154 BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG REGION BY REGION

Antwerp’s steel-and-glass Centraal Station, a monument to the railroad era

A DOG OF FLANDERS

The suburb of Hoboken is the setting for the

children’s book A Dog of Flanders, which is

most popular in Japan. It was written by the

British author Marie Louise de la Ramée (1839–

1908), an animal rights activist and literary figure,

under the pen-name Ouida. Inspired by a visit

to Antwerp in 1871, the story is of an orphaned

boy, Nello, and his dog Patrasche, who take a

milk cart into Antwerp each day. A series of

tragic events leads to their deaths in front of

Rubens’s Descent from the Cross in Onze-Lieve-

Vrouwekathedraal. Fans travel from Japan to

visit the bronze statue of these two figures

at Kapelstraat 3, Hoboken, and the com-

memorative bench by the cathedral.

Statue of Nello

and Patrasche

P Centraal Station
Koningin Astridplein. # daily.
Antwerp’s main railway station
is a monumentally grand build-
ing designed in extravagant
Neo-Classical style by the well
known Bruges architect Louis
Delacenserie, and built over
seven years, between 1898
and 1905. With its grand stair-
cases, columns, marble and
gold decorative flourishes,
Antwerp’s palatial station
speaks of a bygone age,
when rail was considered the
king of luxury travel.

There are a number of interesting suburbs that lie
outside the historic hub of Antwerp. To the east is the
magnificent Centraal Station, surrounded by the surpris-
ingly unglamorous Diamond District – centre of Europe’s
biggest international diamond trade – whose streets are
lined with diamond outlets. Further south, the suburb
of Zurenborg, in Berchem, has some of Europe’s most
exuberant mansions, created in a wide variety of styles
for Antwerp’s wealthy merchant classes. The eastern
suburb of Deurne has a silver museum, set in a charm-
ing castle, while to the south, Middelheim contains
an outdoor sculpture museum of exceptional quality.

Antwerp: Beyond the Centre

E Diamond Museum
Koningin Astridplein 19–23.
Tel (03) 2024890. # 10am–5:30pm
Thu–Tue. ¢ Jan. & =
This interesting museum is
dedicated to the world of dia-
monds and includes treasure
chambers as well as multime-
dia exhibits highlighting the
processes used to extract and
cut the precious stone. On
most weekdays, visitors can

E Sterckshof Museum

Hoofvunderlei 160. Tel (03) 3605252.

# 10am–5:30pm Tue–Sun. ¢ 1 &

2 Jan, 25 Dec. 0 http://www.provant.be

The castle of Sterckshof takes

its name from the 16th-century

banker and merchant Gerard

Sterck, advisor to Emperor

Charles V. With its multiple

red-brick turrets and court-

yards, moat and peaceful gar-

dens, it offers a vivid insight

into palatial buildings of that

age, although, after a long

history of ruin, this is in fact

a 20th-century reconstruc tion.

Inside is a fine collection of

Belgian wares (silver and

pewter) dating from the 16th

century to modern times.

There are also choice pieces

of antique furniture, all beau-

tifully presented, along with

exhibits and demons trations

showing how silver is made.

E Middleheimmuseum

Middelheimlaan 61. Tel (03)

8271534. 
         

         Tue–Sun. 9 7

         
         

         http://museum.antwerpen.be
         The extensive, wooded park
         of the Middelheimmuseum

         
         

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp266–7 and pp292–4

watch a diamond-cutter

demonstrate his craft in one

of the museum’s work shops.

(or the Openluchtmuseum

voor Beelhouwkunst) pro-

vides a sympathetic setting

for about 300 sculp tures

from the 19th century to the

pre sent. It has works by Rik

Wouters, Georges Minne,

Constantin Meunier, Juan

Muñoz, Barbara Hepworth,

Rodin, Panamarenko and

many others. The open

spaces and their relation-

ships with neighbouring

pieces seem to allow the

sculptures to breathe and

to show off their three-

dimensionality. This museum

can also be seen as the

apogee of an admirable

policy of dec orating public

spaces with con temporary

sculpture, which can be

seen all over Belgium.