Antwerp stock exchange to rise from the ashes once again
The end is in sight for a years-long renovation project to restore Antwerp’s Handelsbeurs to its former glory
Trading places
The former stock exchange (pictured), tucked away behind Twaalfmaandenstraat in the city centre, has been thoroughly refurbished and will open again to the public within two years.
Antwerp mayor Bart De Wever has presented the plans for the future of the Handelsbeurs. The central part of the building will remain a public space: the ground floor with its domed hall will be a meeting place, housing eateries, bars and spaces where events can be held, and there will be an underground car park.
The complex, which also includes the Schippersbeurs – where captains would log shipping schedules for the city’s port – and adjacent houses, will also be home to a new branch of the Marriott hotel and a restaurant. The historically valuable elements will be integrated into the hotel, due to open in early 2019, with the original mosaic floors and original domes preserved.
And there’s to be a makeover for the pagaddertoren, a small watchtower over the harbour from which ship owners could look out for their vessels.
Troubled years
The current Handelsbeurs was constructed in 1872 after it was destroyed by fire. Its previous incarnation dated from 1531, and was established after the centre for international trade in the Low Countries shifted from Bruges to Antwerp. It was the first building designed specifically for this kind of trade and was a model for the exchanges in London, Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
After that fire, it was rebuilt in the old style with new techniques, resulting in a beautiful indoor arena with neo-gothic facades and a dome using an innovative metal construction.
Archaeologists have made some remarkable discoveries, including medieval floors and urns from the Iron Age
The site has faced problems more recently, too. The building lost its function when the stock exchange closed in 1997 and merged with the one in Brussels. For a while its central hall was used to host events, until problems with fire safety made it unusable in 2003.
Since then, Handelsbeurs has stood empty. Hampered by its size and architecture, previous attempts by the city to give a new use to the building were not successful.
Three years ago, though, a solution was worked out, and the city found partners to participate in the restoration and redevelopment. In February this year, archaeologists completed their study of the site, having made some remarkable discoveries in the subsoil, including medieval floors and urns from the Iron Age. The renovation should be finished by 2018.
The project has been an ordeal for the city. There was even a court case when it emerged that one of the previous developers had removed valuable artefacts from the site. But with a little more patience, visitors can soon go for drinks in one of Flanders’ most beautiful domed courtyards.
Photo: Bart Gosselin/AG VESPA
