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| Around the turn of the 19th century, Antwerp, Belgium's "Metropole", extended considerably. The city enjoyed its second boom, more than three centuries after the first one. New quarters and avenues appeared; a lot of nice houses were built for wealthy citizens. The façades of many houses were embellished with all kinds of ornaments. | ||
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| Especially worth seeing are hundreds of balconies, supported by consoles. Due to the nicely fashioned materials chosen for such construction (stone, bricks, iron, wood, glass, tiles...) and to the original decorations (statues, herms, columns, crowns, urns, prows...) these are inventive and very special creations. | ||
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