Bourse de Bruxelles (Stock Exchange Building), Brussels

Across from the church of Saint Nicholas, you'll find the grandiose Bourse, which has served as the city's stock exchange since the 19th century. A seamless blend of Neo-Renaissance and Second Empire styles emerging from the urban beautification project undertaken in the city center during the late 1800s, it is adorned with lavish decorations of fruit garlands, fronds, and reclining nudes.

The confidently designed structure features an array of allegorical figures representing Industry, Navigation, Africa, Asia, and more, which not only mirror the concerns of the 19th-century Belgian bourgeoisie but also exude an air of contentment, suggesting that wealth and pleasure are intertwined. The twin lions flanking the main staircase add a cautionary message – one, with its head held high, symbolizes the rise of stocks, while the other, with its head lowered, signifies their potential decline. The relief of a female figure represents the City of Brussels, while two winged statues below symbolize the forces of good and evil.

Partially ravaged by a fire in 1990, the building has been restored both inside and out, now housing the Brussels branch of the Euronext network, which has also incorporated the Amsterdam and Paris exchanges since the year 2000. While the interior is not open to the public, its exterior remains an impressive sight, with the stairway offering a pleasant vantage point for people-watching or reading.

While the surrounding square frequently hosts various exhibitions, activities, and street performances on weekends, the building is flanked by two renowned cafés: the Art Nouveau Falstaff, on the south side at rue Henri Maus, and the fin-de-siècle Le Cirio on the opposite side at rue de la Bourse. In front of Le Cirio, you'll find the glassed-in remains of a medieval church and convent, discovered by archaeologists in the 1980s and now known as Bruxella 1238.