Antwerp City Hall at the Grote Markt
Moving on from the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp is another significant landmark here in Antwerp’s old quarter – the Grote Markt. Now, I believe I have seen this name before. I believe I have seen this in Brussels and Ghent so I imagined that it should be a very common name. Grote Markt, is Great Market Square and it is a very common place in Belgian cities. It is basically the town square. Back in old Antwerp, it was the place to be. In fact, a lot of the important buildings in old Antwerp were built around this square. This very similar to the setup in Brussels which produced the Grand-Place which is also a Grote Markt.
Guildhalls Around the Grote Markt in Antwerp
The Grote Markt in Antwerp isn’t as awe-inspiring as the one in Brussels. This is only because they have less beautiful buildings so close together. It is still a very pretty square. The Antwerp City Hall is the centerpiece of the square. As it is with Brussels, the square is also surrounding by guildhalls. These are something like the corporate headquarters back then and if you want to be seen as important, you need a guildhall near or at the Grote Markt. There is also a fountain at the center of the square and it is quite beautiful. Although, the Grote Markt in Antwerp has a different feel, this is still a very beautiful place to stroll.
[xmlgm {http://www.worldwanderings.net/kml/GroteMarktAntwerp.kmz} zoom=19]