Museum aan de Stroom

The Museum aan de Stroom (MAS), translating to Museum by the Stream, is the largest museum in Antwerp, Belgium. Situated along the river Scheldt in the Eilandje district, the museum focuses on the relationship between Antwerp and the world. It explores the history, art, and culture of the port city alongside the international trade and shipping that defined it, while also presenting art and culture from Europe, Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania. Since opening in May 2011, the museum has served as a statement of civic identity, consolidating several former municipal collections into a vertical warehouse of global stories told from a uniquely Antwerp perspective.

In 1998, the Antwerp city council decided to build a new museum dedicated to the city, its port, and shipping, selecting the Hanzestedenplaats in the Eilandje district for the site. An international architectural competition in 1999 attracted 55 entries, with the design by Neutelings Riedijk Architects emerging as the winner. The first brick was laid in September 2006. The project aimed to consolidate collections from various institutions, including the Ethnographic Museum, the National Maritime Museum, the Folklore Museum, and parts of the Museum Vleeshuis. In 2007, the city decided to integrate the Ethnographic Museum collection and the Paul and Dora Janssen-Arts collection of pre-Columbian art. Museum objects began arriving from the dissolving institutions in 2010. The building reached its highest point in 2008 and was completed in 2010, with the museum officially opening to the public on May 14 or 17, 2011. The total investment for the project reached approximately 56 million euros.

The MAS collection comprises approximately 470,000 to 600,000 objects, most of which are kept in storage. It brings together maritime objects documenting international trade and shipping, the history, art, and culture of Antwerp, and extensive ethnographic and folkloric materials from across the globe. The curatorial strategy organizes the permanent displays thematically rather than chronologically, connecting local and global culture. Themes include the display of power, the metropolis, the world port, and life and death. The museum is committed to public engagement through new media and immersive presentations, and its collection is fully accessible online. The MAS IN YOUNG HANDS initiative, which involves diverse youngsters as event organizers and curators, has received international recognition.

Among the notable holdings are the world's largest collection of historical harbor cranes, situated at the Rijnkaai, including an 1884 hand crane built by Stuckenholz. The museum also houses a vast array of ship models, European folk prints, and a significant collection of African art. The Paul and Dora Janssen-Arts collection, a renowned assemblage of pre-Columbian art from more than 50 cultures ranging from Alaska to Chile, has been on loan from the Flemish government since 2011. Another recognized masterpiece is the 18th-century Sarvavid Vairocana Buddhist painting series, designated a Flemish top piece in 2018. Additional historical artifacts include the 16th-century Retabel of Averbode by Jacob van Cothem, the 16th-century wooden loggia from the Antwerp house De grooten Sot by Pieter Coecke van Aelst, and a 16th-century Antwerp majolica tile tableau depicting The Conversion of Saul.

Designed by the Rotterdam firm Neutelings Riedijk Architects, the 60 to 62 meter high tower is conceived as a modern Stapelhuis, or stacking warehouse, composed of ten massive blocks rotated a quarter turn at each level to create a spiraling form. The facade is clad in deep red Indian sandstone from Agra and features 3,185 polished aluminum hands, a reference to the Antwerp legend of the giant Antigoon. Undulating glass panels enclose the escalators and galleries between the stone containers, offering expanding views of the city and port. The building sits on the site of the former Hanzehuis, the economic center of the port city destroyed by fire in the 19th century. A 1,600 square meter mosaic by Luc Tuymans, titled Dead Skull, covers the museum square. Structural issues have arisen over the years, including cracks in the curved glass panels produced by an Italian firm, requiring investigation by Ghent University specialists, and falling facade tiles that necessitated major safety works in 2025.

The museum is located at Hanzestedenplaats 1 in Antwerp. Its vertical boulevard, a public spiral walkway with escalators, and the panoramic rooftop terrace on the tenth floor are accessible free of charge until late in the evening, providing 360-degree views of the city. The second floor houses the Kijkdepot, or visible storage, which is also free to visit and displays around 180,000 items behind glass or in drawers. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended hours on Fridays. The permanent collection and temporary exhibitions require paid admission. The MAS is owned by the city of Antwerp and operates as a dynamic cultural hub, situated near the Red Star Line Museum and the Stadsarchief in the FelixArchief building.