La Vieille Bourse, Lille, France - SpottingHistory.com

The Vieille Bourse (Old Stock Exchange) in Lille is the former building of the Lille Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It is located between the Grand Place and the Place du Théâtre and is considered to be one of the landmarks of the city centre. The building is in the form of a quadrangle, made up of 24 identical houses enclosing an inner courtyard, which serves as a meeting place for booksellers, florists, chess players and tourists. This site is served by the Rihour metro station.

In 1651 the City of Lille obtained from Philip IV of Spain the authorization to build 'a bourse for the use of merchants that will be surrounded and encloses 24 houses'. The city sold the 24 plots of land around the market square to traders, and supported the construction of the galleries, paving the inner courtyard, and the four entryways. The building was constructed between 1652 and 1653 under the direction of Julien Destrée, in order to offer to the merchants a majestic monument comparable to that of Antwerp. The architecture is typical Flemish Renaissance of the 17th century.

The Lille Stock Exchange opened in 1861 in the building. It was not a very liquid exchange: only 3.4% of the capital changed hands each year.

In 1921, the new stock change building (the Chamber of Commerce) opened, and the Vielle Bourse was vacated. It was classified as a historical monument the same year, and renamed to Vieille Bourse (Old Stock Exchange).

References:

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Miscellaneous historic sites in France

User Reviews

Roelof Van Der Walt (2 months ago)
Stunning building, all built out of jealousy and for making money

Andrea Robles (5 months ago)
Worth the visit if it is not raining. Passed by after the rain and what they sell is amazing. Bring cash.

Alex Drummond (5 months ago)
The old stock exchange (former building of the Lille Chamber of Commerce and Industry) is a very interesting building near the Grand Place. In the courtyard inside, there is a market selling second-hand books, old posters, toys, etc. Worth a look, it gets very busy on weekends and holidays.

Alper KÖPRÜLÜ (6 months ago)
The Vieille Bourse (Old Stock Exchange) in Lille is the former building of the Lille Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It is located between the Grand Place and the Place du Théâtre and is considered to be one of the landmarks of the city centre. The building is in the form of a quadrangle, made up of 24 identical houses enclosing an inner courtyard. The place now is a meeting place for booksellers, florists, chess players and tourists.

Zignzag (10 months ago)
Food, Shopping and amazing architecture all in one place. All within minutes of walking out of Gare Lille Flanders. A must see and do place.

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The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.

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Since 1930, the castle has housed the collections of the Ariège départemental museum. Sections on prehistory, Gallo-Roman and mediaeval archaeology tell the history of Ariège from ancient times. Currently, the museum is rearranging exhibits to concentrate on the history of the castle site so as to recreate the life of Foix at the time of the Counts.

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