ANTWERP (Fr. A nrcrs, anciently Ando•er porn, from Anc dc Werp, "at the wharf, har bor"). A city of Belgium, capital of the prov ince of the same name, situated on the right bank of the Scheldt, in lat. 50° 13' N., long. 4° 23' E. (Slap: Belgium, C 3). It ranks first in commercial importance and second in popula tion among the cities of Belgium, and its harbor is considered one of the hest in Europe. Antwerp is situated in a fruitful and well-cultivated region. The larger part of the city lies within the walls, which have been continually extended and improved, and at present have a total length of eight miles. In point of architectural beauty and artistic achievements, Antwerp has but few rivals among European cities.
The most noteworthy edifice is the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the noblest and largest specimen of Gothic architecture in the Netherlands, cov ering an area of 70,041 square feet. It was be gun in 1352 and continued at various periods during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The roof is supported by 125 pillars, and the lofty tower, whose exquisite beauty Charles V. was wont to compare to Mechlin lace, is a mar vel of gracefulness. The highly ornamented por tal and the fine tracery of the window above it are particularly worth seeing. The impressive interior, the unusual seven-aisled division of which is to be noted, contains three celebrated works by Rnbens, "The Descent from the Cross," "The Elevation of the Cross," and adorning the high altar in the choir, "The Assumption:" the first-named being the most magnificent, and gen erally considered his masterpiece. The chn•ch of St. Jacques, rn in the late Gothic style, in 1491, and completed in 1656, outranks the cathe dral in the splendor of its decorations and monu ments. Among the ninny altars, private chapels, and burial vaults, belonging to the most distin guished families of Antwerp, that of the Rnbens family is the most interesting. Of the secular buildings, the Hiltel de Villein the Grande Place, a fine structure in the Renaissance style, dating from 1561-65, and rising to a height of ISO feet, and the Bourse, a stately edifice in the late Gothic style, deserve especial attention. The
museum, erected in 1879-90, from plans by Win ders and Van Dyck, is an imposing rectangular structure, inclosing six inner courts. its pic ture gallery boasts of an unusually fine collec tion of paintings by the old masters, including about SOO canvases, especially of the Flemish school, among which are rare specimens by Jan van Eyck, Slemling, Nassys, Rnbens, Van Dyck, etc.; "The Entombment of Christ," the master piece of Quinten Massys, and the "Christ Cruci fied," by Rubens, a work of great dramatic effect, being the most remarkable. Worthy of mention are also the Musise Plantin-Moretus, famous for its collection of everything pertaining to the early history of printing, the Guild Hall of the Archers, the Vieille Boueherie or old meat mar ket, and the Steen, part of the old castle dating from the Tenth Century, once the seat of the Inquisition, and now containing an a rclupolopieal museum.
Antwerp is administered by a burgomaster, assisted by five assessors and a municipal coun cil. The burgomaster is nominated by the King for a period of eight years. and is also the head of the police. The assessors are chosen by the munici pal council for the same period. The municipal council numbers 39 members, including S mem bers from the labor council, who are elected by all voting citizens for S years. The city is di vided into 9 districts, administered by commis sioners. 'Water, as well as gas, is supplied by private companies. With the exception of the railway stations and the harbor, which have elec tric lights, the city is lighted by gas. Of its annual budget of over $7,500,000, the city ex pends only about 9 per cent. on administration, police, and street cleaning, about S per cent. on education, and about 15 per cent. on the service of the debt, which amounts to about $60,000,000 at per cent. repayable by 1977.