The city and municipality of Antwerp is a centre of commerce in Belgium and the capital of Antwerp province, in Flanders, one of Belgium's three regions

Buildings and attractions

In the 16th century Antwerp was noted for the wealth of its citizens ("Antwerpia nummis"); the houses of these wealthy merchants and manufacturers have been preserved throughout Antwerp. Fire has destroyed several old buildings in the city, such as the house of the Hansa League on the northern quays in 1891.

• The Antwerp Zoo was founded in 1843, and home to more than 4,000 animals.
• Central Station is a railway station designed by Louis Delacenserie that was completed in 1905. It has two monumental neo-baroque facades, a large metal and glass dome (60m/197ft) and a gilt and marble interior.
• Cathedral of Our Lady. This church was begun in the 14th century and finished in 1518. The church has three works by Rubens, viz. "The Descent from the Cross," "The Elevation of the Cross," and "The Assumption."
• The church, named for St James, is more ornate than the cathedral. It contains the tomb of Rubens.
• The church of St Paul, has a beautiful baroque interior. It is a few hundred yards north of the Grote Markt.
• The Plantin-Moretus Museum preserves the house of the printer Christoffel Plantijn and his successor Jan Moretus.
• The Boerentoren (Farmers' Tower) or KBC Tower is the oldest skyscraper in Europe
• The Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten (Royal Museum for Fine Arts) close to the southern quays has a collection of old masters (Rubens, Van Dyck, Titian) and the leading Dutch masters.

The exchange or Bourse, one of the early institutions in Europe with that title, was built in 1872.