monument
De Waag
A medieval city gate and weigh house on Nieuwmarkt square.
Photo: Restaurant-Café In de Waag / Google
De Waag is the oldest non-religious building in Amsterdam, built around 1488 as Sint Antoniespoort, the eastern gate in the medieval city wall.
When the city outgrew its wall in the early 1600s the gate lost its defensive use; the square outside became Nieuwmarkt and the building was repurposed as the public weigh-house ('Waag'). Upstairs, the surgeons' guild built an anatomy theatre — the room where Rembrandt's Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp was set.
Today the ground floor houses a restaurant lit by hundreds of candles, and the upper rooms are used by cultural and research organisations. The exterior is a public monument on the always-open square.
What to expect
Amsterdam's only surviving medieval city gate (c. 1488)
The historical setting of Rembrandt's Anatomy Lesson
A candlelit restaurant inside the old weigh-house
Nieuwmarkt square around it — café terraces and a daily market
Tips from locals
Best photographed at dusk when the floodlights warm the brickwork.
Have a coffee or dinner inside to see the candlelit interior.
Nieuwmarkt is at its best on Saturday morning when the organic market runs.
Combine with a walk to Zeedijk's Chinatown a minute away.
Did you know?
De Waag was built around 1488 as Sint Antoniespoort, the eastern city gate — Amsterdam's only surviving medieval gate.
After 1617 the building became the city's public weigh-house, giving the square its name 'Nieuwmarkt'.
Rembrandt's Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp (1632) was set in the surgeons' anatomy theatre upstairs.
Each of the towers around the building was assigned to a different city guild (smiths, masons, painters, surgeons).
It's the oldest non-religious building still standing in Amsterdam.
FAQ
- Can you go inside De Waag?
- Yes — the ground floor is a restaurant (In de Waag) open to the public for food and drinks.
- Is De Waag free to see?
- Yes, the exterior on Nieuwmarkt is always free and accessible.
- What was De Waag originally?
- It was Sint Antoniespoort, the eastern city gate from around 1488. It later became Amsterdam's public weigh-house.
- Is the anatomy theatre still inside?
- Yes, on the upper floor — but it's not generally open to the public; tours occasionally run during Open Monumentendag.
- Where is De Waag?
- In the middle of Nieuwmarkt square, between the Red Light District and Chinatown.
De Waag
Nieuwmarkt 4, Amsterdam