Antwerp is a bustling port town and the second-largest city in Belgium, with a population of around 500,000. It is located on a large harbour (the biggest in Europe after Rotterdam) on the River Scheldt. Antwerp is known for its stunning historic architecture, much of which dates from the city’s “golden era” in the 16th and 17th centuries, or even earlier. The city centre is full of old houses with intricate and beautiful façades, old churches, historic monuments such as statues and old wells, and charming cobblestoned squares. Antwerp is also known as the diamond centre of the world, and is full of jewellers specialising in top-class diamonds, particularly in the Jewish neighbourhood near to the main train station. The city is also full of excellent and renowned musuems, as well as concert halls, theatres, and galleries, and is an up-and-coming centre for fashion. Another specialty is Antwerp’s excellent Belgian beers, available in cozy pubs, some of which serve hundreds of varieties of beer.