The 18th century was Schiedam's Golden Age: the cessation of liquor imports from France made possible the emergence of the Schiedam gin distillery. Jenever from Schiedam was exported all over the world from dozens of distilleries and distilleries. The jenever industry gave Schiedam the nickname 'Black Nazareth', because the soot from the distilleries and glass factories colored the city black.

The Schiedammer Korenbeurs (Corn Exchange) or Koopmansbeurs is a Dutch national monument, which was built between 1786- 1792. Malt wine, grains and alcohol were traded in the Korenbeurs. This trade was directly related to the Schiedam distilleries for jenever.

The building has been repaired and renovated several times over the years. Since 2015 the building houses the public library of Schiedam. The covered courtyard has become a courtyard garden, a green atrium with tall trees and plants. The library has a reading table with a remarkable chandelier, made of dozens of gin glasses