Beurs van Berlage

This former stock exchange, designed by Hendrik Berlage, is worth a visit in its own right as perhaps the most important piece of 20th-century architecture in Amsterdam. But the Beurs has now forgone its role as a temple to Mammon and become instead a cathedral of culture, comprising a large exhibition room, two concert halls and the offices of the building's three resident orchestras, the Netherlands Philharmonic, the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, and the Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra. Its performance chambers are wonderful, though the music schedule can be surprisingly sparse.