Amsterdam has a wide variety of attractions: numerous canals, city parks, monumental religious buildings, museums, and exhibition spaces… The architecture of the capital of the Netherlands deserves special attention. Everyone knows the local picturesque houses with large windows, which have become the signature landmarks of the city. But have you ever heard of the Beurs van Berlage, which is very different from the common urban area? Its appearance in 1897-1903 had a huge impact on the Amsterdam architecture of the first half of the last century. Later, it was even listed as the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This legendary building was designed by the outstanding architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage, whose idea of urban development played one of the key roles in forming modern Dutch architecture. He started his career in the 1880s. At first, he worked together with a colleague, the architect Theodorus Sanders, but then he opened his own architecture office. However, he became famous only ten years later, after he had started the construction of the new Amsterdam Stock Exchange. His work resulted in the emergence of a new trend in architecture, rationalism, which for a long time changed urban planning in the Netherlands and other countries all over the world.

Monumentality and authenticity, simplicity and laconic lines, the absence of not only intricate decor but even plaster on the brick outside and inside the building... Berlage's breakthrough was to proclaim honesty through architecture. He used simple and recognizable shapes and materials that did not have to be masked by an abundance of meaningless details. At the same time, he managed to preserve the medieval traditions of national architecture and combine them with modern engineering principles.

At first, the premises of the Beurs van Berlage were occupied by the offices of the currency, freight, commodity, and stock exchanges. Today, this huge building has become one of the largest cultural centers in Amsterdam. It hosts numerous exhibitions and events.