page_title: Antwerp
section_title: Fortifications
hierarchical_section_title: Antwerp / Fortifications
caption_attribution_description: English: Het Steen - Antwerp, Belgium (XIII-XVIth centuries). Français&#160;: Le Steen - Anvers, Belgique (XIII-XVIe siècles) Nederlands: Het Steen - Antwerpen, België (XIII-XVIde eeuwen). Deutsch: Die Burg Steen - Antwerpen, Belgien (13-16. Jahrhundert) This is a photo of onroerend erfgoed number 4602
context_page_description: Antwerp is a city in Belgium and the capital of Antwerp province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, it is the most populous city proper in Belgium, and with a metropolitan population of around 1,200,000 people, it is the second largest metropolitan region after Brussels.
  Antwerp is on the River Scheldt, linked to the North Sea by the river's Westerschelde estuary. It is about 40 kilometres north of Brussels, and about 15 kilometres south of the Dutch border. The Port of Antwerp is one of the biggest in the world, ranking second in Europe and within the top 20 globally. The city is also known for its diamond industry and trade.
  Both economically and culturally, Antwerp is and has long been an important city in the Low Countries, especially before and during the Spanish Fury and throughout and after the subsequent Dutch Revolt. The Bourse of Antwerp, originally built in 1531 and re-built in 1872, was the world's first purpose-built commodity exchange. It was founded before stocks and shares existed, so was not strictly a stock exchange.
context_section_description: Although Antwerp was formerly a fortified city, hardly anything remains of the former enceinte, only some remains of the city wall can be seen near the Vleeshuis museum at the corner of Bloedberg and Burchtgracht. A replica of a castle named Steen has been partly rebuilt near the Scheldt-quais in the 19th century.
  Antwerp's development as a fortified city is documented between the 10th and the 20th century. The fortifications were developed in different phases:
  10th century: fortification of the wharf with a wall and a ditch
  12th and 13th century: canals (so called "vlieten" and "ruien") were made
  16th century: Spanish fortifications
  19th century: double ring of Brialmont forts around the city, dismantling of the Spanish fortifications
  20th century: 1960 dismantling of the inner ring of forts, decommissioning of the outer ring of forts
caption: Het Steen (literally: 'The Stone')
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