The Waag

The Waag is a 15th-century building at the Nieuwmarkt in the center of Amsterdam. It was originally a city gate. The current name refers to its later function as a weighing house.

The building has served a variety of other functions, including guild house, museum, fire station, and anatomical theater. In Rembrandt's painting The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, the dissection of a corpse can be seen taking place in the Waag.

Originally, the building was a city gate, known as the Sint Antoniespoort. The gate was located in line with the Zeedijk. Outside the city walls, the dike continued as Sint Antoniesdijk. After the construction of the Lastage in the 16th century, the Sint Antoniesbreestraat was created here, and a second Sint Antoniespoort was built near the later Hortus Botanicus. When the city was expanded in the late 16th century, the Sint Antoniespoort lost its significance as a city gate. Soon after, in the period of 1603-1613, the city wall was demolished. In 1614, the current Nieuwmarkt was formed by covering the city canal on both sides of the Sint Antoniespoort. The square was also raised, causing part of the gate's masonry to disappear below ground level. This makes the building appear less tall than it actually is. In the 17th century, the city gate gained a new function, an early example of repurposing: the Sint Antoniespoort was converted into a weighing house in 1617-1618 by covering the inner courtyard, the space between the front and main gate. This new weighing house was intended to relieve the Waag on the Dam, which had become too small. Some guilds were housed on the upper floors, namely those of blacksmiths, painters, masons, and surgeons. The Waag has had various purposes. In the 19th century, the building successively served as a city screening hall, furniture workshop, workshop for city oil lighting, fire station, and municipal archive.

On September 20, 1991, local residents and heritage enthusiasts opened the doors for the press and the public.

Wandeloverzicht