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