Oude Beursplein (Old Stock Exchange Square)

This corner, where the Grauwwerkersstraat turns into the Academiestraat, is popularly known as the 'Oude Beursplein' (Old Stock Exchange Square). In the Middle Ages this was the centre of financial transactions, the Wall Street of its time. Here high-level trading took place. The ‘nation houses’  - permanent commercial representations - of Genoa (the Belgian Fries Museum ), Florence (De Florentijnen restaurant) and Venice (The Monk café) can still be admired, as can the Ter Beurse house. Here the Ter Beurse family ran an inn which was the centre for money exchange. Their name spread throughout the world: ‘beurs’ means ‘stock exchange’!