Old Exchange, Historical exchange building in central Antwerp, Belgium

Den Rhyn is a 1485 building in Antwerp's Hofstraat whose 19th-century street façades hide a 16th-century brick-and-sandstone courtyard. The courtyard has a late-Gothic colonnade with trefoil arches by Domien de Waghemakere, and in one corner stands the projecting Pagaddertoren, a belvedere tower of 1533.

The house Den Rhyn dates from 1485 and was used for trading spices, largely in the open air; it is regarded as a forerunner of the exchange building. Its success as Antwerp grew into a trading metropolis soon made the courtyard too small, and in 1531 a new exchange was built near the Meir. The projecting corner tower with belvedere, the Pagaddertoren, dates from 1533, after that move, and was conceived from the start as a house tower rather than as part of the exchange.

The building reflects Antwerp's role as a major trading center where merchants gathered for business. Its design and layout show the wealth and power that commerce brought to the city.

The house sits in the Hofstraat, a few steps from the Grote Markt; its 19th-century street facades hide the 16th-century courtyard, so look for the entrance rather than judging from the street. The gallery and inner court are the elements to seek out, and the Pagaddertoren rises in one corner of the courtyard.

The corner tower with an open belvedere is called the Pagaddertoren and dates from 1533, two years after the exchange moved to the Meir. It was therefore never part of the trading function but was conceived from the start as a house tower.