Venue rental and filming

Our stunning Nottebohm Room is the perfect setting for a lecture, a seminar, a film shoot or a book launch. You can also rent the Eekhoud Cabinet.

Oscar Nottebohm

The Nottebohm Room in the Hendrik Conscience Heritage Library is named after the Antwerp patron Oscar Nottebohm (1865-1935). This particular descendant of the Nottebohm family was a grandson of Diederich Wilhelm Nottebohm who moved to Antwerp from Bielefeld in 1811.

Egyptian Cabinet

There is a remarkable piece of furniture in the Nottebohm Room: The Egyptian Cabinet. It holds twelve unique and impressive volumes containing a total of nine hundred lithographs by Eberhard Weidenbach. The book itself is the ‘Denkmäler aus Aegypten und Aethiopiën’ by Karl Richard Lepsius, the result of a three-year expedition along the Nile Valley starting in 1842.

Construction of a globe

A globe is constructed according to the rules of the art and does not merely consist of the sphere itself. Likewise the wooden axis construction and the mount are of paramount importance.

Restoration process

The restoration of the globes proceeded in different phases. Globes are complex objects made from various materials. Not only the paper of which the globes were made had to pass through a number of treatments, but also the mountings that support them required a specific approach.

Guided tour behind the scenes

For groups

Take a look behind the scenes of the Hendrik Conscience Heritage Library with your group or association and learn more about our fascinating history and comprehensive collection.

Images of a changing city: photographs of Antwerp from the 1860’s

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.

Out and about in Antwerp

There is always something to discover in a diverse city like Antwerp. Maybe you think that you know all of the secrets of Antwerp or maybe you are a newcomer. It doesn’t matter how well you know Antwerp because we will let you discover a different side of the city’s many tourist attractions and will take you on a tour of the Eilandje, the new trendy district. So Antwerp continues to be an adventure for everyone!

A bird’s eye view of Antwerp

Every district of Antwerp consists of a wonderful mix of historical buildings and modern architecture. To see all of this beauty you actually would need wings. But fortunately there are several places, both high up in the air and on the ground, to see as much as possible of the city.

Picnic spots in Antwerp

On sunny days it is always fun to put together a picnic basket and eat outside. But it is not always that easy to find a quiet place for a picnic in the city. Fortunately we have a list of some of the nicest picnic sports in Antwerp. And we even have a solution for rainy days!