The Museum Plantin-Moretus is located in the building which held the printing company founded by Christoffel Plantin in 1555, subsequently owned by the Moretus family for nearly three centuries, then sold to the city of Antwerp in 1876.
Plantins company was distinguished by several factors. The quality of the production was very high -- the only existing full set of Garamond type is in the posession of the by the Plantin-Moretus museum. The ideological breadth of the publications printed by Plantin was unusually diverse, including Catholic, Reformist, Counter-Reformist, and Humanist works. He was an unusually pragmatic and forward thinking businessman and had excellent relations with his employees, who were unionized and had health insurance.
The attractions of the Museum include two of the oldest surviving printing presses in the world, 25,000 old books and book-bindings, and the facilities of the shop.
Phone: +32 / 3 221 14 50
Fax: +32 / 3 221 14 71