The Zuid (Dutch for "South") is a southern neighborhood in the city center of

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

, abutting the

Scheldt River The Scheldt ( ; ; ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to Old English ("shallow" ...

. The Zuid had a revival in the mid-1980s and is now composed of buildings in the

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

and

Modern architecture Modern architecture, also called modernist architecture, or the modern movement, is an architectural movement and style that was prominent in the 20th century, between the earlier Art Deco and later postmodern movements. Modern architectur ...

styles. Zuid contains numerous cafés, restaurants and shops, as well as three museums, two art centres, and many commercial art galleries.

History

The neighbourhood of Zuid, or Antwerp South, emerged following the dismantling of the

Antwerp Citadel Antwerp Citadel (, ) was a pentagonal bastion fort built to defend and dominate the city of Antwerp in the early stages of the Dutch Revolt. It has been described as "doubtlesse the most matchlesse piece of modern Fortification in the World" and ...

, colloquially known as the Zuidkasteel. The fort was originally constructed by the Spanish, and the demolition process began in 1874. The layout of the streets was officially approved through a Royal Decree in 1875. The design of the neighbourhood is believed to have been influenced by

Georges-Eugène Haussmann Georges-Eugène Haussmann (; 27 March 180911 January 1891), commonly known as Baron Haussmann, was a French official who served as prefect of Seine (1853–1870), chosen by Emperor Napoleon III to carry out a massive urban renewal programme of n ...

, earning it the moniker "Le Petit Paris". Concurrently with the approval of the street plan, the excavation of the Zuiderdokken (Southern Docks) commenced. Over the subsequent 25 years, the area saw significant development, with the majority of its key public buildings reaching completion in the last decade of the 19th century. Historic events in the area include: * Two World Fairs, held in 1885 and

1894 Events January * January 4 – A military alliance is established between the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire. * January 7 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film in the United States. * Ja ...

* The completion of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in 1890 * The completion of the "Dutch" Synagogue in the Bouwmeestersstraat in 1893 (see

History of the Jews in Antwerp The history of the Jews in Antwerp, a major city in the modern country of Belgium, goes back at least eight hundred years. Jewish life was first recorded in the city in the High Middle Ages. While the Jewish population grew and waned over the c ...

) * The opening of the Parein Biscuit Factory in the Brusselsestraat in 1894 * The completion of the St. Michael's Church (Amerikalei) in 1897 * The completion of the buildings of the State Commercial College (Handelshogeschool) (Schildersstraat) likewise in 1897. It now houses a nursery school after being the home of the Higher Institute for Translators and Interpreters for 53 years. * The opening of the South Station in 1898 The designation "Petit Paris", along with its well-regarded street layout, monuments, and cultural sites, made "het Zuid" or "Le Midi" a sought-after residential area up until the Second World War. Throughout the conflict, the neighbourhood experienced significant damage due to V bomb attacks, with the initial bomb impacting

, striking at the intersection of Schildersstraat and Leopold De Waelplaats. Following the war, the area entered a prolonged period of decline. Contributing factors to this downturn included suburbanization, the downturn of the Southern Docks, and the shutdown and subsequent demolition in 1965 of the South Station. The affordability of the area made it appealing to immigrants and individuals in search of a bohemian lifestyle. This economic accessibility enabled Anny De Decker to establish the " Wide White Space Gallery" (1966–1976) on the ground floor of Het Bootje, an architecturally diverse building situated at the corner of Schildersstraat and Plaatsnijdersstraat, which is now recognized as a protected monument. In 1968 and 1969, the Southern Docks were filled in and repurposed as a parking area. The construction of a new building for the Court of Appeals on the former entrance to these docks, along with the demolition of the

Hippodrome Hippodrome is a term sometimes used for public entertainment venues of various types. A modern example is the Hippodrome which opened in London in 1900 "combining circus, hippodrome, and stage performances". The term hippodroming refers to fr ...

in 1972, further diminished the prominence of "het Zuid," relegating it to a district noted only for its residual charm. Ultimately, the inherent appeal of the neighbourhood, along with a shift in attitudes towards city living, contributed to a revival in the area's prospects. There was a resurgence of interest in the Zuid after the International Rubens Year in 1977, which attracted numerous visitors to South

Museums

* Royal Museum of Fine Arts The building dates from 1890 and was constructed specifically to house the city's growing collection of art. The collection includes many Dutch and Belgian masterpieces from the 15th century onwards, by artists such as

Jan van Eyck Jan van Eyck ( ; ; – 9 July 1441) was a Flemish people, Flemish painter active in Bruges who was one of the early innovators of what became known as Early Netherlandish painting, and one of the most significant representatives of Early Nort ...

Rogier van der Weyden Rogier van der Weyden (; 1399 or 140018 June 1464), initially known as Roger de le Pasture (), was an Early Netherlandish painting, early Netherlandish painter whose surviving works consist mainly of religious triptychs, altarpieces, and commis ...

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

, and

Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged compositions reference erudite aspects of clas ...

as well as several works by Ensor, Magritte, and Delvaux. *

Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst Antwerpen The Museum of Contemporary Art in Antwerp (, commonly abbreviated as ''M HKA'', previously ''MuHKA'') is the contemporary art museum of the city of Antwerp, Belgium. Its current director is Bart de Baere. Overview The museum holds a permanent co ...

This is the contemporary art museum of the city and one of the largest of its kind in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. The museum holds a permanent collection of contemporary art by Belgian and international artists, a cinema, and a specialized library. The architect responsible was Michel Grandsard. He also designed the museum's new wing (1997). Since 1992, the director of the museum has been Bart de Baere. *

Fotomuseum Fotomuseum Antwerp, also known as FOMU, is a museum of photography in Antwerp, Belgium. History and programme The museum opened in 1986. The Fotomuseum in Antwerp has a historical and contemporary collection of photography that is given a new p ...

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

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

that presents articles on photography with a particular emphasis on fine art photography. The museum opened in 2004.

Monuments

Several of the area's squares have public monuments. These include a statue on the Marnixplaats, a fountain on the

Lambermont François Auguste, Baron Lambermont (25 March 1819 in Dion-le-Val, Brabant7 March 1905), was a Belgian statesman. He came of a family of small farmer proprietors, who had held land during three centuries. He was intended for the priesthood and ...

plaats, and a statue on the Baron Dhanislei. Of more general interest, however, is the "Waterpoort" (Water Gate), based on a design by

, and which stands on the Sint-Gillisplaats. On 6 July 2012, a new statue of William of Orange (William the Silent) and Marnix of Sint-Aldegondis was inaugurated in the gardens of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts. The statue is surrounded by a number of

stelae A stele ( ) or stela ( )The plural in English is sometimes stelai ( ) based on direct transliteration of the Greek, sometimes stelae or stelæ ( ) based on the inflection of Greek nouns in Latin, and sometimes anglicized to steles ( ) or stela ...

commemorating key conflicts leading to the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

. The monument stands on or close to what was once the stronghold defended by both men against the Spanish aggressors.

Arts centres

In 1987 the theatre company " De Internationale Nieuwe Scene" moved into the derelict "Zuiderpershuis". Since then, this former

hydraulic power station A hydraulic power network is a system of interconnected pipes carrying pressurized liquid used to transmit mechanical power from a power source, like a pump, to hydraulic equipment like lifts or motors. The system is analogous to an electrical g ...

has become an important centre for the arts. As its name might suggest, De Monty was formerly a local cinema and parish hall. It is now a venue for numerous travelling companies and groups of all kinds. Raamtheater shared part of the large complex of buildings occupied by the Hoger Instituut van Vertalers en Tolken, the language department of Hogeschool Antwerpen, now Artesia.

Innovation, business, and new development

Once the Southern Docks fell into disuse 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 small workshops and warehousing operations having to shut down or relocate. Apart from existing attractions such as the housing stock and agreeable street plan, an important factor in reestablishing the elan of the neighborhood has been the availability of land for development. This has come from the demolition or conversion of industrial and semi-industrial buildings, the abandonment and/or redevelopment of buildings such as the former Hippodrome, and the demolition of the South Station. The derelict marshalling yards on the southern edge of the neighborhood are being developed into a sustainable development called ''Circulair Zuid'' including 2,200 homes between 2018 and 2030. At present the area is served by a single supermarket on the ground floor of the redeveloped Hippodrome site. A recent development is the new Palace of Justice law courts complex on the former South Station site. This award-winning project, designed by the

Richard Rogers Partnership RSHP is a British architectural firm, founded in 1977 and previously known as the Richard Rogers Partnership which became Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners in 2007. The firm rebranded from Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners to simply RSHP on 30 Jun ...

in association with VKStudio and

Ove Arup & Partners Arup Group Limited, trading as Arup, is a British multinational professional services firm headquartered in London that provides design, engineering, architecture, planning, and advisory services across every aspect of the built environment. ...

, opened in 2007.New Palace of Justice
The presence of this new complex has encouraged lawyers, and various support services to seek premises nearby. Finally, a number of IT start-ups have been attracted by the area's fashionable image in recent years. Whether the trading atmosphere will prove to be congenial in the longer term remains to be seen.

References

External links

For a full timeline of Antwerp's history in Dutch
This site also includes an extensive photographic library of contemporary Antwerp.
The website of the Buildings Agency (Regie der gebouwen) provides several pictures of the new Law Courts and project details in Dutch and French.

Zuid.be – Zuid Online
A commercial site listing a number of businesses and cultural activities in the area. The site also includes an image gallery, a city plan and useful links. {{Authority control Populated places in Antwerp