Peter Paul Rubens made Antwerp his home, the Baroque master whose workshop produced paintings that churches and palaces across Europe display. The Rubenshuis museum where he lived and worked, the cathedral whose triptychs he painted, the influence that still shapes how Antwerp presents itself - Rubens is the city's brand and its genuine heritage.

The Rubens legacy extends beyond the paintings that tourists see - the artistic tradition that his success established, the wealth that art brought to the city, the confidence that hosting genius creates. Antwerp was Europe's artistic capital before Paris claimed the title; Rubens is why.

Antwerp trades eighty percent of the world's rough diamonds, the industry that Jewish merchants established in the 15th century and that Indians have increasingly joined. The diamond district near Central Station, the traders who examine stones under fluorescent light, the security that valuable inventory requires - the diamond trade is what Antwerp has done longer than anywhere else.

The diamond trade is largely invisible to visitors - the offices that don't advertise, the transactions that happen in private, the expertise that generations have developed. The diamond museum that explains what the district practices, the shops that sell finished jewelry - these are what tourists can access.

The Port of Antwerp is Europe's second largest, the container terminals and petrochemical facilities that line the Scheldt for kilometers. The port that Antwerp's medieval wealth began, that modern logistics has expanded, that employment in the region depends on - the port is what makes Antwerp economically significant beyond culture.

The port is not tourist attraction, but its presence shapes the city - the workers who commute, the services that port operations require, the internationalism that trade brings. The port is why Antwerp is more than museum of Rubens and diamonds.

The Antwerp Six - the fashion designers who graduated from the Royal Academy in 1980s and made Belgian fashion global - established Antwerp as design capital that Milan and Paris had to acknowledge. Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, and their peers created aesthetic that challenged fashion's centers.

The fashion legacy continues in the design schools that train new generations, the boutiques that line certain streets, the ModeMuseum that documents what Antwerp has contributed. The fashion is what young visitors seek, the alternative to mainstream that Belgian designers established.

The Grote Markt is Antwerp's central square, the Renaissance guild houses that line it demonstrating the wealth that medieval trade created. The Stadhuis (city hall) that anchors one side, the Brabo fountain that celebrates the legend of the city's name, the cafes that fill with locals and tourists - the Grote Markt is where Antwerp shows its history.

The Grote Markt is what Belgian cities do well - the preservation of medieval wealth, the public space that still functions, the architecture that commerce created and tourism sustains. The square is starting point for exploring what spreads beyond it.