THE OLD EXCHANGE (De Oude Beurs)


EXCHANGES in medieval towns were international meeting places for merchants. The dutch name is "Beurs", probably derived from the italian word "Borsa".
In Antwerp there has been a
Wool Exchange from the 14th century on. Here the merchants adventurers from England sold their wool to merchants of other European nations. These continental merchants on the other hand sold their products here to the English.
The Old Exchange (gallery and courtyard)


In the neighbourhood of that Wool Exchange stood a building that,
from the end of the 15th century on, was the official CITY EXCHANGE.
It had, the Italian way, also an inner court yard with open galleries, where
merchants could discuss, sell and buy as long as the weather permitted...

In the surrounding of those two Exchanges
wool and many other products
could be stocked in large cellars and stores.


When around 1530 traffic of goods to and from Antwerp was growing immensely,
it was a necessity for the city to build a much larger, new gothic Exchange
where a couple of hundred merchants could meet every day of the week except on sunday.

Both exchanges, new and old, still exist, though not longer used for that purpose.

The so-called OLD EXCHANGE ("Oude Beurs") (see picture above)
is the nearest to the Townhall and to the CATHEDRAL . It can be visited.


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Latest update April 7th 2005.

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