Waag op de Dam, Destroyed weigh house in Dam Square, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Waag op de Dam is a former weigh house that once stood on Dam Square in the center of Amsterdam. Its last version had a cube-shaped two-story body, a high pitched roof with many dormer windows and chimneys, and a double staircase leading to the second floor.

A first weigh house was built on this spot in the 14th century, then replaced in the 16th century by a Renaissance structure known as the Second Waag. In the late 18th century it was remade in a neoclassical style, and during the French period of 1808 it was demolished because it blocked the desired view from the palace.

The old weigh house sat at the edge of Amsterdam’s main square, where public ceremonies, markets, and gatherings gave the spot a central role in daily civic life. Passersby today mostly see an open space in front of the royal palace, but the memory of the building still marks this corner as a former point of control for goods entering the city.

There is no structure to enter today, so the main experience is standing on the edge of Dam Square and locating where the weigh house used to be. The surrounding pavement is flat and shared with cyclists, trams, and many pedestrians, so keep an eye on your surroundings while looking around.

Before demolition, the building was lowered and simplified so much that it no longer looked like a proud Renaissance weigh house, but like a modest block at the edge of a royal square. Locals sometimes forget that this corner of Dam Square, now open and flat, was once filled by one of the busiest commercial buildings in the old city.