Brussels, rainbow hanging over the Bourse
Brussels, rainbow hanging over the Bourse
The Brussels Stock Exchange (French: Bourse de Bruxelles, Dutch: Beurs van Brussel), abbreviated to BSE, was founded in Brussels, Belgium, by decree of Napoleon in 1801. In 2002, the BSE merged with the Amsterdam, Lisbon and Paris stock exchanges into Euronext N.V., renaming the BSE Euronext Brussels. The most well known stock market index on the BSE is the BEL20.
The stock exchange building does not have a distinct name, though it is usually called the Palais de la Bourse in French or Beurspaleis in Dutch (or simply Bourse/Beurs). It is located on Boulevard Anspach/Anspachlaan, and is the namesake of the Place de la Bourse/Beursplein, which is, after the Grand Place, the second most important square in Brussels.
The eclectic building mixes borrowings from the neo-Renaissance and Second Empire architectural styles. It has an abundance of ornaments and sculptures, created by famous artists, including the brothers Jacques and Jean-Joseph Jacquet, the French sculptor Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse and his then-assistant Auguste Rodin. Some of the best examples are the group of four allegorical figures on the facade by Guillaume de Groot, symbolising Art, Agriculture, Industry and Science, as well as the friezes by Carrier-Belleuse, in which Rodin may have contributed.
The two monumental lion sculptures by Jacquet on each side of the main entrance's staircase (one with its head facing up, the other curved back) represent the two stock market trends (akin to the famous "bull and bear" metaphor), as well as the Belgian Nation.
Brussels, rainbow hanging over the Bourse
Brussels, rainbow hanging over the Bourse
The Brussels Stock Exchange (French: Bourse de Bruxelles, Dutch: Beurs van Brussel), abbreviated to BSE, was founded in Brussels, Belgium, by decree of Napoleon in 1801. In 2002, the BSE merged with the Amsterdam, Lisbon and Paris stock exchanges into Euronext N.V., renaming the BSE Euronext Brussels. The most well known stock market index on the BSE is the BEL20.
The stock exchange building does not have a distinct name, though it is usually called the Palais de la Bourse in French or Beurspaleis in Dutch (or simply Bourse/Beurs). It is located on Boulevard Anspach/Anspachlaan, and is the namesake of the Place de la Bourse/Beursplein, which is, after the Grand Place, the second most important square in Brussels.
The eclectic building mixes borrowings from the neo-Renaissance and Second Empire architectural styles. It has an abundance of ornaments and sculptures, created by famous artists, including the brothers Jacques and Jean-Joseph Jacquet, the French sculptor Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse and his then-assistant Auguste Rodin. Some of the best examples are the group of four allegorical figures on the facade by Guillaume de Groot, symbolising Art, Agriculture, Industry and Science, as well as the friezes by Carrier-Belleuse, in which Rodin may have contributed.
The two monumental lion sculptures by Jacquet on each side of the main entrance's staircase (one with its head facing up, the other curved back) represent the two stock market trends (akin to the famous "bull and bear" metaphor), as well as the Belgian Nation.