La Halle aux Grains

The Halle aux Grains wears a distinctive circular stone facade, making it look more like a Roman amphitheater than a grain market. Built in the middle of the nineteenth century, it served as the primary trading hub for regional wheat and flour merchants. During the early nineteen sixties, the city converted the interior into a concert hall. The conductor Andre Cluytens famously insisted on removing the central pillars to improve the acoustics, permanently changing the building from a warehouse into a home for symphonic music.