The Plantin-Moretus Museum is a printing plant and publishing house dating from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Situated in Antwerp, one of the three leading cities of early European printing along with Paris and Venice, it is associated with the history of the invention and spread of typography. Its name refers to the greatest printer-publisher of the second half of the 16th century: Christophe Plantin (c. 1520–89). The monument is of outstanding architectural value. It contains exhaustive evidence of the life and work of what was the most prolific printing and publishing house in europe in the late 16th century. The building of the company, which remained in activity until 1867, contains a large collection of old printing equipment, an extensive library, invaluable archives and works of art, among them a painting by Rubens.

Brief synthesis

The is the only surviving printing workshop and publishing house in the world dating back to the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Situated in Antwerp, one of the three leading cities of early European printing along with Paris and Venice, it is associated with the history of the invention and dissemination of typography. Its name refers to the greatest printer-publisher of the second half of the 16th century, Christophe Plantin (c. 1520-1589), and his son-in-law, Jan Moretus I (1543-1610), who took over the best-equipped printing company in europe upon Plantin's death. It was thanks to the Moretus family that the firm's production activities continued in the same location for three centuries, from 1576 to 1867. Ten years later, the Complex was opened as a museum dedicated to presenting the relationship between the living environment of the family, the world of work, and the world of commerce during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.

The Complex evolved over the centuries to include a patrician mansion as well as north, south, west, and east wings, added to the 1576-1580 core in three phases (1578-1584, 1620-1640, and 1760-1763), creating an interior courtyard. In addition to its outstanding architectural value, the Complex contains exhaustive evidence of the life and work of what was the most prolific printing and publishing house in Europe in the late 16th century. Within its walls are the  equipment of the workshops (printing-press, foundry, typesetting room), the furnishings that have remained in situ (equipment, tools, an extensive library, furniture, portraits), the invaluable business archives of the Officina Plantiniana (inscribed in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register of documentary heritage in 2001), and works of art, including paintings from the workshop of Rubens.

Criterion (ii):

Through the publications of the Officina Plantiniana, the Plantin-Moretus Complex is a testimony to the major role played by this important centre of 16th-century European humanism in the development of science and culture.

Criterion (iii):

Considered as an integral part of the Memory of the World (UNESCO, 2001), the Plantinian Archives, including the business archives of the Officina, the books of commercial accounts and the correspondence with a number of world-renowned scholars and humanists, provide an outstanding testimony to a cultural tradition of the first importance.

Criterion (iv):

As an outstanding example of the relationship between the living environment of a family during the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, the world of work and the world of commerce, the Plantin-Moretus Complex is of unrivalled documentary value relating to significant periods of European history: the Renaissance, the Baroque and Classicism.

Criterion (vi):

The Plantin-Moretus Complex is tangibly associated with ideas, beliefs, technologies and literary and artistic works of outstanding universal significance.

Integrity

All the elements necessary to express the Outstanding Universal Value of the are located within the boundaries of the 0.23 ha property, including the Complex's central nucleus built in 1576-1580 and its later additions, the equipment of the workshops, the furnishings, the archives, and the works of art associated with the Plantin-Moretus family and business. The boundaries of the property thus adequately ensure the complete representation of the features and processes that convey the property's significance. There is a 184.1 ha buffer zone.

Overall, the property has retained its integrity, with regard to its characteristics and components. The original house and its historical additions are well preserved. In the last century, two important interventions were carried out: a new wing was added in 1937 to house a collection of graphic art; and the Complex was restored in 1947 after the 1576-1580 core and the east wing were damaged by a missile in 1945. The property does not suffer from adverse effects of development and/or neglect.

Authenticity

The is authentic in terms of its location and setting, forms and design, and materials and substances. Each of the phases of the Complex – the central nucleus and its later additions– is an authentic testimony to the architecture and lifestyle of its period. This authenticity is reflected in the continuing existence in the same places (mansion and workshops) of the same activity (printing/publishing) carried out by the same family (the Moretus family, descendants of the son-in-law of Christophe Plantin, the founder).

In formal terms, the restoration required for the ongoing upkeep of the buildings, and those made necessary by war damage (in 1945), have not affected the authenticity of the ensemble. The same applies to the museographic installations, which are fully in keeping with the historical evolution of the monument.

Protection and management requirements

The , which is owned by the City of Antwerp, was listed as a national monument on 25 March 1938 (façade and courtyard), with an extension of the protection to the whole building complex, including its interior, on 10 July 1997. As a consequence of this listing, every intervention concerning the must be approved by the regional monuments and sites administration. This is also the case for a number of listed buildings in the immediate surroundings of the Complex. The management of the property is the responsibility of the chief curator of the museum, appointed by the City of Antwerp. In view of the importance and composition of its collection, its management policy is supervised by the Fine Arts and Museum Division of the government of Flanders. As a listed monument, the management of the museum is governed by the Flanders Heritage Agency. There is a management plan.

Sustaining the Outstanding Universal Value of the property over time will require maintaining and improving, as required, the conservation and management of the property and its collections (archives, books, and historic interiors). The attributes that express the Outstanding Universal Value of the property are protected when undertaking any interventions, such as improving access or enhancing the comfort of visitors.