Zuid, Antwerp
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
Revision as of 18:31, 27 March 2008
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The South of Antwerp (Zuid), is the cultural heart of the city. Revived in the mid-1980s, it is a beautiful district with many Art Nouveau style buildings such as the Rudolf Steiner school on Volkstraat, art galleries and museums and trendy cafes, restaurants and shops. Its gentrification started in the 1980s.
HISTORY
Antwerpen Zuid (Antwerp South) came into being as a distinct district with the demolition of the Citadel or Zuidkasteel, which was originally built by the Spanish occupier. Demolition works were started in 1874. The street plan was approved by Royal Decree in 1875. It is said to have been inspired by Haussman[[1]], giving rise to the nickname “Le Petit Paris”. Work was started on the excavation of the Zuiderdokken (Southern Docks) in the same year. The area was developed over the next 25 years, with most of the major public buildings being completed in the final decade of the century. Landmarks in the history of the district include:
- two World Fairs, held respectively in 1885 and 1894. See [[2]]for a list of World Fairs.
- the completion of the Museum of Fine Art (KMSKA)[3] in 1890
- the completion of the “Dutch” Synagogue in the Bouwmeestersstraat in 1893 [[4]]
- the opening of the Parein biscuit factory in the Brusselsestraat in 1894
- the completion of the St. Michiels church (Amerikalei) in 1897 [5]
- the completion of the buildings of the State Commercial College (Handelshogeschool) (Schildersstraat) likewise in 1897 and now occupied by the Higher Institute for Translators and Interpreters [6]
- the opening of the South Station in 1898. [7]
The Petit Paris cachet, the agreeable street plan, its monuments and cultural attractions made “het Zuid” or “Le Midi” a fashionable place to live until the Second World War. During the war the area sustained considerable V bomb [8] damage, with the first bomb to hit Antwerp landing on the corner of the Schildersstraat and the Leopold De Waelplaats.
After the war the area went into a long period of decline. Probable reasons include the flight to the suburbs, the decline of the Southern Docks, and the closure of the South Station, with the latter being demolished in 1965.
The low rents made the area attractive to both immigrants and those seeking a bohemian lifestyle. The rock bottom prices, for example, made it possible for Anny De Dekker to open the “Wide White Space Gallery” (1966-1976) on the ground floor of “Het Bootje” [9]], an architecturally eclectic house on the corner of Schildersstraat and Plaatsnijdersstraat, and now a listed monument.
The Southern Docks were filled in 1968 and 1969, and became parking space. A new building for the Court of Appeals was built on the former access to these docks. This and the demolition of the Hippodrome in 1972 sealed the fate of “het Zuid” as a forgotten area of town with only a certain faded charm to offer.
Eventually the fundamentally good quality of the housing stock combined with the area’s inherent attractions, changing attitudes toward urban living, and the impetus provided by International Rubens year in 1977, which brought hundreds of visitors to South Antwerp, led to a revival in fortunes.
MUSEUMS
Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen[10] The building dates from 1890 and was constructed specifically to house the city's growing collection of art. This collection today includes many Dutch and Belgian masterpieces from the 15th century onwards by artists such as Jan Van Eyck,Brueghel, Rembrandt and Rubens as well as some [[20th century art] and temporary exhibitions.
MuKHA (Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst Antwerpen)[11] This is the contemporary art museum of the city and one of the most important in Belgium. The museum holds a permanent collection of contemporary art by Belgian and international artists, an arthouse cinema and an important library of books on contemporary art. The architect responsible for the creation of the museum from an old grain storage space (1987) was Michel Grandsard who also designed the extension of the museum (1997). Since 1992 the director of the museum has been Bart de Baere.
Fotomuseum[12] This museum has a historical and contemporary collection of photography that is given a new presentation every year. Alongside the collection are frequently changing photography exhibitions, film projections and lectures. It also publishes a magazine "FMM" in Flemish that presents articles on photography with a particular emphasis on fine art photography. The museum opened in 2004.
Innovation and Business Once the Southern Docks fell into disuse (see above) the attraction of the area as a location for industrial and semi-industrial activities declined. This combined with strict zoning laws resulted in virtually all the many small workshops and warehousing operations around the docks and elsewhere in the area to shut down or to relocate.
New business locations in the district have been primarily in the retail and leisure sector, although a number of IT start-ups have been attracted by the area's fashional image in recent years. Whether the atmosphere will prove to be congenial in the longer term remains to be seen.
