Description of the attraction
The Weighing Chamber is an old building located in one of the central squares of Amsterdam. It is the oldest surviving secular building in the capital of the Netherlands.
Like most medieval cities, Amsterdam was once surrounded by a powerful fortress wall, in which well-fortified gates were made. Later, when the walls were demolished, many of the gates were preserved and began to be used in a different capacity. So it happened in this case - the gate of St. Anthony was built in 1488, and according to other sources - in 1425, and in 1488 it was rebuilt.
At the end of the 16th century, the city walls were demolished, and at the beginning of the 17th century, the city's Weight Chamber was located in the tower of St. Anthony - a public building where various goods were weighed. Amsterdam at that time was the largest shopping center in Europe, and it was the second weighing chamber - the old one, located on Dam Square, could no longer cope with the volume of goods. The upper floors of the building were occupied by various guilds: blacksmiths, artists, masons, and even doctors. Guild emblems still adorn the tower.
In the 19th century, after the weight room was closed, the tower housed a furniture workshop, a lamppost, a fire station, and a city archive … In the 20th century, the tower was given to museums. It originally housed the Amsterdam History Museum and the Jewish History Museum. The building was not used for several years, after which the question of preserving and reconstructing the historic building was raised. During the reconstruction, the cellars under the tower were drained, the entire building was fortified, and the square was re-paved so that the Weighing Chamber again became the center of Nyumarkt Square. However, the building continues to sink a little, tk. stands on water-saturated soils. The issue of preserving the unique building and preventing its destruction is very acute.
