Old stock exchange

Let’s cross the old stock exchange. Considered one of Lille’s most magnificent edifices, it was constructed in the 17th century to accommodate the city’s merchants’ association during the Spanish Netherlands’ rule. This era represents Lille’s golden age, when it flourished as a prominent trading city, brimming with prosperity and vitality.. So, it’s only natural that Mercury, the god of commerce and trade, should be raised in the heart of the city, rather than the spire of a church. This was also sending a clear message , here, business was stronger than religious power. The 24 merchants’ houses, built in a square around the courtyard, are lavishly decorated in the extravagant Flemish style. Fruit baskets, cornucopias, lions… The friezes underline the power and wealth of the city, which at the time was in direct competition with its Flemish cousins: Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp. Booksellers, chess players and tango dancers now fill the courtyard, which, surrounded by its magnificent arcades, invites you to linger, walk around and contemplate. Of course, the entire building is listed.