The Solo Scale:
If you’re headed to Antwerp, you might know the city as a central spot for diamonds. However, if you’re a history fan, then I highly recommend the Plantin-Moretus Museum. Not only does it have art history, but the house itself is a piece of history, and the most historical of all – if you visit Plantin-Moretus, you can see the oldest printing press in the world.
If that’s not enough, Plantin-Moretus is the world’s only UNESCO recognized museum. If you’re in the habit of collecting unique experiences, this should absolutely be one of your stops.
If this interests you, start by visiting the Museum’s website. They actually also give you the ability to visit the museum online. However, if you’re in Antwerp, there’s really is something amazing about visiting in-person. The museum itself is part of the experience. It’s an old house, but the creaky wooden floors that you walk on and the carefully protected rooms with artwork and furniture on display really shows the reverence they use with their pieces. The house is part of the history and certainly part of the experience.
If you are in town and opt in, get your tickets and your audio guide. I highly recommend it given that there are so many elements about Plantin-Moretus to learn about beyond the printing presses. If you have a large bag with you on your travels, you have to check it. The storage for this is a pretty public grated cage. If you’re concerned about security, I recommend only bringing a cross-body bag or something small that you can keep on your person.
Inside the museum, your first stop is a lovely garden. When I was there, we saw gardeners doing upkeep on the flowers. It’s a fantastic little refuge before and after you begin (seeing as it’s the central spot of the house and all the exhibit rooms are around it).
This is the general staging area for people who are waiting to begin their tours. The groups cannot be over a certain size, so if you arrive in a larger group, they will break you down into smaller sections. When it comes time for your group, you’ll begin to head into various sections of the house. Each one of them is accessible through the garden and has an entry of an extremely heavy set of doors, but also a heavy set of dark curtains. This is done to protect the furniture and art from being sun-bleached.
Inside, there’s a fantastic collection of Rubens hanging in multiple rooms. You almost forget that you’re there because this is a museum known for its printing and publishing. That’s because the sheer wealth of art in paintings and house decorations really hits you first.
They also know what people come for. That’s why they save the oldest printing press in the world for last.
Before you get there, one of the coolest things you see is a bookshop from the 1600’s. This includes both the cashier desk, but also the scale used to weigh coins. It’s fascinating to see a shop like this when books were the hottest thing on the market thanks to their newness, and being able to stand behind the counter is a fun way to put yourself back in time to imagine being there when it was active.
From there, you head into the printing press rooms. Before you get to the oldest one, you walk through a few rooms that include things like a layout spread, alphabets for various fonts, and more “modern” printing presses.
TRIP TIP: Want to avoid the crowds? Head there when the museum first opens. We only had to contend with a couple of other people during the whole visit.
The final thing in the museum is their claim to fame — this is the oldest preserved printing press in the world. Given that it’s centuries old, it likely isn’t surprising that it could use a little love. The fact that it’s still out for viewing is a testament to the preservation techniques used to keep it together. For history lovers, it really is something to be in the same room with such a technological marvel that changed the world.
When you finish, you end up at the front of the museum. If you had to check a bag, this is where you pick it up again before heading on for more of your day in Antwerp to see more of the sights. The Plantin-Moretus Museum is not only beautiful, but truly rich in history that lets you step back into a time when technology revolutionized the literary world and the education of people as a result.
Ready for a visit of your own? Check out the website if you’re planning a trip to Antwerp to soak up some literary history!
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