Grote Markt / Big Market square-city hall, Brabo & guild houses, Antwerp

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The main square of Antwerp is rather small but has many guild houses from the 16th century, most of them having a restaurant on the ground floor. In the first picture you can see the Cathedral of our lady in the background. The city hall is very special and was build between 1561 and 1565 in a Renaissance style with Italian and Flemish influence.

In front of the City Hall you see the statue of Brabo throwing away the hand of the giant Antigoon who forced everyone who wanted to cross the Schelde to pay a toll fee. Broba stopped the giant by cutting of his hand. The city was named according to this legend, Antwerpen (Ant = hand, werpen = throwing).

Link:
http://filipdemuinck-kristelpardon.blogspot.com/2010/01/main-square-antwerp-grote-markt.html

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In the middle of the 'Grote Markt' stands the Brabo fountain. The statue was made by sculptor Jef Lambeaux in 1887. According to a legend, a terrible giant, called Druoon Antigoon, lived on the banks of the river Scheldt in ancient times. Whenever sailors on the Scheldt river refused to pay toll to the giant, he punished them by cutting off their hand. A Roman soldier, Silvius Brabo, who was a nephew of Julius Caesar, managed to kill the giant. Brabo cut off the hand of the giant and threw the hand away in the river.

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This impressive town hall was built between 1561 and 1565. The facade is 76 meters long and it is decorated with various coats of arms. This Renaissance building is the result of Italian and Flemish design mixtures. The step-gable silhouette in the central section is purely Flemish. The from portal was built in the 19th century and is decorated with fescos which depicts the history of Antwerp.

In the middle of the square is a large fountain, built in 1887 by the architect Jef Lambaux. It depicts Antwerp's symbol: the mythical hero Brabo. According to an Antwerp Legend, the giant Antigoon demanded a high toll for each ship that wanted to enter the city. If the ship's crew did not want to pay the toll, their hands were cut off. The hero Brabo fought the giant, cut its hand and head and threw the hand in the river. The fountain's statue depicts Brabo throwing the giant's hand in the river Scheldt and symbolizes the free river.

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Not as big as the 'Grand'Place' of Brussels, but certainly as beautiful is the 'Grote Markt' (= Town Square) of Antwerp. Here is still the heart of the old city. The Grote Markt is beautifully surrounded by the Town Hall and the so-called houses of the Guilds or corporations. In the background the tower of Our Lady's Cathedral completes the magnificent view.
The houses of the Guilds are unfortunately not the original ones. A large part of the Grote Markt burned down in 1576. Most of the houses were rebuilt afterwards by Hans Vredeman, the town architect, in Flemish Renaissance style. In the 19th century the houses were again renovated. The house number 7 is one of the most beautiful. It was the house of the guild of Archers and is crowned by the statue of St. George. The house number 25 , a reconstruction of a house that used to stand at the 'Meir' is situated on the spot were an Inn used to stand. This Inn was mentioned in the medieval play of 'Marieken van Nieumwhegen'. Nowadays the Grote Markt is one of the most pleasant squares in the city (certainly since traffic has been banned from it). During beautiful warm summer days most people choose this spot to enjoy a refreshing beer from one of the many terraces.

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The City Hall (Stadhuis) is the most remarkable building on Antwerp's Grote Markt (Market Square). Not in vain, it was erected, replacing a former medieval building, as a sign of the enormous prosperity that Antwerp had achieved in its golden age. It is a 16th century building by Cornelis de Vriendt, among other architects. It is considered to be one of the most outstanding Flemish Renaissance monuments and constitutes a step forward in the architectural history of Belgium, when compared with other monumental city halls erected in the Brabant Gothic style, like Brussels and Leuven.

The original building did not last long, as it was severely damaged during the siege of the city by the Spanish troops; but it was faithfully rebuilt a few years later.

Take some time to admire the richly ornamented façade, whose central section depicts images of the Justice and the Prudence and the of arms of King Philip II, flanked by the coats of arms of the Duchy of Brabant and the Markgraviate of Antwerp. An oversized statue of Our Lady presides the façade: it was placed there during the Counter-reformation to replace a statue of Brabo, the hero of the local mythology. The ground floor is lined with lots of small arched doors which gave way to little shops in the past.

The rich interiors are also worth a visit (only guided tours). They mostly date back to the 19th century, when the building was substantially renovated. The Leyszaal, used to receive guests of honor is particularly impressive, as well as the Wedding Hall and the Council Hall.

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In front of the City Hall, a monumental fountain splashes water into the pavement from a representation of the legendary local hero Silvius Brabo, after whom the Brabant is named. In the fountain, he is depicted in the scene which, according to the myth, also gave its name to the city of Antwerp: the Roman soldier is about to throw the hand of the giant Antigon into the Scheldt river.

By this, Bravo released the port from the fear caused by this giant who required a toll to every person intending to cross the river.

The bronze statue is a work of Jef Lambeaux, one of the most famous 19th century Belgian sculptors, who made later the monumental relief in Victor Horta's Pavilion of the Human Passions in Brussels. In this fountain, Lambeaux develops the theme of the human figure in motion and finds inspiration in the Mercures sculpted by Giambologna in the 16th century.

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As in other Flemish cities, guilds were very powerful in Antwerp and controlled almost all economic activities. They competed among each other in all the files, including the beauty of their corporation houses.

Take some time to appreciate the details of the houses on the North side, on the right of the City Hall. Of them all, the tallest building is the best known and one of the most attractive. This used to be the House of the Archers Guild and it is crowned by a gilded statue of their patron, Saint George, fighting a dragon who seems to fall down from the pediment. Its façade is remarkable for the extensive use of glass to allow the maximum amount of light.