Meir is the main shopping street in

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. It is the most important shopping area in the country, both by number of shoppers and by rent prices. The street has been mostly

pedestrianised Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town restricted to use by people on foot or ...

since 1993 and is said to be the Belgian equivalent to New York's 5th Avenue. In the centre of Antwerp, Meir connects the Antwerp City Hall with the trains at

Antwerp Central Station Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

. Between 2002 and 2004, it was the most expensive shopping street in the

Benelux The Benelux Union (; ; ; ) or Benelux is a politico-economic union, alliance and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighbouring states in Western Europe: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The name is a portma ...

. Since the opening of the historic Stadsfeestzaal shopping centre in 2007, Meir regained that position. It has the highest rents of any street in Belgium, at 1,700 €/square metre/year. The name comes from the old Dutch word "meere" (lake). Meir used to be a so-called "wood lake" (''houtmeer''), where wood destined for use in furniture would be kept wet for a time.''Historiek der straten en openbare plaatsen van Antwerpen'', Thijs A, 1973, Antwerp (in dutch)

Historical buildings

* Meir 50: Royal Residence, built in 1745, served as the Antwerp residence of the Kings of Belgium. * Meir 85: Osterrieth House, built in 1746 in full

rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

style.

Surroundings

* Bourla Theatre, Neoclassical theatre built in 1827 and 1834 by architect

Pierre Bruno Bourla Pierre Bruno Bourla (19 December 1783 – 31 December 1866) was a Paris-born Belgium, Belgian architect. He was the city architect in Antwerp from 1819 to 1861, and a professor of architecture at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp. His most f ...

. *

, completed 1905 in an eclectic style. * Antwerp City Hall, completed 1564, in

Flemish Flemish may refer to: * Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium * Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium *Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium * Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

style. * Trading Exchange, reconstruction of one of the world's first stock exchanges built in 1531. * Rubens House, historical home of the painter

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish painting, Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged comp ...

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://www.meir-as.be
Official website of Rubens house
Shopping districts and streets in Belgium Pedestrian malls in Belgium Streets in Antwerp