Waterpoort/Water Gate

Originally this gate bordered an opening in the city wall along the river Scheldt. Boats could get to Vlasmarkt from the Scheldt side through this passage. It was a city gate and an honorary gate for Philip IV, the king of Spain. Inscriptions on both sides of the gate refer to these functions. Rubens is said to have designed the gate, although there is no hard proof of this.
Following the re-alignment of the Scheldt banks in 1883-1884, the gate was moved to the recently covered Sint-Jansvliet, where it became a free-standing structure. When the pedestrian tunnel was built in this location (1931), the gate moved to Gillisplaats.