Het Zuid ("the South") was laid out in the 1880s on land reclaimed from old docks, with broad boulevards in the Parisian manner. The district fell into decline through the twentieth century but has been steadily gentrified since the 1990s; it is now the city's main gallery cluster, with the KMSKA (Royal Museum of Fine Arts), M HKA (contemporary art), and the FOMU (photography museum) all within five minutes' walk of each other.
The wide Marnixplaats and Leopold de Waelplaats squares are ringed by restaurants and bars, busy in the evenings. Most of Antwerp's serious art galleries — Tim Van Laere, Zeno X, Galerie Sofie Van de Velde — are within the same few blocks. A good half-day base for any art-focused visit.