waag (weighing house)

The house looks cute when looking at it from the cheese market, but once inside all they do is selling souvenirs and cheeses and there is the information center.

The Weighing House is an impressive building situated in Gouda's market place. The tourist information office is housed on the ground floor, and here you can buy souvenirs, postcards and cheeses. Upstairs is the Cheese Museum which provides lots of information about the history of cheese production in the city, also candle and clay pipe making. Our Guide gave us an excellent and very informative talk. He was knowledgeable and evidently passionate about Gouda's history. On the top floor of the museum is an interesting display of items associated with cheese making and the Guide also put on a film explaining the cheese-making process in more detail.

Gothic building with history behind, so attractive located in front of Gouda market, at the evening you can find tavern around and taste delicious gouda cheese...

That was rather, long time ago, that is, 22 years earlier. I had been then in Holland and worked in the famous company " Hyva " in the small Dutch town, Alphen ad Rhein, near the Amsterdam. This corporation specialized itself among others occupations, also with cutting, facing, finishing,processing, polishing, hence production , as a matter of fact, of the ready american steel pipes, of the diametres 150 mm to 450 mm.With my friend, I decided, some time then, to go to Gouda, and measured by the dutch standardsfor distances, it is not far at all, from Alphen ad Rhein. We had taken the train, known by its, over world widespread, accuracy, and got luckily right on time to attend the local Cheese Market Event(Kaas Markt), on Markt 35-36 near the very important building , Waag (Weighing House).It is usually held, every week, on thursday, gathering a mass of people, either residents of Gouda or tourists. Curiosity and eagerness to taste and buy some of products, are the very expressed , then, feelings.Gouda is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland.It is famous for its Gouda cheese, smoking pipes,stroopwafel and 15th-century city hall, i.e. Stadhuis Gouda.It developed alongside the banks of the Gouwe River, and founder of the settlement was Van der Goude family.This family gave the name to the city.Gouda used to have a considerable linen industry and a number of beer breweries.Here on this Markt is also located Gouda Cheese Museum.Gouda cheese itself comes from surroundings of Gouda Town, not from the city.When We talk about Gouda cheese, it is rather a description of process of making a cheese thankind of cheese.However, it is my favorite among so many different products from cow's,goat's and sheep's milk.

The Weighing House combines the museums of cheese-making and clay-pipe making with the tourist information centre. Entry to the ground floor is free but a fee is payable to visit the museums on the two upper floors.We were the only people in the museums when we visited and had personal English-language tours/demonstrations from the friendly staff. We couldn't resist buying some of the excellent cheese on sale below, having tasted samples.

You can see the way the farmers sell their cheese on the market.Look at the site Goudsekaasmarkt.nl for more information

The Waag is located opposite the Stadhuis and offers a nice photo opportunity. Inside on the lower floor is the tourist office, a small souveneir shop and a cheese shop. On the upper floor is a cheese museum, entry 4 euros and open from 12pm. I did not visit the cheese museum as it was not open at the time. It is certainly worth a quick look inside the Waag.

Combined a cheese museum (a must for thurophiles) and a VVV office (where one could get detailed cycling maps and other useful info)

It's nice to visit and get a good vibe from the busy atmosphere. You can even get a weight certificate. But don't forget to look outside to the beautiful square in front with the city Hall. Come in august to enjoy the markets.

The building is special, very old, on the market, and you can go inside and see the old cheese scales. Its very interesting to see how this has been done for a very long time. If you like Gouda Cheese, this is a must visit.

Brought my Sydney-born children there, when they were teenagers. Cannot do an unbiased review. My children liked the souvenirs. I was pleased that they were served in a very friendly way. I hope that visitors to Gouda explore it. Ask questions; absorb the history.

Others have described the Waag well, I think. We were there on a Thursday in summer, when they hold they weekly Cheese Market event (Kaas Markt). The touristy re-enactment was rather corny, too long, and slightly cute. The good news is that it's free and you can kind of pay attention or not as you please. It starts at 10:00am. Simultaneously, a town market goes on all over the Grote Markt around the Cheesy deal. If you like Farmers' Market Meets Flea Market, you should enjoy this. Great food (produce and prepared things) for sale. The restaurants/cafes around the square are expensive, so be warned. We found the Bite cafe, not far off the square, very reasonable, with very good food and a great staff.The Town Hall right there, which is beautiful, offers a museum (that has an entrance fee).

At the moment in Gouda the tourist information centre is in the Waag. The lower part of the building is free, it houses the shop of the cheese museum and the tourist information centre of Gouda. I don'nt know about the museum. I live near Gouda, but I have never visited this.

This building houses the cheese museum, where a very well-informed guide introduces the visitors to the process of making Dutch farmers' cheese. There are quite a few antiques there as well as a small shop selling high quality aged cheese. Not a must, but very interesting.

If the past farmers took their home made Gouda cheese to this building to weigh and sell them. In summer they do this still for the tourists at wednesday. The market is then the place where lots of antiques and collectibles are being sold.