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The central building of the University of Antwerp’s City Campus (Prinsstraat 13), better known as Hof van Liere, is part of Antwerp’s cultural and historical heritage. The wonderful 16th-century Hof van Liere and the adjacent historical premises, which were erected by the Society of Jesus in the 17th century, are an oasis of tranquillity in the bustling city centre.
This ‘regal residence’ was built in 1516 for the then Mayor of Antwerp, Aert van Liere. The city had just entered its golden age, as this exquisite building in the Brabantine Gothic style testifies. |
Prinsenhof
Hof van Liere has attracted some famous visitors, including the German artist Albrecht Dürer, who made a sketch of the building in 1520. The drawing, which is regarded as the earliest illustration of the premises, is kept in Berlin. Charles V is also said to have stayed at Hof Van Liere, on the invitation of Aert van Liere. Hence Hof van Liere is also known as ‘Prinsenhof’ or the ‘Prince’s Court’.
Prinsenhof is generally attributed to the architect Domien de Waghemakere, but in fact the building was erected in a number of phases. The former patrician residence in the Brabantine Gothic style was built between 1515 and 1520. The most authentic section is the western inner courtyard with its lookout tower, which used to be a lot higher than it is today. In 1660, the original tower was dismantled, because it had become dilapidated. The well is probably where the kitchen used to be. |
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Four eventful centuries
After the death of Aert van Liere in 1544, Prinsenhof was sold to the City of Antwerp, which in 1558 made it available to the English merchant community, known locally as Engelse Natie. Hence the building came to be known as the ‘English House’. In 1607, after the English merchants had left Antwerp due to the blockade of the Scheldt, the city authorities gifted the building to the Society of Jesuit to use as a school, giving rise to their nickname the ‘English Fathers’. The premises were extended and converted into a boarding school.
This new episode in the history of Hof van Liere came to an abrupt end when Pope Clement XIV suppressed the Society of Jesus in 1773. The buildings were seized by the Austrian government and turned into a ‘Royal College’. Later, they would serve first as a military hospital and then as an army barracks.
In 1929, the Jesuits were looking for new accommodation to house the St Ignatius College of Commerce, as the building in Korte Nieuwstraat where the school was presently located was bursting at the seams. They returned to Hof van Liere and restored the now seriously derelict premises, adapting them to contemporary educational and research requirements. The result was a unique setting with peaceful inner courtyards, galleries and stepped gables that is reminiscent of some of the famous colleges at Oxford and Cambridge.
In 1988, Universitaire Faculteiten Sint-Ignatius te Antwerpen (UFSIA) purchased Prinsenhof from the Society of Jesus. The buildings around the inner courtyard were once again restored and renovated. Since the merger of Antwerp’s three university institutes, RUCA, UIA and UFSIA, into the unified University of Antwerp (2003), the building has been part of UA’s extensive facilities. |
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