In the nineteenth century, industrialization and the growing urban population necessitated an intensive urban renewal. Already in the Napoleonic period, several medieval buildings had been demolished to make room for shipyards. A few decades later, the decision was made to level the Spanish ramparts that dated back to the sixteenth century. Today, new major urban renewal schemes are bringing their remains to the surface, giving archaeologists an unprecedented opportunity to chart the remains of what was once an impressive bulwark.
In 1860, photographer Edmond Fierlants (1819-1869) was given the task of documenting the historical monuments of the city. It was one of the first large-scale series of urban photography in the world (Racy, 2018). The collection of photographs was divided between the City Archives (now Felixarchief) and the City Library (now Hendrik Conscience Heritage Library), where they are still kept today. Fierlants’ photographs have been digitized and can be consulted online or downloaded under the Open Data licence of the Flemish Community. The collection of the Conscience Library is available in the city’s Digital Assets Management System and the Felixarchief collection can be found on their website.
References
G. Racy, City-photography-modernity : visualizing Antwerp and São Paulo through the lenses of Fierlants (1819-1869) and Azevedo (1837-1905). Ongepubliceerd proefschrift Universiteit Antwerpen, 2018.