Antwerp’s city archive has filled the Sint-Felixpakhuis, a warehouse of 1858 on the Eilandje, since 2006. It holds more than 30 kilometres of records, starting with two charters of 1221.
Tag: Els van Doesburg
Elixir d’Anvers, still distilled on Haantjeslei after 163 years
Elixir d’Anvers has been made in Antwerp since 1863 from a recipe that was never written down. The Nolet family has owned the distillery since 2008, and the copper stills on Haantjeslei are now a protected monument.
Antwerp’s Grote Markt, where the town hall turned to face its square
Antwerp’s Grote Markt was given to the city in 1220. Its town hall dates from the 1560s, its Brabo fountain from 1887, and most of its guildhalls are younger than they look.
Chocolate Nation, opposite Centraal: a million visitors and no subsidy
Chocolate Nation opened opposite Antwerp’s Centraal station in 2019, cost €11.5 million of private money and passed one million visitors in October 2025.