With huge monuments honoring the elimination of the Scheldt toll and small ones celebrating individuals like Peter the Great and characters such as Nello & Patrasche, there are numerous landmarks of note located all across Antwerp in Belgium. The city contains a variety of pieces that are as historic as they are significant, allowing audiences to experience the history and culture of Antwerp on a profound level.
David Teniers the Younger was a 17th-century Flemish artist from a famous family of Antwerp painters. A larger-than-life bronze statue that depicts him resides on a red granite pedestal. Installed in 1866, it is located at the Teniersplaats amidst numerous historical budlings, becoming an icon of the city.
A statue of the famous painter Peter Paul Reubens resides near the Cathedral of Our Lady. He created masterpieces that still reside in the building as well as some of the altar’s most famous baroque paintings in the early 17th century. Installed in the center of Groen Plaats square in 1840, the sculpture depicts the artist who has been mentioned as one of the most famous painters to ever live.
Not far from this monument and located on the Cathedral of Our Lady itself is the Pieter Appelmans Monument. This four-piece sculpture honors Pieter Appelmans, who was one of the architects and builders of the cathedral. Designed by Jeff Lambeau in 1935, it depicts Abelmanns and other stonemasons who designed and built the cathedral
Theodoor Van Ryswyck was a Flemish writer who would become became a champion of the Flemish movement in the 19th century. In 1864, a statue of him was erected while the nearby street called the Jan van Rijswijck laan is named after him.
These are just some of the obscure and outstanding landmarks and monuments located all across Antwerp. Providing residents with a sense of connection to their past and visitors with a feel for the culture of the city and nation, all of these monuments highlight what it means to physically and emotionally connect spaces, people and cultures.
