Heart of Antwerp

Antwerpen is located on the right (eastern) bank of the river Scheldt, which is linked to the North Sea by the estuary Westerschelde.

The city has one of the largest seaports in Europe. Antwerp has long been an important city in the Low Countries both economically and culturally, especially before the Spanish Fury (1576) in the period of the Dutch Revolt. The inhabitants of Antwerp are locally nicknamed Sinjoren, after the Spanish honorific señor or French seigneur, "lord". It refers to the leading Spanish noblemen who ruled the city during the 17th century.