The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: December twenty-sixth, spending Boxing Day in Antwerp.

Belgium's second largest city, Antwerp is the capital of Flanders, the Flemish-speaking section in the northwest part of the country. Access to the North Sea via the River Schelde long ago made Antwerp a great seaport, even though it's situated over 50 miles inland.

In fact, for much of the 16th century, Antwerp was Northern Europe's dominant commercial power. Its coffers filled with the riches of Far East trade, the city became a vibrant intellectual center, where Rubens and Van Dyke painted masterpieces on cathedral walls and canvas, and printing houses churned out books by the bushel.

Antwerp's old heart still harbors a warren of cobblestone lanes and street-corner Madonnas surrounding soaring Gothic cathedrals. The north side of the main market square is lined with daintily-restored guild houses. The Stathuis, completed in 1566, is one of the great structures of the Northern Renaissance. The city's several distinguished museums feature the works of its venerable masters.

Its fortunes have waxed and waned through the centuries, but the elan of Antwerp 2000 stems from two glitzy factors, gem stones and fashion. The undistinguished storefronts surrounding the train station are the world's largest diamond center, handling half of its annual production. Recently the city has sprouted dozens of design houses which create considerable haute couture. Each week brings a new round of art openings and fashion shows. Antwerp's often packed with visitors from Britain, France and Germany who've learned there's more to this unconventional city than first meets the eye.

FMI For information on Antwerp 011-32-232-01-03 or www.dma.be

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