Step into the sixteenth century

This museum is sometimes called the Wikipedia of the sixteenth century, the period when Antwerp was the New York of its time. Visit the home and printing house of  Christophe Plantin and his son-in-law and successor, Jan I Moretus. On the ground floor you will discover their authentic home, with tapestries, gilded leather, paintings and sculptures. On the walls hang a series of portraits that the family commissioned from Rubens. In the Print Room, you can admire prints and drawings by the Antwerp masters from the sixteenth century to the present.  

The oldest printing presses in the world

On the first floor, you will learn more about the publishing house with which Plantin and his successors put Antwerp on the world map. Admire the first Dutch dictionary, the first atlas, and Plantin's absolute masterpiece: an eight-volume Bible in five languages. The world's oldest printing presses are the icing on the cake of your visit. You should also take time to enjoy the silence in the courtyard garden, which looks just the same as it did in the sixteenth century. After your visit, you will realise only too well why Plantin-Moretus was the very first museum to be recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Curious about the temporary exhibitions on display right now? 

Explore the old town

Step outside the museum and in no time at all, you will see the cosy cafes and restaurants of the Vrijdagmarkt beckoning you in. Enough rest? Time to continue exploring the old town. Discover the highlights of this neighbourhood full of history.