Hessenhuis, Renaissance exhibition building near MAS Museum, Antwerp, Belgium
The Hessenhuis is a four-story trading house in Antwerp that combines French Renaissance features with sturdy stone construction and large window openings. The facade shows traces of different building phases, with metal reinforcements added later to support the original structure.
German merchants founded the building in 1564 as part of the Hanseatic trade network that connected Antwerp with Northern Europe. In the 19th century, structural reinforcements were added and the house received protected status in 1936.
The building served as a gathering place for German merchants and continues to shape the character of Antwerp's old town today. Visitors can experience how Hanseatic trade networks once influenced European commerce through this surviving example.
The building houses a cafe open Tuesday through Saturday with beverages and light meals available throughout the day and evening. Visitors will find it located next to the MAS Museum, making it easy to visit both sites in one outing.
The building was a major center of German Hanseatic trade and is one of the few surviving facades from this era in the city. The blend of original stone details and later metal reinforcements shows how Antwerp's structures were adapted over centuries.
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