The Red Line Museum - Antwerpen

We weren’t sure what we would do on our day trip to Antwerp – about an hour ride on the train from Brussels.  Antwerp architecturally is just beautiful if one can overlook the usual tourist centric businesses and USA mall stores which are unfortunately pervasively and invasively present in every city we visited in Europe.  We decided to head for the port area which was basically a straight line couple of kilometres from Central Station. After walking around a bit and admiring the buildings, we had enough time to go to one museum and looked up one close to the water – and discovered The Red Star Line Museum.

Between 1873 and 1935 the Red Star Line shipping company transported almost three million people from Antwerp to America and Canada. The buildings of the Red Star Line, are still in existence (below).  We did not at first recognise their significance when we walked past them on the way to the museum.  However, inside were old photographs of these structures with hundreds of immigrants sheltering and waiting underneath on benches.

What is difficult to see in the photo are the detailed stencils in the metal roof facades and decorative figures at each peak.  The structures are located in Antwerp on the Scheldt, from where the ships set off on the transatlantic voyage. It remains a place of remembrance, a "lieu de mémoire" for the millions of emigrants who set out for a new life in the States and Canada via Antwerp.  Once sheltering the immigrants, the structures have become dry docks for unusual boats or vehicle parking spaces. 

The historic sheds of the legendary shipping company with the red star in its flag currently house the Red Star Line Museum. The museum tells the story of the millions of Europeans who were courageous or desperate enough to leave their old life behind and look for a better existence. 

Above is a display of family photographs along with copies of shipping manifests and passenger lists.  Via an emotional roller coaster of high expectations and deep disappointments, racing adrenaline and sleepless nights, the dream becomes reality for some of them. The former harbour sheds of the Red Star Line are the perfect place to make the stories of countless passengers palpable and visible. Their dreams and complaints are brought to life in this inspiring environment.
 

Artefacts brought along by poor immigrants travelling in third class steerage are on display in the museum - including trunks, suitcases of the period, clothing, passports and other precious items they carried to use in their new life wherever they landed.  The Red Star Line Museum is a journey to the past and an encounter with the present. Migration might have a different face these days, but the human side of migration is timeless and universal.

Poster depicting the possible consequences of not being disinfected on arrival - the immigrants had to be inspected, showered, and inspected again to ensure no communicable diseases or pests had accompanied them on their long journey.  Any sign of contagion and they were sent back and not allowed to remain.  Families were separated if this occurred - one story board told of a family in which the sister had a medical condition and the family elected to be separated to try to make it in the United states and to send her back to relatives and have her come later.  She returned twice before being allowed to remain, over a period of several years.  Also immigrants' belongings were disinfected thoroughly in harsh chemicals as well.

Supplies being hauled off the ship in port

Not only immigrants travelled on the Red Star Line - these were cruise ships with first, second and third class (steerage/immigrant) passengers.  The upper decks were outfitted in luxurious fashion whereas steerage was overcrowded and travellers endured inhumane conditions.   Here are a few advertising posters directed to the passenger classes from the past days of the Red Star Line.