The weighing house of Enkhuizen is a historic building that dates back to 1559. It was used to weigh goods that were traded in the city, such as cheese, butter, fish, and salt. The weighing house was also a symbol of the economic prosperity and civic pride of Enkhuizen, which was one of the most important ports of the Dutch Republic in the 17th century.
The weighing house is a fine example of the early Renaissance style in the northern Netherlands. It has a stepped gable, a clock tower, and a richly decorated façade with sculptures and coats of arms. The interior of the weighing house has been preserved, including the original weighing mechanism and scales.
On the first floor of the weighing house, there was a surgeon’s room, where the surgeon’s guild of Enkhuizen held meetings and lectures. The stained glass windows of this room bear the names of the surgeons and doctors who worked in Enkhuizen between 1639 and 1654. The surgeon’s room also contains a collection of medical instruments and anatomical models from the 17th and 18th centuries.
The weighing house of Enkhuizen is now a museum that showcases the history and culture of the city. It is part of the Zuiderzee Museum, which also includes an open-air museum with historical buildings from the region. The weighing house is open to visitors from April to October, from 10:00 to 17:00.
Some additional information or questions that you might find interesting are
Enkhuizen was one of the founding cities of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), which was the first multinational corporation and the largest trading company in the world. The weighing house of Enkhuizen was also used to weigh the spices and other exotic goods that the VOC brought back from Asia.
The weighing house of Enkhuizen has a special connection to the famous Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn. In 1636, he painted a portrait of the surgeon Nicolaes Tulp, who was a member of the surgeon’s guild of Enkhuizen and had his name on one of the stained glass windows of the weighing house. The portrait, known as The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, is one of Rembrandt’s most famous works and shows Tulp dissecting a corpse in front of his students.