Antwerp: Great away days
Take a trip out of the city and soak up some extraordinary experiences. By Julia Davis
By Clare Thomson
Published: 15 October 2005 by Independent.co.uk
A TREASURE TROVE
Step through the door and you find yourself in a hushed, dimly lit circular room with low white walls and a burgundy-red dome that seems to weigh you down with the intensity of its colour. Speak, and your voice slims to a whisper or suddenly raises, the volume out of control; walk, and you will be overcome by a disorientating sense of dizziness. This extraordinary installation by Anish Kapoor, At The End Of The World, is tucked away in a purpose-built outhouse at a warehouse complex owned by Antwerp's most successful antiques dealer, Axel Vervoordt.
Vervoordt's story is as remarkable as his collection. He has been rapaciously amassing art and artefacts since his schooldays, when, visiting England with his father during the holidays, he would hunt for collectables and bring them back to Antwerp. At 21, he announced himself as a serious player by snapping up the Vlaeykensgang, one of the few surviving medieval alleyways in Antwerp, and converting it into desirable private homes, with price tags to match. The proceeds helped Vervoordt to buy an entire castle, the Kasteel van 's Gravenwezel, east of the city, where he lives with his interior-designer wife, May.
The twin-towered castle, surrounded by greenery and a pretty moat, is open by appointment to serious buyers only (past shoppers include Venus Williams) - except for two days a year, when the doors are flung open to the public. It is an experience well worth waiting for. The much-loved, lived-in rooms are all differently decorated, some with a cluttered Baroque feel, others more "Zen". The collection is extraordinarily eclectic, encompassing Eygptian funeral masks and statues from ancient Rome or 13th-century Japan. The shelves in the bright, light-wood kitchen are filled with Chinese porcelain, salvaged from a shipwreck. The only consistent thing about Vervoordt's taste is that he cannot be bothered with what's in or out.
Mere mortals, meanwhile, can get a glimpse of Vervoordt's collection year-round at Kanaal, an old industrial complex and brewery in nearby Wijnegem. It's an artfully designed, theatrical space - more gallery than showroom - where you can walk away with a vintage vase-cum-lamp for €200 (£140). Amid the warren of corridors and halls, you'll spy a 13th-century Chinese statue of a priest meditating, a ritual axe from Ecuador or an abstract painting by one of Belgium's best 20th-century artists. Covered sofas and coffee tables, many designed by May, are everywhere.
Blessed with restless creative energy, the Vervoordts do up houses all over the world. If you have the money, they definitely have the taste.
Kasteel van 's Gravenwezel, St Jobsteenweg 64, 2970 'S Gravenwezel, 00 32 3 658 1470; Kanaal, Stokerijstraat 19, Wijnegem, 00 32 3 355 3300, Thursday, Friday 2-6pm, Saturday 11am-6pm. The next open days are 25-27 November and 2-4 December, 2-7pm. During those days, Kanaal opens at the same hours.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
As flat as the rest of Flanders, the surrounding area of Antwerp is tailor-made for cycling. Hop on a train at Central Station with your bike and head for the northern suburb of Kapellen, where villas old and new nestle amid oak and chestnut trees. From the station, you can follow the train lines north through the woods until you reach the village of Kalmthout. It's a lovely route to take, and at its end is the lush, rambling garden that is Kalmthout Arboretum.
Highlights include: an endangered species of Chinese conifer, which turns bright yellow and gold in autumn; the Continent's largest collection of witchhazel; and one of only three American snowdrop trees in Europe. And it's a park for all seasons: autumn is the time to view the ornamental apple trees and maples; spring brings pale blossoms on the cherry and apple trees, and radiant rhodedendrons; summer sees the colour gardens blooming; and the best time to visit the wild rose garden is in June.
Kalmthout Arboretum, Heuvel 2, 00 32 3 666 6741, www.arboretumkalmthout.be; open from March to November and January to February, 10am-5pm; €4 (£2.80). For bike hire, try De Windroos, Steenplein, 00 32 3 480 9388.
WAR AND REMEMBRANCE
Perhaps you have heard it all before. You've seen harrowing images of starving people in Nazi camps. You've read about totalitarian strategies to erode people's dignity and humanity, to set them against each other, to break the sanest and most resilient minds. Well, none of that prepares you for Breendonk, a former concentration camp south of Antwerp, near Mechelen. Once you walk through the barbed-wire fence, the sense of evil radiates from the squat, forbidding fortress in front of you. Now a national memorial to those who suffered and died here, the camp has been preserved to remind visitors of mankind's limitless capacity for cruelty - and it is chillingly successful.
The prisoners' dormitories, the SS officers' canteen, the torture chamber, the gallows... all have been preserved or reconstructed, and would be powerful enough on their own; but the experience is made far more thought-provoking by the exemplary audio commentary, which offers unflinching explanations and sometimes harrowing eyewitness reports from jailors and victims.
A former Belgian army barracks, Breendonk was taken over by the Gestapo in 1940, primarily for political prisoners. The captives were put to work extending the camp, in typically barbarous fashion. Of the more than 3,000 prisoners who were sent here, less than half survived the war.
Some people did get out alive: they were forced to sign declarations of secrecy, though in reality the Nazis wanted them to talk, to spread fear of capture among members of the resistance. It may be of some comfort to them to know that their words have been immortalised in this remarkable "monument" - for a purpose very different to that which their oppressors intended.
Breendonk Fort National Memorial, Brandstraat 57, Willebroek, near Mechelen, just off the A12 Antwerp-Brussels motorway, or via train - change at Mechelen, take a second train in the direction of Sint Niklaas and get off at Willebroek; 00 32 3 860 7525, www.breendonk.be. Open daily, 9.30am-5.30pm; €6 (£4.40).
WHERE TO STAY
HOTEL 'T SANDT, ZAND
What's in a name? Well, when you're staying in a room called the Raffles, the Ritz or the Negresco, the stakes are high; but, happily, this elegant establishment isn't trading on other people's reputations. Its whitewashed façade is spick-and-span, and the spacious lobby, with black-and-white tiles and endless flowers, has an alluring aura of discreet luxury; the staircase is suitably sweeping; and the breakfast room has the feel of a French country house.
LOCATION
On a quiet back street (Zand 13-19, 00 32 3 232 9390, www.hotel-sandt.be), a short walk from the Grote Markt, and round the corner from both the Vrijdagmarkt and the Sint-Anneke tunnel. In other words, off the beaten track, but in the heart of the action.COMFORTABLE?
Even the standard rooms are suites, so space is not an issue, and balconies or terraces are par for the course. The décor is cosy rather than cutting-edge, with cheery checked curtains, appealing off-white fabrics and wonderfully firm beds that could easily sleep four. The Cathedral Penthouse offers beams in abundance, and views of the cathedral spire from balcony and, more decadently, bath tub.THE BOTTOM LINE
Junior suites from €175 (£125), or €145 (£107) at weekends, including breakfast; add 40 per cent for the Cathedral Penthouse.CHARLES ROGIER XI, KAREL ROGIERSTRAAT
To B&B, or not to B&B? It's a question well worth pondering in Antwerp, as the city's most original accommodation tends to come in small packages. The Charles Rogier was one of the first boutique B&Bs, and is rightly proud of its status as "the Queen Mum of all Antwerp private guesthouses". Its actor-owner, Claude de Burie, styles himself as the Master of the House, and that house is a homage to Romanticism, royalty and the English stately pile, with tongue very much in cheek. In the Lady Bertinelli room, a portrait of a mysteriously melancholy maiden takes pride of place. So who was she? "I've no idea," says Claude. "The name just sounded good."
LOCATION
Within staggering distance of the Zuid's bars and restaurants, and a stroll from the Fine Arts Museum. Tram 8 will get you to the centre in no time (Karel Rogierstraat 11, 00 32 475 299989, www.charlesrogierxi.be).COMFORTABLE?
Rooms are dramatically decked out in green or red, with four-poster beds and antiques. Help yourself to wine and sink into a comfy armchair. Breakfast is brought to your room, and is left outside the door until you're ready to face the day.THE BOTTOM LINE
Doubles from €180 (£129), including breakfast.HOTEL JULIEN, KARTE NIEUWSTRAAT
"Minimalist", "Zen" and "designer" are fast becoming the clichés of contemporary hotel design. While the Julien ticks all three boxes - the huge, amorphous light in the hall continually changes colour and the rooms are sleek and modern - its appeal is based on good old-fashioned friendly service. The staff are attentive and cheerful, instead of glacially cool, and what a difference it makes.
LOCATION
Within the historic centre, the Julien is a short stroll from the Grote Markt (Korte Nieuwstraat 24, 00 32 3 229 0600, www.hotel-julien.com)COMFORTABLE?
The building is a mix of medieval and modern, with original features in some rooms and a beautiful black-floored breakfast space where a glass wall overlooks the courtyard. While the neutral shades in the bedrooms feel a little understated at first, the quality of the fabrics and the firmness of the beds is beyond doubt.THE BOTTOM LINE
Doubles from €160 (£116), including breakfast.
