The Zuid ("South") in Antwerp is a currently fashionable area of Antwerp. Revived in the mid-1980s, it has an attractive street plan and a few Art Nouveau buildings, such as the former Volkshuis (or Maison du Peuple) on the Volkstraat, but which now houses the Rudolf Steiner school. Three museums, numerous commercial art galleries, fashionable cafes and restaurants, two arts' centres and a sprinkling of up-market shops add to the attractions of the area. History Antwerpen Zuid (Antwerp South) came into being as a distinct neighborhood with the demolition of Antwerp Citadel, known locally as the Zuidkasteel, which had originally been built by the Spanish. Demolition works were started in 1874. The street plan was approved by Royal Decree in 1875. It is said to have been inspired by Haussman, giving rise to the nickname “Le Petit Paris”. Work was started on the excavation of the Zuiderdokken (Southern Docks) in the same year. The area was developed over the next 25 years, with most of the major public buildings being completed in the final decade of the century. Landmarks in the history of the area include: two World Fairs, held respectively in 1885 and 1894 (see list of world's fairs); the completion of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in 1890; the completion of the “Dutch” Synagogue in the Bouwmeestersstraat in 1893 (see History of the Jews in Antwerp); the opening of the Parein biscuit factory in the Brusselsestraat in 1894; the completion of the St. Michiels church (Amerikalei) in 1897; the completion of the buildings of the State Commercial College (Handelshogeschool) (Schildersstraat) likewise in 1897. It now houses a nursery school after being the home of the Higher Institute for Translators and Interpreters for 53 years; the opening of the South Station in 1898; The Petit Paris cachet, the agreeable street plan, its monuments and cultural attractions made “het Zuid” or “Le Midi” a fashionable place to live until the Second World War. During the war the area sustained considerable V bomb damage, with the first bomb to hit Antwerp landing on the corner of the Schildersstraat and the Leopold De Waelplaats. After the war the area went into a long period of decline. Probable reasons include the flight to the suburbs, the decline of the Southern Docks, and the closure of the South Station, with the latter being demolished in 1965. The low rents made the area attractive