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name of Antwerp (Belgium)

25 Apr 2008 on Learning

Antwerp, the second largest city in Belgium and the second largest port in Europe after Rotterdam… the name of Antwerp comes from Dutch meaning hand ( English: hand) -werpen (English: to throw). And the legend goes like this:

According to a legend, a terrible giant, called Druoon Antigoon, lived on the banks of the river Scheldt in ancient times. Whenever sailors on the Scheldt river refused to pay toll to the giant, he punished them by cutting off their hand. A Roman soldier, Silvius Brabo, managed to kill the giant. Brabo cut off the hand of the giant and threw the hand away in the river.

Today, we can still see the statue of Brabo throwing the hand of the Giant in the Grote Markt of Antwerp (the grand place)…