Historical Atlas of Antwerp - Between Aspiration and Achievement

Using cartographic and visual historical material, this Historical Atlas of Antwerp provides a unique insight into ‘represented space’ as imagined by politicians, artist, planners and residents. With the help of innovative digital GIS analysis unsuspected connections and patterns of urban development are brought to light. From the emergence of the ancient heart of the city, the Burcht (‘Fortress’), the reader is guided through its sixteenth-century heyday to the ever more rapid transformations of the post-war years. The construction of churches, quays and docks, trading houses, squares and urban mansions is presented in pithy narratives that say as much about how the city was intended to be constructed as about how it eventually turned out. Both are crucial to steering Antwerp’s further expansion in the twenty-first century.