About Antwerp
Antwerp is an international port city on Belgium’s River Scheldt, with history dating to the Middle Ages. In its center, the centuries-old Diamond District houses thousands of traders, cutters and polishers. Its Royal Academy of Fine Arts, founded in 1663, is today a well-known European fashion academy, where the local designers the Antwerp Six made the city a hotbed for the 1980s avant-garde. With a population of 510,610, it is the most populous city in Flanders. Its metropolitan area houses around 1,100,000 people. Antwerp had an artistic reputation in the 17th century, based on its school of painting, which included Rubens, Van Dyck, Jordaens, the two Teniers and many others. Antwerp is famous for its local products. In August every year the Bollekesfeest takes place. The Bollekesfeest is a showcase for such local products as Bolleke, an amber beer from the De Koninck Brewery, sweets and other products.