Witches weighhouse

Hi friends, I would like to end my review on Amsterdam by giving an interesting extract on the “witches weighhouse". Since one of my friends made a comment about that, i thought it worthwhile to go through what it was .The wilkipedia provides an interesting piece of information . Obviously, i had to rely on wilkipedia because we were not aware of this place in Amsterdam when we visited it . May be those who get an opportunity to visit Amsterdam may find it worthwhile to visit this interesting museum .

“A weigh house or weighing house is a public building at or within which goods, and the like, are weighed. Most of these buildings were built before 1800, prior to the establishment of international standards for weights. As public control of the weight of goods was very important, they were run by local authorities who would also use them for the levying of taxes on goods transported through or sold within the city. Between 1550 and about 1690 people accused of witchcraft were at times brought to a weigh house in order to be subjected to a "witch test". If a person was found to be lighter than a set weight, he or she was deemed guilty.

The Amsterdam Waag is a remnant of the former city walls in Amsterdam. Constructed in 1488, it was originally one of the city gates the Sint Anthoniespoort. When the city wall disappeared, the Nieuwmarkt (new market) was created around it and the weighing scales for the market were placed in the former gate. Today the building houses the Waag Society, an ICT research foundation working in the social and cultural domain, and there is a café/restaurant on the ground floor.The building carries the oldest plaque in Amsterdam, which reads On 28 April 1488 the first stone of this gate was laid.”