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Previously known as
Antwerpen Burcht (fortress), the walled city of which the only visible remains are parts of the first stone fortification wall and house Het Steen. The building, which was built against the fortification wall and adjacent to the south city gate, gained its current name in around
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The largest part of the fortress, including dozens of historic houses and the oldest church of the city, was demolished in the 19th century when the quays were straightened to stop the silting up of the
Scheldt. The remaining building, heavily changed, contains a shipping museum, with some old
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designed by stage designers in 1869; its narrow rectangular inner courtyard is designed according to Wagner's stage directions for
Antwerp Castle, with Elsa's wing on the left including the covered balcony on which she stands at the beginning of the second act.
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as the main female protagonist and the swan knight
Lohengrin, who magically appears on the river on a barge pulled by a swan when the king holds court hearing on the bank.
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The house Het Steen was later used as the "schepenbank" (Alderman's house or city hall) and "vierschaar" (court of justice). It was used as a prison between 1303 and 1827.
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In 1890 Het Steen became the museum of archeology and in 1952 an annex was added to house the museum of
Antwerp maritime history, which in 2011 moved to the nearby
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The first documented mention of
Antwerp (fortified) city dates back to the 12th century. However, there was a settlement and a castle (donjon) here as early as the
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period in the 9th century. The first fortifications may have been built after the Viking incursions in the early Middle Ages; in 879 the
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A major renovation of Het Steen was completed in
October 2021, when it reopened as a visitor center with a modern concrete extension.
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At the entrance bridge to the castle is a statue of a giant and two humans. It depicts the giant
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word "steen" means "stone", and used to be used for "fortress" or "palace", as in the "
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who used to terrorise the inhabitants of the city in medieval times.
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The fortress made it possible to control the access to the
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654:Château de Bois-Seigneur-Isaac
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1019:Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne
205:was the Margrave of Antwerp.
724:Château de Corroy-le-Château
16:Fortress in Antwerp, Belgium
1496:Castles in Antwerp Province
1159:Rivieren Castle (Ganshoren)
428:(in Dutch). 21 October 2021
207:Godfrey I, Count of Louvain
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1164:La Roche-en-Ardenne Castle
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634:Château Bilquin de Cartier
161:in the old city centre of
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1304:Castle of Thy-le-Château
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714:Royal Castle of Ciergnon
211:Henry I, Duke of Brabant
19:For another castle, see
1334:Château of Val-Duchesse
1229:Solre-sur-Sambre Castle
1209:Château-ferme de Samart
894:Groot-Bijgaarden Castle
879:Geeraard de Duivelsteen
854:Château de La Fougeraie
819:Faulx-les-Tombes Castle
594:Aspremont-Lynden Castle
579:Château royal d'Ardenne
1424:Kasteel van Wijnendale
1274:Château du Stuyvenberg
1214:Sars-la-Bruyère Castle
1024:Kasteel van Leeuwergem
779:Castle of l'Estriverie
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187:Margraviate of Antwerp
185:invaded Flanders. The
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1174:Château-ferme de Roly
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959:Houtain-le-Val Castle
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1219:Sart-Eustache Castle
1139:Reinhardstein Castle
1089:Nieuwerkerken Castle
904:Ham-sur-Heure Castle
704:Château des Cailloux
589:Kasteel van Arenberg
491:at Wikimedia Commons
318:Ludwig II of Bavaria
272:Museum Aan de Stroom
144:The castle from the
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1444:ZĂ©trud-Lumay Castle
1434:Château de Wodémont
964:Ingelmunster Castle
919:Hasselbrouck Castle
839:Château de Fontaine
829:Château de Flawinne
694:Château de Bouillon
559:Chateau des Amerois
554:Alden Biesen Castle
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203:Godfrey of Bouillon
21:Het Steen (Elewijt)
1501:Museums in Antwerp
1491:Castles in Belgium
1414:Castle of Westerlo
1399:Castle of Warfusée
1249:Spanjaardenkasteel
1244:Sorghvliedt Castle
1224:Château de Seneffe
1154:Reijvissche Castle
1079:Montquintin Castle
994:Kasteel van Laarne
984:Kruishoutem Castle
924:Haultepenne Castle
864:Franchimont Castle
859:Franc-Waret Castle
799:Château de Fallais
684:Bossenstein Castle
629:Château de Beurthé
624:La Berlière Castle
533:Castles in Belgium
462:51.2227°N 4.3974°E
295:In popular culture
199:county of Flanders
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1429:Wissekerke Castle
1369:Vogelsanck Castle
1344:La Vicomté Castle
1324:Trazegnies Castle
1294:Thoricourt Castle
1124:Kasteel van Poeke
1099:Ommerstein Castle
1069:Château de Modave
929:Hauteroche Castle
824:Fernelmont Castle
814:Farciennes Castle
754:Diepenbeek Castle
669:Bonneville Castle
614:Château de Belœil
604:Beauvoorde Castle
574:Château d'Anvaing
487:Media related to
227:"'s Heeren Steen"
213:who received the
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191:Lower Lotharingia
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1189:La Royère Castle
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1109:Oostkerke Castle
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999:Kasteel Lagendal
989:Karreveld Castle
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794:La Falize Castle
764:Château de Duras
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1059:Château Miranda
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874:Gaasbeek Castle
869:Castle of FreĂżr
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39:This article
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1179:Château Rose
1119:Ouren Castle
1014:Laval Castle
944:Heers Castle
939:Havré Castle
914:Harzé Castle
909:Hamal Castle
599:Attre Castle
443:
430:. Retrieved
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286:Lange Wapper
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48:Please help
43:verification
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1044:Male Castle
889:Gravensteen
884:Gors Castle
744:Dave Castle
549:Acoz Castle
544:Abée Castle
465: /
432:27 February
241:, Belgium.
235:Gravensteen
179:Carolingian
132:Het Steen,
65:"Het Steen"
1485:Categories
1269:Sterckshof
954:Hex Castle
450:51°13′22″N
408:References
255:Modern use
76:newspapers
1264:Het Steen
489:Het Steen
453:4°23′51″E
305:Lohengrin
302:'s opera
223:Charles V
217:in 1183.
152:Het Steen
136:, Belgium
159:fortress
156:medieval
329:Gallery
312:, with
246:Scheldt
183:Normans
173:History
167:Belgium
163:Antwerp
134:Antwerp
90:scholar
279:Semini
265:barges
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262:canal
239:Ghent
237:" in
231:Dutch
154:is a
97:JSTOR
83:books
434:2024
320:had
69:news
426:HLN
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