The Museum Plantin-Moretus is a major gem of Antwerp's cultural patrimony. Not only does it show the home of one of the richest families in the Southern Netherlands during the Renaissance, but it also contains a fully preserved printing workshop that has operated for 300 years, and dominated printing since the 16th century. It further hosts a library of no less than 25,000 volumes all dating back from before the 18th century.
The visit gives a vivid insight what printing meant in the early days when printing presses could ony produce 1,250 pages per day, when books were sold per page, and when there was a list of fobidden books maintained by the Catholic Church - the 'Librorum Prohibitorum Index'. The workshop still displays 90 printing fonts with 10 tons of lead letters. Its library contains manuscripts from the 9th to the 18th century. The value of the museum's more than 200,000 objects has been estimated almost 400 million euro.
The visit is supported by an audio guide which gives ample information. A full tour, at leisure, can easily take 3-4 hours. Something to preserve for a rainy day when in Antwerp, but make sure not to miss it!
Museum Plantin-Moretus, Antwerpen, a photo by Erf-goed.be on Flickr.
