The Stock Exchange Palace, better known even to foreign visitors as Palacio da Bolsa, is one of the most valuable tourist sights of Porto. The construction works started in 1842, only to be completed some 30 years later, and the reason for building a venue of this kind was, at least as far as Porto was concerned at the time, to boast of its economic power and to draw the European businessmen to make investments in the city.
The palace was declared a national monument and listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Thus, the palace is the expression of a mix of architectural styles, with prominent neoclassical elements which prevail across other influences.
