Antwerp Port Authority occupies a stunning building in the industrial docklands to the north of the old town.
Located on a remote waterfront site, it is not particularly easy to reach, but it is worth the trip, especially on a weekday when the huge inner courtyard is open to the public.
The building was originally a nineteenth-century fire station modelled on a sixteenth-century renaissance building owned by the Hanseatic League.
Shortly before her death in 2016, the architect Zaha Hadid transformed the fire station by adding a stunning glass extension perched on the roof like a ship.
Once inside the courtyard, you can admire the massive steel struts supporting the glass superstructure. Embedded in the floor is an enormous aerial photograph of Antwerp port, along with three anamorphic paintings by Italian street artist Vera Bugatti.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
