| La Bourse du Commerce (picture by Peter Watts) |  |
La Bourse du Commerce
Photographer Description of La Bourse du Commerce
Panorama taken from the rear of the Bourse du Commerce. The Bourse du Commerce is silhouetted by the sun. The panoramic image also shows the view over the Jardin des Halles and the outside of the church of Saint Eustache. Below the walkway on which the picture was taken are some gardens protected by 4 glass pyramids. These, and the circular Bourse du Commerce building are visible on the satellite view of the Google map of Paris.La Bourse du Commerce - Further Information
The Bourse du Commerce in Paris is the French Commodities Exchange. La Bourse du Commerce is a round 18th century building that was later modified in the 19th. The site has been occupied since the 13th century by a building called the Hôtel de Nesle. The mother of St. Louis, Blanche de Castille, died in the Hôtel de Nesle in 1252.The building later was called the Hôtel de Bohème, then Hôtel de Orléans. Louis XII lost the building in a cribbage game to his chamberlain who converted it into a convent for wayward women. In 1527 the convent moved out and the Hôtel de la Reine (later called the Hôtel de Savoy) was built on the site. To the south of the building is a column that is thought to have belonged to the Hôtel de la Reine and may have been used by the astrologer Ruggieri as an observatory. The present building dates from 1889 and replaces a wheat market that stood here during the reign of Louis XVI. Today La Bourse du Commerce houses the coffee and sugar exchange and the industrial and economic department of Paris. Guided tours are available for a fee by appointment.
Address:
Bourse du Commerce
2 rue de Viarmes
Paris, Île-de-France 75001
France
Travel and Getting There:
Metro: Les Halles (line 4)