More than 26,000 visit Red Star Line Museum in first month
Visitor numbers at the new Red Star Line Museum in Antwerp have surpassed expectations. The museum recounts the history of the shipping company that took emigrants from the port of Antwerp to America
Success “exceeds wildest expectations”
The museum’s interactive approach, location in the company’s former buildings and use of personal stories have struck a chord with visitors, who have come from as far as the US to learn about this important chapter in the history of world immigration.
After positive reviews in the international media, including The New York Times, Reuters and the BBC, journalists from across the world have continued to visit the museum every week. Numbers of general visitors, meanwhile, have increased every week since the opening a month ago. “The success exceeds our wildest expectations,” enthuses Philip Heylen, Antwerp’s alderman of culture. “Our goal was 100,000 visitors in the first year, but with this tempo, the future looks fantastic!”
Anyone wanting to visit the museum this year should book ahead via the website as many days are already fully booked, particularly weekends. The museum allows people through the doors in half-hour blocks to ensure rooms do not become too crowded and that the experience is rewarding.
About the author
Lisa Bradshaw is the editor-in-chief of Flanders Today. She worked as an editor and journalist in her homeland, the United States, before moving to the awesome city of Ghent in 2004. If she’s not in the office, she’s probably at a film festival.
