Market and Town Hall of Gouda

The town hall of Gouda is located in the Market square. The fifteenth-century town hall is one of the oldest Gothic town halls in the Netherlands.

In 1395, the Gouda city council purchased the market site from the lords of Van der Goude to build a town hall there. However, it would not be until 1448 that construction would begin. According to city historian Ignatius Walvis, the city's poor financial situation was the cause of the ongoing delays. The new town hall served as a replacement for the old one, which, according to Walvis, was located on the Gouwe, at the site of the later brewery de Zwaan. However, others locate the predecessor of the current town hall just east of the former police station on the Market, possibly with an earlier predecessor in a hall at the southern end of the Market.

In December, Gouda by Candlelight is the event leading up to Christmas. Since 1956, Gouda has organized candle evening as a festive welcome for the tree that the sister city Kongsberg donates to the municipality of Gouda each year.

Meanwhile, candle evening has grown into Gouda by Candlelight. A beautiful cultural event that, in addition to the festive lighting of the lights on the tree between 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM, includes various Christmas-themed activities throughout the city center.

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