Antwerp, Belgium (Antwerpen)
1895 - Antwerp

Antwerp, ant’werp a city of Belgium, capital of a province of its own name, on the right bank of the Scheldt, 273 miles by rail way N. of Brussels, and 32 miles E.N.E. of Ghent. Lat, of the cathedral, 51° 13' 2" N.; lon. 4° 24' 2" E. It is strongly fortified, its walls and other defences completely encompassing the city on the land side, having more than 12 miles of massive ramparts. The appearance of the city is exceedingly picturesque,—an effect produced by its numerous churches, convents, magnificent public buildings, its monuments of Rubens, Conscience, Van Dyck, &c., its elaborate and extensive fortifications, and the profusion of beautiful trees. All the main streets and the new avenues, from the elegance of their buildings, are imposing, and many stately antique-looking houses give a characteristic feature to Antwerp. The famous cathedral, built in 1322– 1410, is one of the most beautiful specimens of Gothic architecture in general, Other churches of note are St. James's, St. Andrew's, and St. Paul's. Among the other edifices are the Exchange (built in 1583, burned in 1858, and rebuilt in the old style in 1869–72), the Hôtel de Wille, a splendid structure of marble, the Maison Anseatic, and the palace. Its institutions comprise academies of painting, of the fine arts, and of the sciences, a gallery of sculpture, several picture-galleries and art-museums, containing the finest works of the first masters of the Flemish school, a public library, botanical and zoological gardens, numerous learned societies, schools, hospitals, asylums, and work. houses. Of the docks, dock-yards, and basins constructed by Bonaparte, at an expense, it is said, of $10,000,000, the last only remain. They are now converted into commercial docks, lined with capacious warehouses. The harbor is one of the finest in the world. In 1887 the harbor admitted 4176 foreign vessels with 3,800,000 tons burthen. Forty regular steamer lines start from Antwerp to all parts of the world. Antwerp is joined by great canals with Holland and the river Maas. In 1874 the differences existing between Antwerp and the government of Belgium were adjusted, and the famous citadel of Antwerp, which had existed 300 years, was blown up in the presence of King Leopold II. The principal manufactures of the city are black silks and velvets, soap, leather, spirits, camlets, serges, and flannels, Cotton, linen, lace, carpets, hats, and cutlery are also manufactured to a considerable extent. There are also sugar refineries, and a good deal of ship-building. The trade and commerce of Antwerp are extensive, and for hides, petroleum, wool, grain, coffee, cotton, coal, oils, timber, iron, and guano it is one of the largest importing places on the continent. Antwerp in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries was the great centre of European commerce, an average of 500 vessels daily entering its port. Pop. in 1875, 148,814; in 1882, 175,636; in 1891, 227,225.

Lippincott's Gazetteer of the World: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World Containing Notices of Over One Hundred and Twenty-five Thousand Places ... Joseph Thomas January 1, 1895 J.B. Lippincott

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