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Old Town. ANTWERP. 13. Route. 171
Antwerp is the principal arsenal of the ki om of Belgium,
ince 1859 it has been made, by Gen. Brialmont and others,
t fortresses in Europe. The city and river are
defended by a circle of advanced forts; the innermost ramparts are
now (1910) being remove Part of the environs can be placed
under water. Antwerp is intended to serve as the rendezvous of the
army, should it be compelled, in case of the violation of the ne utral-
ity of the country, to retire before an enemy of superior force.
: one of the most interesting towns in Belgium. Its
i ed not only by the mag
e, and other noteworthy puild ings,
n of numerous masterpieces of painting of the period
3. Netherlandish School, noted for its realistic treatment
liant colouring, had its headquarters here. Quinten Maisys,
Teniers (father and son), Van Dyck, Jordaens, Corn. de Vos, and
in this city, and nowhere else can the
]
ana
one of the strong
Antwerp
Seghers lived and work
power of Rubens be so ade
a. The Central Part of the Old Town
The main approach from the Central Station (p. 164) to the Old
Town is the broad AvENUE DE Kzyser (PI. D, 3; tramways Nos.2& 3,
p. 166), or De Keyser Lei, the most fre quented thoroughfare in the
city, especially on summer-evenings (numerous cafés).
Beyond the lir avenues (p. 4° 39) is the Place Teniers (P1. C, 3).
The short Rus Leys, much widened in 1899 and containing Seoul
large modern buildings, leads hence to the W. to the —
Piacr bE Merr (Fl. CO, 3, 4), the finest open ce in the old
town, which has been formed by the arching over of a canal. This
Place, with the streets leading to the W. (towards the Place Verte) and
to the S. (Rue des Tanneurs, p.185), is the chief centre of business in
Antwerp. To the left, on the S. are the large Tietz Em-
porium, the new Municipal Banqueting Hall, the Théatre des Variétés
(Pl. O, 4; p. 167), and (No. 50) the Royan Panacz, erected in 1745
from plans by Van Baurscheit, for Yan Susteren, a wealthy citizen
of Antwerp. In the Rue Rubens, here diverging to the S., behind
the houses Nos. 7 & 9 (left), are a handsome garden-portico and a
summer-house, forming the only remains of the Rubens House, built
by the illustrious painter himself in 1611, and the scene of his death
on May 30th, 1640.
The Rue des Douze-Mois (Twaalf-Maanden-Straat) leads from the
N. of the Place de Meir to the *Bourse, Handelsbeurs, or E
chin ge (Pl. , erected in 1868-72 on the site of a fine late-Gothic
structure of 1534 (by Dom. de Waghemaker, see p.172), which was
the oldest exchange in Europe but was burned down in 4584 and
in 1858. The new edifice, designed by Jos. Schadde, is in the same
?
style as its prec ssor but on a much larger scale; like the old
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