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Antwerp
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Belgium's second city,
ANTWERP
, fans out from the east bank of the Scheldt about 50km north of Brussels. Many people prefer it to the capital: though not an immediately likeable place, it has a denser concentration of things to see, not least some fine churches and distinguished museums - reminders of its auspicious past as centre of a wide trading empire. It also has a more focused character: in recent years, the city has become the effective capital of Flemish Belgium, a lively cultural centre with a spirited nightlife. On the surface it's not a wealthy city - the area around the docks especially is run-down and seedy - but its diamond industry (centred behind the dusty facades around Centraal Station) is the world's largest. On a less contemporary note, there is also the enormous legacy of Rubens, some of whose finest works adorn Antwerp's galleries and churches. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Belgium,
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