Description
Principal commercial and financial center of Europe in the 16th century, located on the Scheldt River. After a long decline due to the river blockade (1585-1795), it re-emerged as one of the largest ports in Europe in the 19th century.
Year of Foundation or Oldest Source
Gallo-Roman settlement in the 2nd-3rd centuries AD; mentioned in the 4th century. Became an important commercial center in the Middle Ages, surpassing Bruges in the late 15th century. Golden Age in the 16th century. Revitalization from the early 19th century.
Country (State or Region)
Belgium
Location
Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium, on the banks of the Scheldt (Scheldt) River, about 80 km (approximately 50 miles) from the North Sea.
Structuring
River port with sea access. In the 16th century, trade was concentrated along the river quays. After its decline, the first modern docks (Le Petit Bassin/Bonapartedok and Le Grand Bassin/Willemdok) were built by Napoleon between 1803 and 1813, behind locks to maintain the water level. At the end of the 19th century, after the removal of the Scheldt tolls (1863), there was a large expansion to the north of the city with the construction of new docks and locks, and the straightening of the river quays (Scheldekaaien). The 19th-century industrial and port development involved major public works and contractors.
Notes
It was the undisputed center of the international economy in the 16th century, surpassing Bruges and attracting merchants from all over Europe. Home to the first stock exchange built for that purpose. Main European market for Portuguese spices, sugar, and manufactured goods. The closing of the Scheldt by the Dutch in 1585, after the Spanish conquest, led to an exodus of merchants and artisans (many to Amsterdam) and an economic decline that lasted for more than two centuries. Napoleon saw its strategic potential and began the modernization of the port in the early 19th century. The removal of the Scheldt tolls in 1863 was the catalyst for the port's revival. By the end of the 19th century, it had once again become one of the largest ports in Europe, competing with Rotterdam and Hamburg, benefiting from the industrialization of Belgium and Germany. The FelixArchief (City Archives of Antwerp) is a crucial repository of historical sources.
Sources
ANTWERPEN.BE. Antwerp Urban Development. [s.d.].; BREPOLSONLINE.NET. Agglomeration economies and the location of foreign merchants. 2017.; DISCOVERY.UCL.AC.UK. Spatial organisation of economic activities in Antwerp. 2016.; HERITAGEUNIVERSITYOFKERALA.COM. [Artigo sobre patrimônio].; HUMANITES-SCIENCES-MER.ORG. The technical adaptation of ports. [s.d.].; JOURNALS.OPENEDITION.ORG. Private security in Antwerp (1907-1934). [s.d.].; JOURNALS.OPENEDITION.ORG. The medieval origins of the Antwerp market. 2014.; LIRIAS.KULEUVEN.BE. The Antwerp COR-database*. [s.d.].; MARINES.MIL. Belgium: A Country Study. 1984.; MARNOT, Bruno. Ports as Tools of European Expansion. Encyclopédie d'histoire numérique de l'Europe [online], 2020.; PG.WORLD. Shore Excursions Antwerp. [s.d.].; PORT OF ANTWERP BRUGES. The history of the port of Antwerp. [s.d.].; REPUBLIEK.EUR.NL. Profiling the ports of Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Hamburg. [s.d.].; RESEARCHGATE. Antwerp, Belgium - a 9th century Viking Town? 2016.; RESEARCHGATE. Public Works Contractors in Antwerp. 2023.; RESEARCHGATE. Understanding the spatial organisation of economic activities in early 19th century Antwerp. 2016.; SGLUSA.COM. Antwerp Port Report. [s.d.].; VLIZ.BE. Stakeholder relations and path dependence in strategic seaport planning. 2013.; WIKIPEDIA. Antwerp. [s.d.].
