How did the closing of the Schelde River affect Antwerp after 1585?

Following the fall of Antwerp in 1585 to the Spanish, the Dutch—who controlled the Schelde River estuary—closed the waterway to navigation to cripple the city's trade. This blockade had profound consequences for Antwerp:123

• Economic Decline and Emigration: The closure severed Antwerp’s vital gateway to the sea, causing a massive exodus of capital and enterprise, primarily to the north. Between 1585 and 1589, the city's population plummeted from 80,000 to 42,000.1
• Shift in Power: The economic greatness of Amsterdam in the 17th century was fueled in part by these emigrants and their financial support, as Amsterdam replaced Antwerp as the principal trading center for Europe.14
• Continued Cultural Significance: Despite the loss of its status as the leading commercial metropolis, Antwerp was not reduced to a nonentity. It remained a dynamic economic center of the Spanish (and later Austrian) Netherlands and flourished as a major center for art, home to figures such as Peter Paul Rubens.1

The closure remained a point of contention until 1863, when Belgium bought out the Dutch right to restrict navigation.2