DIVA

About the museum

DIVA shows how jewellery, silver and diamonds were made, collected and traded in Antwerp for centuries. The area around the Suikerrui has been a centre of goldsmiths and jewellers for more than 575 years. In 2013 the Province of Antwerp bought the former buildings of the Folk Art and Ethnography Museum as the location for the new museum.

In May 2018 DIVA opened in those buildings on the Suikerrui. The house emerged from the former Diamond Museum, which reopened in a new form, and the collection of the former Silver Museum Sterckshof in Deurne. That silver collection comprises around 1,400 pieces of Belgian silversmithing.

The collection counts more than 600 exceptional pieces: fine silverware, masterly jewellery and contemporary creations. Alongside the permanent display, DIVA has a workshop for goldsmiths and silversmiths, a specialised library, an artists-in-residence programme and a museum shop.

Highlights

• More than 600 pieces of jewellery, silverware and diamonds
• Permanent display “A Brilliant Story” with scenography and interactive elements
• Antwerp gold and silver marks from the period 1456-1798
• Workshop for goldsmiths and silversmiths and specialised library
• Located in the historic heart of Antwerp, just behind the Grote Markt

Permanent exhibition

• A Brilliant Story – The permanent display on jewellery, silver and diamonds, their makers, collectors and the trade in Antwerp.

Founded

2018

Operated by

Stad Antwerpen

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Every first Tuesday of the month free for Antwerpians with an A-card

Free admission with a teacher card, museumPASSmusées or ICOM card. The museumPASSmusées costs €64.95 (reduced rate €12.95) and is valid for one year for participating Belgian museums.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Accessible to (electric) wheelchairs and rollators; all exhibition rooms can be reached by lift. At the desk, one wheelchair and 20 folding chairs can be borrowed. Adapted toilets on level -1. Hearing aids and implants can be connected via Bluetooth to the audio guide; all videos in the permanent display have subtitles. For blind and partially sighted visitors, a tactile tour is available on request. Reserved parking spaces are on the Steenplein, Ernest Van Dijckkaai and Braderijstraat, and in the Grote Markt car park; the Suikerrui itself is car-free.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Stroller-friendly

DIVA calls itself family-friendly. Pushchairs may enter the rooms. On the second floor there is a quiet room for breastfeeding and baby care. On certain days there are activities for children, such as the Art Day for Children.

Getting there & parking

DIVA is in the car-free pedestrian zone just behind the Grote Markt; the entrance cannot be reached by car. The city centre is a low-emission zone. Bicycles can be parked on the Suikerrui; Velo stations are at Het Steen and the Grote Markt.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Museum shop
• Lockers

There is no café in the museum. There is a museum shop. On level -1 there are lockers for bags. Free Wi-Fi from the City of Antwerp is available in the reading room, according to the FAQ.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Available for hire are, among others, the Leonie Glassplein, a light inner courtyard for receptions, and the Emerald Hall for lectures, workshops and presentations.

Plan your visit