Between quay and ship: the Antwerp harbour district before 1885

1885. Antwerp shows off its new quays. Until recently, this was where the oldest city centre was located, on a projecting section of the Scheldt, now completely demolished and cleared for the 'modern' harbour.
In this nostalgic book, Jan Lampo returns to the vanished medieval heart of the city. He sees the castle area emerge: the grim Steen, the Sint-Walburgis church, the skippers' quarter, the fish market, the red light district. The residents are busy: skippers, porters, fishmongers, 'public women', fairground visitors and industrialists of all kinds. What happened to them when the Scheldt was straightened?
A colourful, illustrated chronicle about prosperity, illusions and misery, economy and water management, ambitious plans and harsh reality. Based on archaeological, historical and urban development research. But also with testimonies of writers, poets and singers who sang about the Antwerp harbour side.