Palace on the Meir

For another love story, we head to the Palace on the Meir. This eighteenth-century building was once owned by Napoleon, William I of the Netherlands, and the Belgian royal family. “King Albert I stayed here briefly during World War I when he had to leave his residence in Brussels. When bombs fell nearby, Elisabeth sent her children to England but stayed here herself, close to her husband.”

We walk down De Keyserlei to the Zoo, a lovely place to seek tranquility with your beloved. “When the flamingos bend their beaks towards each other, they seem to form a heart,” smiles Lou. “Moreover, the Zoo was the place for couples during the belle époque to spend a day together or to meet someone.”

We end at the LoveLock monument on Godefriduskaai, designed by interior architect Bart De Beule for the event agency Maison Clic’Eau. “Since 2017, it has had a place on the quay. Since then, many couples have hung their locks here. But there is still plenty of room for new ones,” smiles our guide.

GVA - Gazet van Antwerpen