Cogels-Osylei

This prestigious cobbled street owes its name to two prominent noble families, Cogels and Osy, who owned a lot of land in present-day Zurenborg.
There are also a lot of gems to be found in some side streets (such as Generaal van Merlenstraat, Transvaalstraat and Waterloostraat).

The Cogels Osylei is the most beautiful street in Antwerp and perhaps in the entire country. Anyone who visits the City and loves architecture should be obliged to take a walk through the Zurenborg district of Berchem.
Near the Antwerp-Berchem train station you can look open-mouthed at the beautiful and impressive (mansion) houses and real palaces from the Belle Epoque period. If there were a Lonely Planet top 10 list somewhere that neatly mapped out the most beautiful streets in the world, the Cogels-Osylei would have reached at least a spot in the top three with flying colors. The street scene is also characterized by the typical front gardens with their iron gates.
This prestigious cobbled street owes its name to two prominent noble families, Cogels and Osy, who owned a lot of land in present-day Zurenborg.

The Cogels-Osylei, located in the Zurenborg district and in Berchem, is a unique street in which people live and work. A street that also attracts many visitors because of its historical heritage from the Belle Epoque period. Today, the street is still almost exactly as it was realized at the end of the 19th century, in the heyday of the belle epoque. The street with its profile and cobblestone deck, together with the unique patrimony, is therefore an unmistakable part of the total protected cityscape.