Once upon a time Antwerp was a metropolis of world class and maybe the loveliest city in the world. But after the Spanish rage around 1575, the city became repressive and Catholic, which resulted in the Protestants leaving the city, towards North Rhine Westphalia and Holland. Antwerp lost half it' population, and it's acces to the sea was closed by the Dutch. This lead to the Golden Age of Amsterdam. The most famous painter from Antwerp is Rubens. The port of Antwerp is still one of the leading ports in the world. In the port area is also a wold class concentration of petro chemical industries. From the maginficent Antwerp central railway station in the heart of the city you can reach Brussels in less than one hour. There are even direct trains to Amsterdam or Paris in a around two hours, with the cities of Rotterdam, Delft, The Hague, Leiden en Amsterdam Schiphol airport on the way to Amsterdam, and Brussels on your way to Paris.