Belgium Beer World attraction to open at Bourse in 2023

The full renovation of the Bourse building in Brussels continues steadily with the opening of the Belgian Beer World visitor centre on Belgian beer culture set to open its doors on 1 July 2023.

The new attraction will be located on the top two floors of the Bourse, located in the city's downtown area on Place de la Bourse. 

Work has been underway on the former Stock Exchange building, which includes Belgian Beer World, since 2020. As the building is a Unesco-registered monument, some renovation work is taking longer than usual.

"Precisely because the building is a world heritage site, not all adjustments can be made just like that,” said Belgian Beer World project leader Krishan Maudgal. “This delayed the construction of the entire project." He also pointed out that the area around the Bourse, with its commercial and residential buildings, does not make the work any easier.

The costs for the Belgian Beer World visitor centre are mainly borne by the City of Brussels. The five largest breweries in Belgium are also investing in the project. But in order to be able to correctly reflect Belgian beer culture, they also collaborate with 103 small beer companies. Together, they are contributing €5m to the project.

The total price tag is now more than €50m. When the renovation was proposed in 2019, it was only about €43m. Mayor Philippe Close has defended this increase and points out that the prices for raw material have risen.

The beer museum is intended to become a major tourist attraction with 400,000 visitors per year expected.

As well as the Belgian Beer World visitor centre, the Bourse will have two new passages through it, connecting Place de la Bourse and Rue Henri Maus with Rue au Beurre. The main hall of the Bourse will also be converted into a publicly accessible space.