The Guilds houses. Don’t forget to visit the Guilds houses that are located in the northern side of the square. Unfortunately, these houses are not the original buildings. Most of the houses were burnt down in 1576, and later they were reconstructed. The biggest house is called the Spanish House (Pand van Spanje). You will find it at St. Joris Street 7. The façade of the building depicts a dragon and St. Joris, who manages to escape nearly inevitable death and kill the dangerous creature. The skilful artwork of the façade creates an illusion that the dragon may fall down at any moment.
The fountain, which is also located at the square, is decorated with the image of a Romanian soldier Salvius Brabo. The monument of the soldier is connected with a legend about the origin of the name “Antwerp”. Once upon a time a giant called Druon Antigoon lived on the bank of the Scheldt. He demanded an excessive fare from sailors, who sailed across the Scheldt. The sailors, who couldn’t or didn't want to pay, had their hands cut off by the giant. Salvius Brabo called the giant, overpowered him and, as a symbol of his victory, cut off his hand and threw it into the river, just like Druon Antigoon did with other sailors. So, as the legend says, the name Antwerp goes from “handwerpen” – “to throw a hand”. Scientists also suppose that the name goes from the word “de aanwerp” – “sandbank”.
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