Het Steen

Burg Steen is a medieval fortress beside the Scheldt in Antwerp, and the city’s oldest surviving building. Built between 1200 and 1225, it originally formed the gateway to a larger castle belonging to the Dukes of Brabant. Its stone walls later served as a city hall, court, and prison, with the prison operating from 1303 to 1827.

Much of the surrounding castle and walled city disappeared during nineteenth-century works to straighten the river quays, while this section survived and underwent major alterations. A 1890 archaeology museum and a 1952 maritime-history extension once occupied the site, which now combines a visitor centre with a modern addition, historical exhibits, and a Canadian war memorial. Above the entrance arch, a second-century bas-relief shows Semini, a Scandinavian god associated with youth and fertility.

Lange Wapper, a legendary giant, stands with two human figures on the entrance bridge. The fortress also connects Antwerp’s history with opera: Wagner’s Lohengrin places a scene in Antwerp Castle around 933, inspiring the design of Neuschwanstein through its stage directions.