Fodor's Expert Review Beurs van Berlage
The old stock-exchange building is revered as Amsterdam's first modern building and the country's most important piece of 20th-century architecture. Built between 1898 and 1903 by H. P. Berlage, its design became a template for the style of a new century. The new Beurs, with its simple lines and the influence it had on the Amsterdam School architects who followed Berlage, earned him the reputation of being the "Father of Modern Dutch Architecture."
A staunch socialist, Berlage designed the building as a "public palace," a function it truly fulfills today with room for conferences, collaborative workspaces, exhibitions, and events. Learn more about the former stock exchange and its architect, and gain access to the lofty clock tower by taking part in a monthly tour (last Saturday of the month, €14.50). Or just stop by the café for coffee and to admire the stunning symbolist mosaics by Jan Toorop.