Antwerp - Royal Palace

(Local Name: Koninklijke Paleis) Walking east along the Meir, the handsome Roccoco facade of No. 50, the former Koninklijke Paleis (Royal Palace), is the first to catch the eye. Having begun life as a patrician mansion in 1745, the house was Napoleon's Antwerp residence during the French occupation. In its latterday role as an international culture center (I.C.C.), it provides a venue for exhibitions of contemporary art.