Antwerp: The glory years

A whirling history of a great city

The city that Antwerp once was is almost unrecognizable today. Destroyed by the flames and bombardments of the world wars, its history is well hidden behind a façade of rebuilt monuments. Yet the port city was once the center of the world.
As a trading centre, Antwerp had no equal in the sixteenth century, and its wealth and opulence seemed unparalleled. The city of Plantin and Brueghel was a hive of activity. Visitors came with their wares from all corners of the world to the city where money trading flourished.
At the same time, Antwerp also had a dark side: riots, mutinies and the Inquisition, which hung like a dark cloud over the Jewish and Protestant inhabitants, made the exceptional prosperity short-lived. Nevertheless, Antwerp's influence appears to be lasting.
With Antwerp, bestselling author Michael Pye unlocks the story of a city that emerged against all odds as the beating heart of the sixteenth century, and managed to change the world in a short time. According to Pye, one thing is certain: without Antwerp's history, nothing would be the same today.