One of Europe’s first high-rise towers, an Art Deco landmark that defined the Antwerp skyline for the rest of the century.
At a glance
The Boerentoren — the “Farmers’ Tower,” after the agricultural bank that built it — rose over Antwerp between 1929 and 1932. Designed by Jan Vanhoenacker with Émile Van Averbeke and Jos Smolderen, it reached about 96 metres and was among the tallest buildings in Europe when it opened, remaining the tallest in Belgium until 1960. Its stepped Art Deco mass became the symbol of the modern city. Now owned by Katoen Natie, the tower is being converted into a cultural institution under the Phoebus Foundation, with the work due to complete in the mid-2020s.
Key facts
- Architects: Jan Vanhoenacker, with Émile Van Averbeke and Jos Smolderen
- Built: 1929–1932
- Style: Art Deco
- Height: 95.8 m to the roof, 26 floors
- Record: Tallest building in Belgium until 1960
- Status: Being converted into a cultural institution (Phoebus Foundation)
History
The tower was commissioned by the Algemeene Bankvereeniging, a bank with roots in the farming cooperatives — hence the popular name that stuck. When it topped out in 1932 it was one of the first true skyscrapers on the European continent, a deliberate sign that Antwerp, a great port, meant to be modern.
It survived the Second World War, including grenade and V-1 damage in 1944–45, and remained a working office tower for decades. In 2020 it was bought by the logistics group Katoen Natie, whose Phoebus Foundation is restoring it as a public cultural venue.
What you see
The Boerentoren is a stepped Deco shaft: vertical piers run the full height, the mass narrows as it rises, and the crown was later raised to add a panoramic floor. From the Meir, Antwerp’s main shopping street, it reads as a sheer cliff of stone and glass.
At the base, the original scheme included shops and a brasserie, knitting the tower into street life rather than walling it off — an early lesson in how a skyscraper meets the city at ground level.
Practical information
- Under conversion; check the Phoebus Foundation for current access and opening plans.
- The exterior is best seen from the Meir and Schoenmarkt.
- Combine with a visit to nearby Antwerp Cathedral.
Getting there
Address: Schoenmarkt 35, Antwerp. The tower stands at the end of the Meir, a few minutes’ walk from the Cathedral of Our Lady and the Groenplaats; Antwerp’s premetro and the Meir are right outside.
Nearby
- Cathedral of Our Lady of Antwerp
- The Meir shopping street and the Rubens House
- Grote Markt and the old city
Sources
- Flanders heritage inventory (inventaris.onroerenderfgoed.be)
- The Phoebus Foundation (official)
- Wikipedia: Boerentoren
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