It's often described as the oldest house in Antwerp. Only the house at Stoelstraat 11 is not as old as they say. The original house dates back to 1546 but it was demolished in 1973. And then rebuilt in the old style.
The city issued an order in the 16th century banning the construction of wooden houses because of the fire risk. There are only a few examples left in Antwerp.
The city has now changed the rules to allow wood-clad buildings. The Japanese architect Shigeru Ban recently designed two exceptional residential towers in Het Zuid featuring wood cladding, due to be completed in 2025.
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.
