Alte Handelsbörse, Baroque assembly building in Leipzig, Germany
The Alte Handelsbörse is a freestanding two-storey Baroque building on the Naschmarkt, its plaster facade ringed by flat pilasters with Ionic capitals and festoons. An open two-way staircase leads up, with two winged putti holding the Leipzig coat of arms above it; statues of Apollo and Mercury stand at the front, Minerva and Venus at the back. High rectangular windows sit above low transverse ones, and a sandstone balustrade runs along the flat roof.
The building began construction in 1678 after 30 merchants asked the city for a neutral trading place. This project helped establish Leipzig as an important trading center in central Europe.
The hall's stucco ceiling by Giovanni Simonetti and seven allegorical ceiling paintings by Johann Heinrich am Ende were finished only in 1687, nine years after building began. Both were lost when the building burnt out in 1943. Since 1962 the former Börsensaal has hosted readings, concerts and exhibitions.
The building sits on Naschmarkt and functions as a venue for concerts, readings, and conferences. Visitors should plan ahead since use varies depending on the current program.
The two statues on the front are Apollo and Mercury, the god of merchants; the rear carries Minerva and Venus. Above the two-way staircase, two winged putti hold the Leipzig city coat of arms. The interior stucco ceiling by Giovanni Simonetti and seven allegorical ceiling paintings by Johann Heinrich am Ende were lost when the building burnt out in 1943.
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