Attention curious travelers! Those of you who come back from old Europe and yearn for a bit of magic. Want to be surprised and flee from mass tourism... It's time to visit or revisit the five Art Cities of Flanders: Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, Leuven and Mechelen, breathe, enjoy... because they are full of hidden gems, they are really inspiring and you will not have to queue or wait for turns to enjoy the art, the heritage, the haute cuisine and its magnificent (and appetizing) avant-garde scene.
inspire. breathe. You are already in Flanders. And here the small towns know how make you vibrate with them. foodie paradise, the culinary scene is experiencing one of its best moments. In a more informal key, the variety of craft beers awaits you almost on every corner –remember that the Belgian beer culture has been recognized by UNESCO–. You will notice that in these cities, which have historically been hotbeds of creativity, the creative spirit lives on!
Antwerp. Kevin Faignert.
ANTWERP, RUBENS IN ITS PURE STATE
a couple of days in Antwerp It will allow you a deep immersion in its idiosyncrasy. mecca of european baroque, today in this avant-garde city keep track of Master Rubens –Which continues to be one of his main claims is possible: In his house, in his workshop, in churches and in other places, such as the museum house of his friend Rockox. Especially now since on September 24th the long-awaited opening Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA), which opens its doors to the public after 11 years of renovation and will again show great works by the artist along with those of other Flemish masters such as Ensor.
Antwerp. Kevin Faignert.
And from the baroque to the avant-garde, some of the best representatives of the high kitchen of the region, such as the incredible three Michelin stars Zilte, a gastro trip in itself that we recommend, or those accommodations, such as the Botanical Sanctuary, that go one step further in terms of the relationship between sustainability and sophistication in the same historic center.
In addition, here, as in all of Flanders, getting around by bike is a good idea not only to explore the Pakt neighborhood, with its imaginative sustainable offer, roof-gardens, locally produced food Zuid with its museum offer, but also to go through the banks of the river Scheldt, its converted terraces and port warehouses.
Antwerp. Kevin Faignert.
By the way, don't miss the Central Station –the Cathedral of the Seasons– or, in the ´t eilandje district, the MAS – Museum aan de Stroom–, a building, a building over 60 meters high, designed by Neutelings Riedijk Architects and whose facade is made of red sandstone and curved glass panels. Contemporary architecture is also very present in the city.
witches Kevin Faignert.
BRUGES, ETERNAL CITY
Bruges, always deserves another visit. Historically coexist here the unesco heritage and the spectacular nature and romanticism of his channels with the more contemporary projects in all artistic disciplines.
witches Kevin Faignert.
Back when Bruges was the Cultural Capital of Europe, one of those buildings that define its current skyline was built, the Concertgebouw, an auditorium where you can enjoy its intense programming in contemporary dance, concerts, conferences Y festivals of classical music.
For an immersion in the last five centuries of Bruges history, Gruuthusemuseum. The hours will fly in there and you will understand the historic reinvention of Bruges in the 19th century. Or the Groeningemuseum, a tour of six centuries of history through the Belgian plastic arts and the gaze of the Flemish Primitives: Jan van Eyck, Hans Memling and Gerard David…
witches Kevin Faignert.
The old Hospital of San Juan, today Memling-Museum (closed until the end of June) and the neighborhoods of the old merchants will continue to evoke that medieval atmosphere which contrasts with trendiest premises of the most creative artisans in the city grouped under the Local Love label . In the guide and app Handmade in Bruges you will find a number of authentic shops worth visiting. And of course, the exquisite gastronomic offer and local breweries like Bourgogne des Flandres or De Halve Maan, where you can enjoy the flamenco lifestyle.
Ghent. Kevin Faignert.
GHENT, THE BEST KEPT SECRET IN EUROPE
Another city away from mass tourism but which shares with Bruges the title of “most beautiful city in Belgium” is Ghent. Port, medieval, monumental, green! A night boat ride through its canals is another of those gifts that the city can offer you.
But above all, here travelers come to admire without haste the masterpiece of the Van Eyck brothers: The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, inside the essential Saint Bavo's Cathedral, built on a first church from the 10th century and a Romanesque one from the 12th, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist.
Ghent. Kevin Faignert.
In the sint-baafsplein square, next to the cathedral, there is another the 3 towers that will deserve your attention: the Belfort, a majestic bell tower of 91 m, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. And a stone's throw away, the third tower, that of the church of San Nicolás, behind which you will find two of the epicenters of the city's university atmosphere, Korenmarkt square and Klein Turkije street with numerous breweries.
By the way, from anywhere in the historic center you can see what they call the fourth Tower, the Tower of Books, Boekentoren, a building designed by Henry van de Velde, which is part of the University Library.
Ghent. Kevin Faignert.
Try the vegetarian options especially on Thursdays, go through the curious graffiti street, Werregarenstraatje and take a break in the Dok Noord microbrewery.
When you are recovered from all these experiences, let yourself be seduced by the historical weight of the Castle of the Counts of Ghent, Gravensteen, in the very center of the city, surrounded by the river Lys, and built in the twelfth century by Philip of Alsace. Awesome.
Leuven. Kevin Faignert.
LEUVIN, CRADLE OF THINKER
Leuven is young and innovative. University city for centuries and cradle of the thought of great figures related to science and the arts, was in the past an epicenter of intellectuals that began to question the privileges of the monarchs and the Church and put on the table issues such as equality and social justice.
It is easy to imagine that era while admiring the spectacular Gothic Town Hall of Leuven, in the Grote Markt, Front of monumental Church of San Pedro, where to approach The Last Supper, by Dieric Bouts in a very special and innovative way. If you like art, do not hesitate to enter the museum M Leuven, which combines works of old and contemporary masters.
Leuven. Kevin Faignert.
Linked to your university, founded in 1425, there are great figures to follow in the footsteps of the city, such as Erasmus of Rotterdam, Andrew Vesalius with his first modern treatise on anatomy; the priest Georges Lemaitre, with the Big Bang theory, or Thomas More, who chose it to publish his masterpiece, Utopia. It is worth visiting one of the Colleges or the University Library.
Leuven. Kevin Faignert.
But all this past contrasts with the street art and its more than 150 murals of street art, scattered throughout different parts of the city, or the STUK, a contemporary art center that focuses on dance, image and sound and even the Vaartkom industrial district. Special mention deserves the beer culture. Leuven hosts from big factories like Stella to small artisans like Domus in the center and others in the surroundings.
We recommend you bike route to the outskirts, that will become one of your best memories of the city: arriving to Abbey Park, founded in 1129 by Duke Godfrey when this area was Godofredo I's hunting park.
Mechelen. Kevin Faignert.
MALINAS, BEERS AND BELLS
located midway between Brussels and Antwerp, this Burgundian city, where Charles V grew up, in the court of his aunt Margaret of Austria, falls in love with his human scale of him, for their squares and cobbled streets and because everything can be done on foot, no rush.
Mechelen. Kevin Faignert.
That is why it is so cozy and great for families for those who keep surprises like the park Technopolis with more than 300 science facilities and technology, where children learn interactively to discover how things work.
Or will you have fun too? Planckendael, a nature reserve, on the grounds of the castle of the same name, next to the town of Muizen, where you can interact with some species.
Mechelen. Kevin Faignert.
Also, in this city in which both the bell tower and the beguinages are a World Heritage Site, surprised by his monumental churches and the imposing gothic style of the San Rumoldo Tower: 514 steps Y 43 bells (from 1520), whose views, at 93 meters, will leave you speechless.
More than surprising is the beautiful Modernist Winter Garden, of art nouveau style, inside the Ursuline Convent, a building full of curious spaces that was a female boarding school and where you can get to in a nice nice bike ride to Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Waver . A beer stop? Try the Gouden Carolus, in the Het Anker brewery. Tastings, pairings in its brasserie, visits... even a hotel in case you decide to spend the night. And for more inspiration, visit www.flandersartcities.be.
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