La Vieille Bourse

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).

Address
Place du Général de Gaulle 26, Lille, France

Established
1652