The Meir

The Meir is the name of the most famous shopping street of Antwerp. The large avenue is now free of traffic and invites thousands of people every day to a pleasant shopping stroll in a beautiful historic surrounding. Roughly spoken, the shopping district of the Meir stretches from Our Lady's Cathedral to Central Station.

The street boasts numerous beautiful historic buildings. One of the most important is the 'Osterrieth'-house at number 85. This house was built between 1745-1746 by architect Van Baurscheit in Rococo-style. The middle section has almost literally been carved out with a chisel and is decorated with a monumental fronton. It is now the seat of the Paribas Belgium bank and houses a remarkable collection of Belgian paintings.

Another of the historical buildings alongside the Meir is situated at number 50. It used to be the former Royal Residence of the Belgian Kings in Antwerp. It was also built, like the Osterrieth House, by architect Van Baurscheit in Rococo -style around 1745. It is now used for expositions and for the film museum. It is a beautiful testimony of the last wave of Baroque art, the ornately decorative Rococo Style.

In the middle of the Meir is a side-street, called 'Wapper'. In this street stands the House of Peter Paul Rubens.