Beursen

Beursen is the Dutch term that refers to markets or exchanges where people buy and sell goods, securities, or futures. In standard Dutch the common plural is beurzen; beursen is a less common or older variant spelling that may appear in historical texts or dialects. The word stems from the idea of a purse (bourse) used by merchants to carry coins, and by extension the place where merchants gathered.

Historically, beurzen were local or regional markets where traders met to exchange goods. In medieval and early modern Europe, fairs and exchange centers in cities like Bruges, Antwerp, Hamburg and later Amsterdam served as major trading hubs and gave the term its broad sense of a marketplace.

In the modern sense, beurzen denote financial exchanges where securities, commodities, and derivatives are traded. In Dutch, the term is used with the plural beurzen, as in aandelenbeurzen or beurzen in Europe. Notable examples include the Beurs van Amsterdam (now part of Euronext Amsterdam), the Bourse of Antwerp, and the Paris and Brussels markets, all of which evolved into contemporary stock and commodity exchanges. The Amsterdam Beurs van Berlage, a landmark early 20th‑century building, is associated with the historical trading floor.

In contemporary Dutch usage, beurzen are key components of the financial infrastructure, and the term also appears in phrases like beurzen openen (to open the stock market) or beurzen dalen (to fall on the markets).