ANTWERP | Climb the Cathedral of Our Lady tower

Visitors will once again be able to climb the iconic cathedral tower in Antwerp, as the city launches a new programme combining heritage, music and panoramic views. The tower of the Cathedral of Our Lady, together with Antwerp City Hall, is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

While Museum Vleeshuis remains closed for restoration, the story of the tower is being brought to life inside City Hall through a compact exhibition titled ‘TorenTunes‘, focusing on the tower’s rich musical and civic history.

The small exhibition explores the tower’s role as a belfry, a musical instrument and a timekeeper. Through a selection of remarkable collection pieces, visitors discover why the cathedral tower is inseparably linked to both City Hall and the former Vleeshuis. The visit begins with a short introduction to the tower and its carillon before participants walk to the cathedral for a steep but compelling journey through centuries of Antwerp history.

Step by step, visitors uncover the story of the tower and its many functions, from watchtower to musical instrument, and its impact on daily life in the city. They will see the bells up close and learn about the workings of the carillon. 

After climbing 515 accessible steps – part of a total of 615 – participants are rewarded with sweeping views across Antwerp. On clear days, the tower of St Rumbold’s Cathedral in Mechelen (Malines, Mechlin) and even Brussels’ Atomium can be seen on the horizon. Ample time is provided at the top to rest, take in the scenery and capture photographs.

The tower measures 123 metres, making it the tallest church tower in the Benelux. Constructed in stages between 1420 and 1518, it houses eight large chiming bells and 49 carillon bells. 

The heaviest bell, known as ‘Carolus’, weighs 6.5 tonnes, while the oldest, ‘Maria’, was cast in 1459. The carillon is played by the city carillonneurs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoon, as well as on Monday evenings in July and August. The tower and City Hall were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999, and the tower underwent an extensive restoration between 2019 and 2022.

Climbing the tower

Climbs will be organised in three ticket waves for 2026. The first series, running from 1 April to 29 June, goes on sale on 2 March 2026. Summer climbs for July and August will be available from 1 June, while tickets for September and October will be released on 3 August.

Individual guided tours take place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 13:30 to 15:30, and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 to noon and from 13:30 to 15:30. 

Groups can book guided tours on weekday mornings. Each tour is limited to 15 participants. The minimum age is 10, with children aged 10 to 16 required to be accompanied by an adult. Babies in carriers and animals are not permitted. A good level of fitness is required, and sturdy footwear is recommended.

All climbs begin at Antwerp City Hall on the Grote Markt, where visitors first attend the ‘TorenTunes’ exhibition. Participants are asked to arrive 15 minutes in advance. The combined exhibition visit and tower climb lasts approximately two hours. In case of bad weather or force majeure, climbs may be cancelled for safety reasons, in which case tickets will be refunded. Tours do not take place on public holidays.

Cathedral of Our Lady

The Cathedral of Our Lady or Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal van Antwerpen is the principal Roman Catholic church in Antwerp and the seat of the Diocese of Antwerp. Built in the Gothic style, it is the largest Gothic church in Belgium and dominates the city skyline with its 123-metre tower, the tallest church tower in the Benelux.

Construction began in 1352 under the direction of Jan and Pieter Appelmans. Although the main phase of works was completed in 1521, the building was never finished according to its original plans, which envisaged two towers of equal height. 

Only the north tower was completed; the south tower rises to just the third level. The cathedral was consecrated in 1521 and became the seat of the Diocese of Antwerp in 1559. It lost its cathedral status during the French period following the Concordat of 1801, before regaining it in 1961.

The cathedral’s belfry is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France (1999). Together with Antwerp City Hall, it symbolises the historic civic and religious power of the city.

Earlier churches on the site

Christian worship in Antwerp dates back to the 7th century. An early parish church dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul stood in what is now Sint-Michielsstraat. 

After Viking raids in 836, the church was restored and rededicated to Saint Michael. In the 10th century, a community of secular canons was attached to the church. 

Following disputes over discipline and doctrine, Norbert of Xanten intervened in 1124, leading to the foundation of a Norbertine abbey. Those canons who chose not to join the abbey moved to a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary. This chapel, located between the St Michiels Quarter and the settlement near Het Steen, became the nucleus of the present cathedral.

A larger Romanesque church replaced the chapel as Antwerp grew in importance. In 1294, a Gothic-style extension known as the novum opus marked the transition towards the monumental structure that would follow.

Gothic construction and setbacks

In 1352, work began on a vast new Gothic church intended to reflect Antwerp’s growing prosperity. The design included two monumental towers. After nearly 170 years of construction, the church was largely complete in 1521, though the second tower was never realised.

Disaster struck in October 1533, when a major fire severely damaged the building and destroyed dozens of altars. The reconstruction delayed further completion of the south tower, which was eventually abandoned. In 1559, the church was elevated to cathedral status.

The cathedral suffered heavily during the Iconoclasm of 1566, when Protestant groups destroyed much of its interior decoration during the Beeldenstorm. Further losses occurred under Protestant administration in the 1580s. After the Fall of Antwerp in 1585, Catholic worship was restored.

French revolutionary troops plundered the cathedral in 1794 and inflicted additional damage. Several major artworks were removed to France but returned in 1816. 

The building was again looted in 1914 following the Siege of Antwerp, when German forces took treasures to Berlin; these were returned after World War I. A comprehensive restoration between 1965 and 1993 stabilised and renewed the structure.

Architecture and scale

The cathedral measures 120 metres in length and 75 metres in width, with a nave 53.5 metres wide. Its interior once accommodated up to 25,000 worshippers. The 123-metre north tower remains its most recognisable feature. The largest bell requires sixteen ringers, underlining the monumental scale of the structure.

The west portal includes statues such as Saint Willibrord, reflecting the city’s early Christian heritage. The richly articulated interior combines soaring Gothic vaults with later Baroque additions.

Artistic treasures

The cathedral houses several masterpieces by Pieter Paul Rubens, whose monumental altarpieces define its interior. Among them are ‘The Raising of the Cross‘ (1610–11), ‘The Descent from the Cross‘ (1612–14), ‘The Assumption of the Virgin‘ (1626) and ‘The Resurrection of Christ‘. Two of these works were removed by Napoleon and later returned; they were again seized in 1914 and restored after the war.

Other artists represented include Otto van Veen, Jacob de Backer, Marten de Vos and Cornelis Schut. The cathedral also preserves the effigy from the tomb of Isabella of Bourbon and a series of notable stained-glass windows from the 16th to 19th centuries.

Musical heritage and carillon

From the 15th century onwards, the cathedral played a central role in the musical life of the Low Countries. Composers such as Johannes Ockeghem and Jacob Obrecht served here, while later organists included John Bull. The tradition of sacred music has remained an important aspect of its identity.

The cathedral’s carillon consists of 49 bells. The largest bourdon, Carolus, was cast in 1507 by Willem and Jaspar Moer and weighs more than 6,400 kilograms. Named after the young Charles, later Emperor Charles V, it served as an hour bell, storm bell and ceremonial bell. The carillon continues to sound across the city, linking Antwerp’s medieval past with its present.

Art and museums in Antwerp

• ANTWERP | Rubens House appoints two design teams.
• ROYAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS ANTWERP | ‘The Fall of Alba’s Citadel. Image and Memory in Turbulent Times’, from 6 February to 17 May 2026.
• Antwerp’s municipal museums surpass 2 million visitors in 2025.
• ANTWERP | KMSKA schedules ambitious exhibition programme for 2026, featuring international masters such as Antony Gormley, Philip Aguirre y Otegui and Ossip Zadkine.
• Museums of the City of Antwerp look ahead to 2026.
• ANTWERP | ‘Urban Legends’: three young makers take over Museum Mayer van den Bergh on 29 November, 6 December and 29 January.
• ANTWERP | ‘Suske & Wiske and the Visual Arts’: M HKA shows how a comic strip series Shapes the collective memory.
• REVIEW | ‘La ligne de vie’ René Magritte exhibition at Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA).
• REVIEW | ‘Universal Tongue’, on dance, at Museum Aan de Stroom (MAS) until 4 January 2026.
• 2028 to be Music Year in Antwerp.
• ANTWERP | Flemish government cancels €130 million new museum building for M HKA in Antwerp.
• MOMU | ‘GIRLS. On Boredom, Rebellion and Being In-Between’, 27 September 2025 to 1 February 2026.
• ANTWERP | Museum Plantin-Moretus highlights 300 years of women’s stories in ‘Women’s Business / Business Women’.
• ANTWERP | Museum Mayer van den Bergh opens exhibition ‘Public Favourites’, from Mad Meg to Delft Blue, look at art through other people’s eyes.
• ANTWERP | Middelheim Museum celebrates 75 years with a summer full of new ways to experience the art park.
• ANTWERP | ‘Compassion’ in the MAS: the many faces of compassion.
• ANTWERP | Graphics Museum De Reede ft. Francisco Goya, Edvard Munch, Félicien Rops and Albrecht Dürer.
• ANTWERP | Rubens Experience and Rubens Garden at Rubenshuis.
• ANTWERP | Innovations in the Middelheim Museum provide a completely new visitor experience.
• A visit of the Flemish Tram and Bus Museum – Vlaams Tram- en Autobusmuseum (VlaTAM) in Antwerp.
• ANTWERP | Discovering queer(ed) art with the Queer Tour at the KMSKA fine arts museum.
• REVIEW | Illusion Antwerpen, an active and photogenic museum.
• Antwerp museums and sports facilities team up with European Disability Card for accessible leisure activities.
• Museum Mayer van den Bergh.
• ANTWERP | Inside Rubens House.
• Museum Plantin-Moretus in Antwerp.
• ANTWERP | Museum Vleeshuis up for restoration.
• BOOK | ‘Antwerp. An Archaeological View on the Origin of the City’ by Tim Bellens.
• Red Star Line Museum.
• Paleis op de Meir. 
• DIVA, Antwerp Home of Diamonds.
• ANTWERP | Red Star Line Museum of (e)migration.