Antwerp - Grote Markt

In the middle of the Grote Markt, the heart of old Antwerp, stands the large Brabo Fontein (Brabo Fountain) by Jef Lambeaux. Erected in 1887 it depicts the Roman soldier Silvius Brabo tossing the severed hand of the giant Antigonus into the Scheldt.

With roots in the mid 19th century 'Musée d'Antiquités' and the collections of Belgian explorers, the current Museum of Ethnography opened its doors in 1988. The exhibits highlight non-European cultures from around the world, especially Africa, the South Seas, and Mexico.

Immediately behind the town hall, in the Gildekamersstraat, two former guild-houses have been turned into a folk museum devoted to the many traditional arts and crafts found in the Antwerp area. The museum has collections of marionettes and costumes etc. and a complete chemist's shop and pharmacy.

On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays between Easter and the end of October (but daily throughout July and August) horse-drawn carriages are available for hire in the Grote Markt.

This market, located in the ancient area of the Grote Markt, is held once a year on August 15. The theme is around the Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens and his time. The main attraction is the stallholders wearing period costumes.

The Stadhuis, the 78m/256ft-long facade of which forms the western side of the Grote Markt, was built by Cornelis Floris de Vriendt between 1561 and 1565. Beneath the statue of the Virgin which adorns the central gable can be seen, from left to right, the arms of the dukes of Brabant, Philip II and the margravate of Antwerp with, separating them, allegorical figures of Wisdom and Justice. Inside the town hall the rooms are hung with 19th C. paintings by H. Leys illustrating the history of Antwerp.