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Atypical collection

The Red Star Line Museum does not have a typical museum collection. Do not expect endless rows of glass cabinets full of 19th-century trinkets or ship’s parts. No, the Red Star Line Museum has a very unusual collection. Above all, it collects and archives stories. Audiovisual testimonies and written documents. The museum is still looking for stories from the period between 1873 and 1935. Of course, you will also find art in its more traditional form. For example, the Red Star Line and Antwerp, as a migration hub, inspired artists like Eugeen Van Mieghem and Louis van Engelen. What makes this museum even more special is the fact that it adopts a very modern approach in the original Red Star Line buildings. The port warehouses that were used for passengers’ administrative and medical checks are the very highlight of the collection.

More than a museum

The Red Star Line Museum is not just a museum. The observation tower that rises above the warehouses, in the shape of a ship's smokestack, affords an amazing panoramic view. And you can visit The Shed, a cozy café and nice museum shop, up to an hour after the museum closes. Be touched by the testimonies of people who have boarded the Red Star Line - for pleasure, for business or in the hope to find a better life - and enjoy a unique view of the Scheldt and the centre of Antwerp. And sit down and talk about it afterwards in The Shed.

After a visit to the Red Star Line Museum, it is definitely worth walking through the trendy and enjoy a meal at one of the many restaurants located nearby. From Eilandje, you can also see the , famously designed by the world-renowned architect .

Important information

The Red Star Line Museum closes from June the 18th untill September 21st 2018 due to the renewal of collection exhibit and shed.

The history of the book printing industry comes to life in the house and studio of the Plantin-Moretus printing family.