The Waag (''Waegh'') is a former

Weigh house A weighhouse or weighing house is a public building at or within which goods are weighed. Most of these buildings were built before 1800, prior to the establishment of international standards for weights, and were often a large and representative ...

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...

that today serves as a café catering to tourists.

History

The building was designed by

Lieven de Key Lieven de Key (1560 – 17 July 1627) was a Dutch renaissance architect in the Netherlands, mostly known today for his works in Haarlem. His style is described by Simon Schama as Mannerist. Biography De Key was born in Ghent, and was already a w ...

around 1597 and is built with ''Namense steen'' from

Namur, Belgium Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namu ...

. It is the only building in Haarlem that was built this way, and was designed in its day as a landmark that befits an authority. The weigh house masters needed to be able to judge the correct measure of a shipload of grain that was delivered in Haarlem. Inside the large cast iron balance can still be seen. The location of the weigh house was strategically located where the

Spaarne The Spaarne is a river in North Holland, Netherlands. This partially canalized river connects the Ringvaart to a side branch of the North Sea Canal. It runs through Haarlem, Heemstede, and Spaarndam. The historic canals of Haarlem's moats are c ...

river joins the ''beek'', a small canal that according to tradition was used to carry fresh water from the dunes to serve the brewers of Haarlem. Haarlem was known for its beer brewing in the 15th-17th centuries. A large wooden crane operated by wheels driven by manpower was used to hoist the grain on ships into the Waag building and back into other ships or carts for further transport. The wooden crane can be seen on most historic pictures of the Spaarne up until 1872. In 1821 the top floor of the Waag was rented to the artist club

Kunst zij ons doel Kunst zij ons doel, or KZOD, (English: ''Art be our aim'') is the name of an artists club in the Waag, Haarlem. History The Society was founded in 1821 as the continuation of the ' Haarlemse Teekenacademie', established in 1772 by Cornelis van ...

for drawing classes gathered around a live model. The room is still used for this function, though fewer drawing classes are held nowadays and the rooms are often used for exhibitions. The entrance to the artist club is via the small staircase on the Spaarne side.

Gallery

File:Gerrit Adriaensz. Berckheyde 006.jpg, Waag on the Spaarne with Wooden crane, by

Gerrit Adriaensz Berckheyde Gerrit Adriaenszoon Berckheyde (1638 – 10 June 1698) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, active in Haarlem, Amsterdam, and The Hague, who is best known today for his cityscapes. Biography Berckheyde was born and died in Haarlem. Christe ...

File:Romeyn de Hooghe - De Waag Haarlem UBL01 P328N102.jpg, Waag on the Spaarne with Wooden crane in use, by

Romeyn de Hooghe Romeyn de Hooghe (bapt. 10 September 1645 – 10 June 1708) was a late Dutch Baroque painter, sculptor, engraver and caricaturist. Biography He was born in Amsterdam, and was a skilled etcher, draughtsman, painter, sculptor and medalis ...

, 1690 File:Cornelis van Noorde - Slepershoofd Spaarne 1767.jpg, Wooden crane, by

Cornelis van Noorde Cornelis van Noorde (1731 – 1795) was an 18th-century landscape painter and draughtsman from the Northern Netherlands. Biography He was born in 1731, in Haarlem. According to the Netherlands Institute for Art History, he was the son of R ...

, 1767

Notes

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References

History
on Haarlem website
website
of the café "Taverne De Waag"
KZOD
website Buildings and structures in Haarlem History of Haarlem Rijksmonuments in Haarlem Buildings and structures completed in 1597 Weigh houses