The former Amsterdam stock and commodity exchange is one of the most famous buildings in the world. Beurs van Berlage Amsterdam, named after the architect Berlage, opened in 1903 and changed from a Koopmansbeurs to a palace of culture.
There is the inscription “Beidt thy time”, on the other side of the tower it says “Duur thy hour”. These texts want to encourage investors to be careful, to take their time, and only then to make their move.
The city was already an important trading center in the seventeenth century, the Golden Age. The first company in the world, the Dutch East India Company (VOC), already had a permanent place to trade shares there.
This building has not been used as a stock exchange since the end of the last century. It is now an exhibition centre with offices. Also concerts are organized here.