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Antwerp

Antwerp is the most important trading centre for diamonds in the world with more than 1500 diamond companies and a diamond museum. The business has been dominated by Orthodox Jews as Belgium has attracted people with its ttolerance of all religions and that's why Antwerp is often refered to as the "Jerusalem of the West".

The city is also the centre of international fashion especially because of its "Antwerp Six" which is a group of graduates from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in fashion design putting Belgium on the avant-garde map.

Even though parts of the city got damaged during the two world wars, Antwerp, as one of the few cities in Europe, managed to keep most of its historic sites. If you love original art and architecture, Antwerp is where you need to go.

The gay scene can be seen all over the old city centre with clubs mainly around Van Aerdtstraat and Leather fetish scene on the weekends.

Antwerp is definitely a shopping city with many boutiques, shopping malls full of trendy and brand clothing but it is also a place where the alternative show their skills especially on buildings and walls in the form of graffiti. It's not just a way of vandalism there but actual artform. You may be shocked at how innovative and well thought some of the graffiti is.