“Day 3 : A full day’s excursion today to the historic Belgian City of Antwerp (about 1.5 hours from Lille) famed as the birthplace of Rubens with a strong artistic heritage in its fine museums and churches. This heritage was reflected too in the city’s enthusiastic embracing of the Art Nouveau movement with an entire district, known as the Golden Triangle of some 170 Art Nouveau houses as well as the famed “Five Continents” house and the Reunion exhibition in the Cathedral of Our Lady. Evening free.”
There are so many Art Nouveau houses in Antwerp’s Golden Triangle that it is impossible I’m afraid to give the addresses of each but here are some examples from those 3 streets – Waterloostraat, Transvaalstraat and Cogels Osylei. Quite amazing! According to Mike at one time threatened with demolition this now an area of prime real estate.
Waterloostraat, Antwerp crammed with Art Nouveau houses
“With more than 100 Art Nouveau buildings, Antwerp is the second town of Belgium (after Brussels) and one of the two most important ports in Europe.
Zurenborg – Cogels Osylei quarter
This is the Art Nouveau “golden triangle”, a quarter defined by three streets (Cogels Osylei, Waterloo straat and Transvaal straat) that was built mainly between 1890 and 1906. The urban planning of Zurenborg and the Cogels Osylei dates from 1894 (and half of the area was built in 1895, which became an important place for Art Nouveau which began around 1897 in Antwerp). An incredible number of Art Nouveau buildings are still preserved for your pleasure. It is often presented as the most important Art Nouveau quarter in Europe and in the world.” [Source]
So, here are some of those buildings preserved “for your pleasure”.
Den Tijd, Waterloostraat
Close-up of Den Tijd
On Waterloo Straat
Also on Waterloostraat
One of the Four Seasons Houses at a cross roads, Waterloostraat
[“De Vier Seizoenen” villas built by Joseph Bascourt in 1899 : the 4 symetrical villas corner a cross roads. Each corner is decorated by a fresco dedicated to a season.]
Four Seasons – Spring
Four Seasons – Summer
Four Seasons – Autumn
Four Seasons – Winter
There are the peacock’s eyes!
Plain – but with peacock eye balcony
Art Nouveau in the Golden Triangle
Over The Top in the Golden Triangle
Cogels Osylei
Grander house on Cogels Osylei
Also on Cogels Osylei
I probably have another 50 photos but that is enough for now.
I love to see colour on buildings! So much seems to have survived WWII.
It proved to be too busy this weekend for an outing to The History Wardrobe at Scorton, but I’ve promised my friend this treat – it could be that the Knaresborough event in August will be a good one for us.
Sorry you can’t make it on Sunday, Nilly. Watch this space for a full report!
What beautiful buildings. Thanks for sharing the photos.
Glad you enjoyed them, Pam.
[…] about an hour and a half admiring and being amused by the Golden Triangle homes we moved on to inspect a few more significant buildings of the era before being left to our […]
Marvellous buildings. I’m quite jealous!