Amsterdam - Weigh House

(Local Name: Waaggebouw) The old weigh house with its seven towers in the Nieuwmarkt is the former St Anthony's Gate (St Antoniepoort), once part of the 15th C. city wall. With the growth of the city it was converted in 1617 into the weigh house and was used to weigh ships' anchors and ordnance as well as foodstuffs. The upper floor served as the guildhall. Each guild (painters, smiths, surgeons, etc.) had its own entrance. The guild of stonemasons was responsible for its internal and external decoration; the chamber of the guild of bricklayers has been kept in its original state. In the 17th C. the surgeons gave their lectures on anatomy here and their entrance can still be recognized today by the inscription "Theatrum Anatomicum" above the doorway. Rembrandt was a frequent guest at these lectures which inspired him to paint his "Anatomy Lesson of Dr Tulp" (Mauritshuis, The Hague) and "Anatomy Lesson of Dr Deijman" (Rijksmuseum). It was this use that ultimately saved the weigh house from demolition, since the surgeons needed the building for their work. After 1819 the weigh house was used for several purposes, including use as a fire station, for municipal archives and as a museum; it also served as the Jewish Historical Museum until its move in 1987. Nowadays it functions as an information and communications center.