A year after the reopening of the Brussels Bourse building, 1.3 million visitors have already passed through its doors.
The Brussels Bourse building, opened in 1873 and designed by architect Léon-Pierre Suys, was constructed during a time when Brussels was being redesigned in the manner of Paris’s transformation after the June Revolution of 1848.
The building symbolised Belgium’s economic and industrial growth. Over the centuries, it gradually lost its function as a trading exchange. The last traders left in 2015, leaving the building derelict until 2023.
After renovation, the renovated stock exchange building reopened in September 2023, serving as a hub of heritage, culture, and history. In the first year since reopening, it has attracted 1.3 million visitors from Brussels and across Belgium.
However, the new Belgian Beer World museum has underperformed expectations since opening as part of the renovation. Brussels Mayor Philippe Close (PS) had hoped for 360.000 visitors annually, but only 150.000 were recorded.
Dirk Lubbers, the new director of the Bourse and creator of the Heineken Experience in Amsterdam, remains optimistic. "It takes time to fully develop everything, but we are on the right track," he said.
Belgian Beer World's high construction costs has come under fire in the past, with the beer museum’s final price tag reaching €90 million euros instead of the estimated €15 million.
It also been criticism for having included some of the industry's biggest players, rather than centring Brussels' very rich offering of local breweries.
