escape the mundaneness of society. But is art not always its reflection and a concentrate of society? It is this thought that the contemporary artists Ai Weiwei and Luc Tuymans focus on for the big contemporary art exhibition of europalia.china. Through a discerning selection of recent topical works from Chinese and Belgian artists, the organisers will question this Faustian pact that today unites the artist and the art industry, creation and marketing. They ask how artists respond to this in an evolving China, caught in all its contradictions, and in the Lilliputian Belgium that made Luc Tuymans its most important artist and its dearest herald. The exhibition will then travel to the National Art Museum of China in the spring of 2010. www.bozar.be
The Orchid Pavilion. The Art of Writing in China
October 14th 2009 – January 31st 2010; Brussels, Royal Museums of Fine Arts
In the eyes of the Chinese people, language and writing are inseparable and a testimony to their cultural identity in the world. This exhibition focuses on the celebrated Prelude of the Orchid Pavilion (353) by Wang Xizhi, known as the Sage of Calligraphy. After a brief presentation of Chinese writing and the origins of calligraphy, the exhibition brings together a selection of masterworks from the great national Chinese collections. The greatest names in calligraphy from the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties are all here. For a fuller appreciation of all aspects of this art, the works are accompanied by accessible and informative commentaries. Finally, a special place in the exhibition is devoted to the calligraphy of today. www.fine-arts-museum.be
The Silk Road
October 23rd 2009 – February 14th 2010; Brussels, Museum of Ancient Art and History
Most people know the Silk Road as a trade route which linked China and Europe. But do they also know the countries in-between, the wide strip in Central Asia through which the route runs? We tend to associate Chinese silk with well-to-do Romans for whom it was a highly-prized product, but what about the other commodities and many influences for which the Silk Road was also a channel? This exhibition looks at the Silk Road not as an 'outsider' in history, but as part of a long and fruitful dialogue between China and Eurasia. www.kmkg-mrah.be
Reunion. From Quinten Metsys to Peter Paul Rubens. Masterpieces from the Royal Museum back in the Cathedral
Until November 15th 2009; Antwerp, Cathedral of Our Lady
In 2009 the diocese of Antwerp is celebrating its 450th year. In that period the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp has become a veritable treasure-house of religious art, painted and carved by celebrated masters. These works reflect iconographic evolutions and socio-economic developments over the centuries. Until the French Revolution they decorated the Cathedral's columns, chapels and walls. After that numerous altarpieces found their way into museums, including the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen (KMSKA).
The prestigious exhibition Reunion. From Quinten Metsys to Peter Paul Rubens, organized by the Cathedral of Our Lady and the KMSKA, evokes the cathedral interior from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries. It is a rare opportunity to admire in situ works from the celebrated Antwerp school of painting, from Metsys to Rubens. www.dekathedraal.be
International Film Festival of Flanders – Ghent
October 6th - 17th 2009; Ghent, various locations
Every year Ghent film festival presents some 200 feature films and short films from around the globe. The festival enjoys an excellent international reputation and is quite unique in focusing on the impact of music on film. The International Film Festival of Flanders Ghent is also the organizer and driving force behind the World Soundtrack Academy. The awards ceremony is inevitably the high point of the festival. Every year the festival also organizes concerts of film music and exhibitions which have a link with film. www.filmfestival.be
NEXT 02
November 20th – December 5th 2009; Kortrijk and other cities within the Eurometropolis
At the end of 2008, five Flemish, Walloon and French art and cultural houses launched the first edition of the NEXT arts festival. They combined forces across country borders in an artistically intense, contemporary and international program. Aside from established names it also presented around twenty own co-productions and creations.This first edition established NEXT as THE contemporary arts festival of the Lille, Kortrijk, Tournai Eurometropolis: a yearly artistic feast with a European flair for a broad and adventurous audience! We are looking forward to welcoming you at NEXT 02, from 20.11 till 05.12.09! www.nextfestival.eu
