Plantin Moretus Museum in Antwerp

 The Plantin Moretus Museum (www.museumplantinmoretus.be) is located at the Vrijdagmarkt (Friday Market) in Antwerp. The museum is the original residence and workshop of the Plantin and Moretus publishing dynasty who were world renowned for their entrepreneurial skills.
Plantin moved his family to the residence in 1576 and his family lived and worked there for the next 300 years. Throughout those years, the "Gulden Compass" as the house was named changed and expanded in size to fit the ever growing business. 
Walking through the museum which is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, you are transported back in time by about about 400 years.
It is the only museum on the prestigious UNESCO world heritage list mainly because of the uniqueness of the museum. It includes a prestigious mansion, the only fully equipped printing workshop from the 16th century, the world's largest selection of Plantin and Moretus editions,... 

Walking through the house, you can admire the original 16th‑century wall coverings and the creaking oak floors, as well as some of the oldest printing presses in the world. Hidden within the walls of this patrician residence is a peaceful garden, where the sounds of the city fade away behind the surrounding historic buildings.

Where the bottom floor is accessible for everybody, wheelchairs won't be able to access the first floor. This floor has many floor level changes.
Starting with the ground floor, it is here that you find the impressive workshop that once was the beating heart of the business. With a 56 strong workforce, it was the largest business of its kind in the world at this time.

First used in 1580, it contained 16 presses. Two of the presses date back to the 16th century where the others are from the 17th and 18th century.

Where the compositors would set the lead type in a composing stick to form a line, these lines would then be assembled on a sturdy board to form the page. 

​The great library is still organised today like a private humanistic library of the 17th century, with high shelves filled with books arranged according to size, lecterns, globes and busts. The museum now contains the largest selection of Plantin and Moretus editions, many of which are on display. The old shop is another interesting part of the house. With its counter and cabinets still intact, the shop used to sell the books as loose sheets. If a customer wanted a book, then they had to bring the loose sheets to a bookbinder.

Inside the shop, you can still see the money scale once used to verify the weight of silver and gold coins. Another fascinating space is the workshop where lead type, copper plates, and wooden blocks were crafted for the printing process.

​In those days, nearly everything was produced in‑house, although Plantin had already established an impressive international network of booksellers who helped distribute his works across Europe.

But the museum offers so much more, you can admire a rich art collection that include portraits by Rubens. the museum's collection of paintings includes 71 portraits. it was Balthasar Moretus who asked his good friend Peter Paul Rubens to make portraits of his grandparents.

In the upstairs rooms, you find room upon room with original books, manuscripts  and original prints. Within the extensive collection are atlases, science books, almanac's and many more publications. And this extensive collection is available online.

And last but not least, there is the magnificent courtyard garden. Already celebrated in Plantin’s own time, it was a favourite retreat for kings, princes, and other distinguished visitors. The garden you see today was recreated in 1992, using plants that were popular in the 16th and 17th centuries to reflect its original character.

Plantin’s close friendships with some of the era’s leading botanists undoubtedly influenced its design. Figures such as Rembert Dodoens had their botanical works published by Plantin—many of which are still preserved and displayed in the museum.

For me, the Plantin‑Moretus Museum is one of those places that quietly steals your heart. You don’t just walk through history—you feel it. The creak of the old floors, the smell of ink lingering in the workshops, the weight of the printing presses that once shaped the spread of knowledge… it all feels incredibly intimate. And then you step into the courtyard garden, and suddenly the city disappears.