Museum aan de Stroom

About the museum

Museum aan de Stroom, MAS for short, opened in 2011 on the Eilandje, the old harbour district of Antwerp. The building is inspired by the nineteenth-century warehouses typical of this district: the museum galleries are stacked on top of each other and each rotated a quarter turn, creating a spiral tower of ten storeys. About 3,000 aluminium hands are attached to the façade.

The museum tells the story of Antwerp as a port city: the history of the city and the river, international trade and shipping, and the connections between people and collections across the world. The collection comprises about 600,000 objects on the history, art and culture of Antwerp and on art and culture from Europe, Africa, America, Asia and Oceania. It also includes a collection of ships in the nearby dry docks.

The MAS has about 5,700 m² of exhibition space. A glass walkway winds nine storeys upwards, with a view of the city on every floor, and on the roof there is a terrace with a 360-degree panorama over the city and the port.

Highlights

• Panorama roof with a 360° view over city, port and Scheldt (free access)
• Glass walkway around the museum tower
• Kijkdepot (viewing depot) with collection pieces to view free of charge
• Collections on Antwerp, trade and shipping, and on art and culture from five continents

Founded

2011

Operated by

Stad Antwerpen

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Every first Tuesday of the month free for residents of Antwerp city and of the districts with an A-kaart.

The ticket gives access to all museum galleries, the Kijkdepot, the glass walkway and the panorama. Free for holders of an A-kaart with reduced rate, a UiTPAS with VT status, an ICOM card, the Klasse Lerarenkaart (teacher card), an Antwerp City Pass or a Museumpas, and for school groups that book in advance (with a guided tour you only pay for the guide). Those entering free reserve a ticket online and exchange it at the desk for a wristband. The Kijkdepot, the photo exhibition on the glass walkway and the panorama roof can be visited without a ticket. Payment is cashless only.

Accessibility

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

A member of staff takes wheelchair users up in the lift to the floors they want (report at the desk); the lift goes up to the eighth floor, and the highest point of the roof is reachable only by stairs. Three wheelchairs can be borrowed free of charge (reserve via balie.mas@antwerpen.be). Accessible toilets are on the ground floor. On Van Schoonbekeplein there are two parking spaces for people with disabilities. There are guided tours in Flemish Sign Language (VGT) with deaf guides. For visitors with autism a preparation document with photos is available, and on the seventh floor there is a quiet room. A route description for visually impaired visitors from the Van Schoonbekeplein bus stop can be downloaded; films have Dutch subtitles.

Kids & families

• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

Pushchairs may use the escalator at your own risk; for the lift, report to the desk, where you can also leave the buggy safely. Changing tables are in the toilets on the ground floor. Backpacks with a child are not allowed in the galleries; baby carriers are allowed. For breastfeeding there is a quiet room on the seventh floor (ask at the desk). Visitors under 18 enter free of charge.

Getting there & parking

Bicycle parking at the flag parade in front of the museum square; Velo stations at Hanzestedenplaats and Sint-Laureiskaai.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Coat check
• Lockers

Café STORM at the foot of the MAS (open to everyone) and restaurant ZILTE on the ninth floor (three Michelin stars, reservations required). Picnicking is allowed on the glass walkway and the panorama; a picnic blanket can be borrowed free of charge at the ground-floor reception desk. Lockers are behind the reception desk (€1 coin); large bags and backpacks are not allowed in the museum.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit