Art Deco and Art Nouveau in Lille and Antwerp : Day Three

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.

AN on Waterloost

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”.

Waterloostraat

Den Tijd, Waterloostraat

Close up Den Tijd

Close-up of Den Tijd

Waterloost

On Waterloo Straat

Waterloo St

Also on Waterloostraat

4 seasons 1

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.]

4 seasons spring

Four Seasons – Spring

4 seasons summer

Four Seasons – Summer

4 seasons autumn

Four Seasons – Autumn

4 seasons winter

Four Seasons – Winter

Peacock

There are the peacock’s eyes!

Plain

Plain – but with peacock eye balcony

Art Nouveau triangle

Art Nouveau in the Golden Triangle

OTT

Over The Top in the Golden Triangle

Cogels Osylei

Cogels Osylei

Grander House on Cogels Osylei

Grander house on Cogels Osylei

On Cogels Osylei

Also on Cogels Osylei

I probably have another 50 photos but that is enough for now.

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6 comments on “Art Deco and Art Nouveau in Lille and Antwerp : Day Three

  1. nilly says:

    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.

  2. What beautiful buildings. Thanks for sharing the photos.

  3. […] 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 […]

  4. ms6282 says:

    Marvellous buildings. I’m quite jealous!

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