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The Cathedral of Our Lady is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Antwerp, Belgium. Presently known as the Diocese of Antwerp was started to be constructed in around 1352 and its first stage of construction was accomplished around in 1521. The cathedral in Gothic style was constructed by its architects Jan and Pieter Appelmans. It has a good number of works by the Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens, as well as paintings by artists such as Otto van Veen, Jacob de Backer and Marten de Vos. The Cathedral is on the list of World Heritage Sites.

On the site of the cathedral there was a small chapel of our lady from the 9th to the 12th century that acquired the status of the parish church in 1124. It was in during the course of the twelfth century, it was thus replaced by a larger Romanesque church. In 1352, the work started for the new Our Lady’s church to make it the largest Gothic church in the Netherlands.  Initially, it was provided with two towers of equal height. In 1521, after nearly 170 years, the new church of Our Lady was restored. The south tower reached beyond as far as the third string course.

It was on the night of October 5-6, 1533, the new church was entrapped with fire. And the completion of the second tower was therefore delayed, which led to its ultimate postponement. The church became cathedral of the bishopric of Antwerp in 1559 but lost this title again from 1801 to 1961, following the Concordat of 1801. During the Iconoclasm of August 20, 1566 (at the start of the Eighty Years’ War), Protestants destroyed a large part of the cathedral interior. The restoration of Roman Catholic authority came in 1585 with the fall of Antwerp. Even during the French revolution, Our Lady’s Cathedral suffered serious damage. It was around in 1798, the French administration desired to demolish the building, however, after every blow, the cathedral was able to stand on its own. In 1816, various important works of art were returned from Paris, consisting of three Rubens masterpieces. And it was around the course of the 19th century; the church was destroyed entirely and refurnished.

Another added attraction to the museum is its choir. The cathedral’s choir started developing an active musical life, which raised the importance of cathedral’s music as much high as possible.  One of the renowned composers of the 15th century, served here as a vicar-singer in 1443, and so did Jacob Obrecht between 1492 and 1497. Among the architectural details of the church the most important is the finished spire that is 404 feet, the highest church tower in the Benelux.

Antwerp Zoo is a very popular Zoo at the center of Antwerp and is situated right straight opposite to the Antwerpen- Central railway station. It is the oldest animal park in Belgium and is one of the oldest Zoo in the world. The Zoo was founded on the oldest animal park in the country, and one of the oldest in the world, established on 21 July 1843.

Since its opening park is operated by De Koninklijke Maatschappij voor Dierkunde van Antwerpen, a society that originally is known to be Société Royale de Zoologie d’Anvers (The Antwerp Royal Society for Zoology). The zoo is also named on the name of society as well “De Zoologie”. The first motive for opening the Zoo was to encourage the zoological and botanical sciences. The first director of the zoo was the zoologist and botanist Jacques Kets. He accepted the responsibility of the Zoo only the condition as to place to preserve in Zoo, his nature-historical collections. This building was inaugurated in 1844 by H.R.H. King Léopold I of Belgium. During his tenure as a Zoo director, he encouraged the protection and preservation of animals on a recreational, educational, scientific and cultural level.

During, its first years the park expanded only from 1.59 hectares to 10.5 hectares, the notable structures from that period in the park are the Egyptian temple (1856) and the antelope building (1861) in Oriental style that now keeps the okapis. The Zoo also has a cultural division as well that used to organize concerts in the hall. Later on symphonic concerts started being organized in the Zoo. The museum building was severely demolished to develop a concert hall. The museum collections were turned to the second floor. For the 1920 Summer Olympics, at the spot the boxing and wrestling events were organized.

After the World War II, the animal park transformed into a model zoo as were adapted the modern scientific, educational, cultural and aesthetic standards. The animal compounds were provided with better light. Buildings from this period involves the primate building (1958), the big jubileum complex, established on the occasion of the 125-year anniversary together with the nocturama (1968), which houses the nocturnal animals. The jubileum complex keeps the birds of prey and the sea lions. In 1973 a new compound for reptilians was constructed.  The older primate building was renovated in 1989. In 2003 number of animals like as hippos, Malayan tapirs and a number of swamp birds get there home in Hippotopia. The Antwerp zoo too is one of the premium worlds Zoo’s for the purpose of scientific exploration and education. In 2007 the  Zoo has awarded with the most prestigious award, the ‘most romantic and best preserved 19th century zoo’, due to its beautiful garden and old architecture like the Egyptian temple,   Bird house, Aquarium, Reptile house, Hippo house and others.

The port of Antwerp, in Belgium, is a port in that is situated at straight center of Europe as accessible to the capesize ships. Antwerp is located at the upper end of the tidal estuary of the Scheldt. The estuary is navigable by ships of more than 100,000 Gross Tons and can be navigated deep into inland for about 80 km. There inland location interprets that port of Antwerp has in a location in Europe has better advantage than the most of the North Sea ports. Antwerp’s docks are connected to the hinterland by rail, waterway and road. Due to this Antwerp has developed as the Europe’s largest sea port.

With the opening of the Berendrecht Lock (1989), the right bank of the port has developed to a large extent. With a length of 500 m between the lock gates and a width of 68 m, the Berendrecht lock is the largest lock in the world. This lock has a depth of 13.50 m, and during high water this depth reaches upto about 17.75 meters. Other than the Lock, still further development has been observed and is nourished on the banks of the Scheldt as immediately outside the dock complex. Two large container terminals have already been opened there to be operated. In 1990, the Europe terminal was operative, while secondly, the North Sea terminal became operative in 1997. The older areas of the port, such as the Bonaparte dock, are there have been modernised to make then suitable for the ultra modern cargo handling operations.

The development of the Waaslandhaven on Antwerp’s left bank planned during the best business years of the nineteen-sixties. At that time, it was considered, there an agreement can be reached at with the Dutch on the construction of the Baalhoek Canal, which runs from Kallo in Belgium through the Drowned Land of Saefthinge into the Western Scheldt. Therefore the work resumed on the Kallo Lock in 1979, and by the end of the eighties the basic outlines of the Waaslandhaven were by and large complete.

After the container terminals on the right bank of the Scheldt have been saturating in their capacities, a new dock complex- the Deurganck dock was constructed at the spot. The first terminal in this dock was started on July 6, 2005. The full capacity of the dock is accounted about to around 8 to 9 million TEU. The Deurganck dock has a length of 2.5 km and is made up of about 1,200,000 cubic metres of concrete. And expansion of the port is still is full fledge as in October 2010, the port there approved a long-term investment plan, that is of the cost of about 1.6 billion Euros extending the next 15 years.

There are many places of religious importance in Antwerp that are revered by people of different religious faith and beliefs. Below is provided the brief of some important centers of religious faith in Amsterdam.

• Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp: The tall Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp is a live example of Gothic architecture and is the largest church in Benelux. Antwerp. Cathedral too provide shelter too four magnificent Rubens altarpieces. Started from 1352, the cathedral finished by around 1520. The Cathedral of Our Lady is situated upon the site of 10th-century chapel devoted to the Virgin and a subsequent Romanesque church. The Gothic cathedral of Antwerp has seven aisles and 125 pillars. Of all the five planned towers, only one has been completed since till now. However, the tower is the tallest church spire in the Low Countries at the 123m (403 ft.) high, and the five towers to be constructed well show off a wealth and power of medieval Antwerp. Antwerp Cathedral’s from inside is very impressive with far-reaching Gothic lines and soaring vaults, all are in the glossy white. The furnishings at the cathedral are a mixture of Baroque and Neoclasssical styles. The cathedral has about four Rubens altarpieces, containing The Raising of the Cross, The Descent from the Cross, The Resurrection and the The Assumption of the Virgin (1626). Nicolas Rombouts’ Last Supper (1503) stained-glass window is also superb. Among many other notable works of art in Antwerp includes the Madonna and Child in Carrrara marble, by the anonymous “Master of the Maasland Marble Madonnas.”

• Jewish Quarter and Diamonds: Antwerp is renowned internationally for it’s diamonds and to estimation world’s 85% of rough diamonds, 50% of cut diamonds, and 40% of industrial diamonds are traded in Antwerp each year. With an estimated cost of about $12.5 billion, diamonds there ranges about the 7% of total Belgian exports. The diamond cutters of Antwerp are famous globally for quality of diamond that they sell. About more than 12,000 expert cutters and polishers works in the Diamond Quarter, at 380 workshops, serving wit 1,500 firms and 3,500 brokers and merchants.

Most of the diamond dealers and trader in the Antwerp belongs to the Antwerp’s Orthodox Jewish community that is good reputation for handling diamonds. . More than 80% of the Antwerp’s Jews are included into the diamond trade and Yiddish is their primary language of the diamond exchange. In Antwerp there live about 15,000 Jews and one of them is the largest ultra-Orthodox communities in the Diaspora. Around 95% of Jewish children in Antwerp attend Jewish religious schools and there are many kosher delis, restaurants and grocery stores. The Jewish community of Antwerp resides at Pelkinstraat, which starts at the Centraal railroad station, and the surrounding streets.