Street life of Antwerp

Street life of the city of Antwerp takes you to:
Stuivenberg – Seefhoek – Borgerhout – Dambrugge – Old port

Before the dismantling of the Spanish ramparts (city walls), Antwerp was a marshy area with large streams. It was also a wooded area, where people came to gather firewood and the cattle grazed here which was vitally important to the city-dwellers. The landscape was dotted with windmills. These were green areas, with vegetable gardens and fruit orchards which were essential for the city.

Once the Spanish ramparts got dismantled and the Scheldt River opened for good, Antwerp was able to breathe freely again. After two centuries of stagnation, the city was longing to return to the glory days of the Golden Age. Run-down districts were cleaned up and historic parts of the city were demolished. The poor wretches who lived in these neighborhoods had to move on because there was no longer any place for them. The Stuivenberg and Seefhoek districts opened their arms to these exiles. There was where the workers lived, whose labour had made the city rich. These neighborhoods literally fought for the right to preserve the Flemish language and culture.

The upper middle class clearly did not feel at home there. Chocolate factories, butcheries, and taverns sprang up like mushrooms. Popular entertainment, Flemish fairs, dazzling dance palaces with impressive organs and traveling musicians typified these neighborhoods. They were working-class districts where everyone knew everyone else. Come and see where Vincent van Gogh lived, where the city housed its lepers, and where the first toll houses stood. Find out the real cause of the tension between Antwerp and Borgerhout.

Today, this is a multicultural area where people live “facing outward”. It’s a real rabbit warren of lanes, alleys and small squares; diverse neighborhoods and districts, each with their own colorful character and history. Football fields, green playgrounds, community centers and community social workers give the suburb a tight-knit feel.

Due to technical limitations of the vehicle Voyage Local is not able to provide transport for wheelchair-users and pushchairs.

Want to discover other tours? Check out these tours:

• Glorious Antwerp
• Mixed Tour
• Private Tour
• Food & Drinks tour