Royal Palace at the Meir in Antwerp

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After the lockdown of 2020 due to Covid-19, I was very happy to go out and about, to finally visit a real royal palace in Antwerp, Belgium.


History

The Royal Palace at the Meir in Antwerp was built by Johan Alexander van Susteren, a wealthy merchant in the 18th. century. It was designed by architect Jan Pieter van Baurscheidt de Jonge.


In 1811, the Palace at the Meir was acquired by Napoleon Bonaparte. The French Emperor embellished the interior, inter alia the salon with green furniture in  Empire Style.



Napoleon himself, never lived at the Royal Palace at the Meir in Antwerp, but his rival Tsar Alexander I of Russia stayed there during Napoleon's exile in Elba. 

Tsar Alexander I of Russia was the brother of Anna Pavlovna of Russia. She married King Willem (William) II of The Netherlands. 

After the defeat of Waterloo in 1815, Belgium became a part of the United Kingdom of The Netherlands with King Willem (William) I as head of State. He gave the order to create the salon of the 17 Provinces. 





With the Belgian revolution of 1830, the palace came into the hands of the provisional government. The Belgian Kings used the Royal Palace for guests arriving in Belgium via the port of Antwerp.

King Leopold II gave the order to make the Royal Palace at the Meir more fit and  under his reign the Hall of Mirror was built.



King Albert I of Belgium stayed at the Royal Palace at the Meir during the first days of World War I. 

King Baudouin of Belgium granted the Royal Palace at the Meir to the people. It  belonged then to the Minister of Culture.




Since 2004, Erfgoed Vlaanderen (heritage of Flanders) owns the Palace. The Royal Palace at the Meir, nowadays is used for receptions, dinners, presentations, fashion shows etc. 

On the main floor, Dominique Persoone, a famous Belgian chocolatier, has his shop called The Chocolate Line. 



These pictures were taken in May 2021. 


Location: Antwerpen, België

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