Who says cheese, says Gouda!

Farmers from the area come to the Market with their cheese bricks to have their cheese weighed, inspected and traded there in an age-old way. The sold lot goes on the horse-drawn cheese brig to De Goudse Waag, where it is weighed. This event still takes place during the cheese market, which is held every Thursday morning from April to the end of August. A real tourist attraction!

The cheese market is surrounded by the weekly market and stalls with artisan workers, who show how in the past, among other things, clogs and candles were made.

The Goudse Waag

De Goudse Waag is a historic building from 1668 where you can learn all about the history of De Goudse Waag and the products that were weighed and traded here in our museum. We also offer, in combination with a museum visit, various options for receiving smaller and larger groups. On the ground floor of De Goudse Waag there is a real museum shop with – delicious real Dutch cheeses and all kinds of nice old-Dutch souvenirs.

Historical Building

De Goudse Waag is a historic building from 1668. Designed by the famous Pieter Post. Also known for De Waag in Leiden, Huis ten Bosch and the City Hall of Maastricht, among others. Gouda was an important stop between Amsterdam and Rotterdam. In De Goudse Waag, all goods weighing more than 10 pounds were weighed and tax had to be paid on them.

Cheese history

Experience three centuries of cheese history. The Gouda cheese market has existed since 1198. For centuries, all farmers from the area came together to sell their cheese on the market square. From April 3 to August 28, the well-known Gouda cheese will be traded in Gouda from 10 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.