Belgium > Antwerp > Society and Culture > History > History Museums

Brouwershuis

The name Brouwershuis means Brewers House, but the alternative name Waterhuis, meaning Water House is more accurate -- this building was not an actual brewery, but a watermill which pumped water to several breweries. Built in 1553 and designed by the renowned architect and engineer Gilbert van Schoonbeke (1519 - 1556), it was a marvel of ingenuity at its inception. Horses powered a treadmill which drew water up to the buildings upper story; from there, a system of pipes distributed the water to various destinations. All the workings are still intact today, as is the room in which the Antwerp Brewers Guild used to meet.

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