Plantin-Moretus Museum is a printing plant and publishing house from the Renaissance and Baroque periods that was turned into a museum in the late 19th century. Located in Antwerp, Belgium, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Originally submitted as Plantin-Moretus Museum, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee changed the name of the inscription to Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum Complex, celebrating it for having played a significant role in 16th century European humanism, as an outstanding showcase of the relationship between the living environment of the family during the 16th, 17th and 18th century, with the world of work and the world of commerce, and for its tangible association with ideas, beliefs, technologies and literary and artistic works of outstanding universal significance.
Photos of Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum Complex
What to See in Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum Complex
History of the Plantin-Moretus Museum
The history of Plantin-Moretus Museum goes back to around 1549, when Christoffel Plantin, a bookbinder, began his printing business called De Gulden Passer (The Golden Compass). In 1576, he relocated his business to Vridagmarkt Square, which is today the oldest part of the Plantin-Moretus Museum.
Jan I Moretus (1543-1610) is Plantin's son-in-law. He took over the business when it was going through a difficult time, but managed to ride through the crisis. He made a name for printing the so-called Moerentorf Bible, which became the official Catholic Bible in use until the 18th century. Moretus also printed dictionaries and other publications.
The printing firm remained in the Moretus family until 1876, when Edward Moretus sold it to the city of Antwerp. The following year, the printing offices and living quarters were opened to the public as the Plantin-Moretus Museum. The museum, under its first curator Max Rooses began what wast to become a substantial collection of old prints.
World Heritage Site Inscription Details
Location: N 51 13 06.0 E 4 23 52.0
Inscription Year: 2005
Type of Site: Cultural Inscription Criteria: II, III, IV, VI
Antwerp Airport (ANR) receives flights from a few airlines including CityJet from London, Liverpool, Jersey and Manchester. Alternatively fly to Brussels or Amsterdam and connect to Antwerp by train. There is a train going from Brussel's Naitonal Airport Zaventem to Antwerp. Journey takes 1 hour 50 minutes and booking can be done through the
Belgian Railway website.
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Local Tours of Belgium
Here are some local tours of Belgium that you may want to include to your itinerary. They save you time and cost of doing it yourself. These tours are arranged by Viator, one of the most reputable tour agencies in the market.
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