Catalogue information
Het Steen is part of a former ring rampart on the right bank of the Scheldt in the city of Antwerp. Het Steen, the oldest preserved building in Antwerp, was built between 1200 and 1225 and was then called Antwerp Castle. Within the Burcht there were important institutions such as the Vierschaar (the former court), the Sint-Walburgiskerk, the Reuzenhuis, the Steen, the Werf and the Vismarkt. Around 1520, at the time of Charles V, the castle was thoroughly renovated and from then on it was called "'s-Heeren Steen". In 1549, Charles V donated the building to the city, which owned it until 1828. From 1303 to 1823 the building was used as a prison, after which it served as a home for disabled soldiers. After the government requisitioned the building in 1827, it was sold to a sawmill a year later. In 1842, however, the city bought the building back. A large part of the castle was demolished in the 1880s when the quays were straightened and the Scheldt was widened. The remaining building was hereafter simply referred to as "Het Steen". Nevertheless, a new wing was immediately built in 1889-1890 and other parts of the building were also renovated
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