The weighing house Amsterdam

The old city gate looks a trifle lonely on this wintry day. In the early fifteenth century it was built as an imposing entrance in Amsterdam’s city wall. But due to the rapid expansion of this increasingly wealthy city its role was soon redundant. Subsequently the building was pressed into service for a range of different uses, becoming a multifunctional space. While the goods were weighed downstairs, the upper chambers housed the offices of various gilds. The surgeons even used it as a venue for their anatomy lessons, an inspiration for one of Rembrandt’s most famous paintings. Later the cabinet makers moved in, to be succeeded by firemen and city archivists. Now the building houses a modern restaurant and dining room, offering a view of the snow-laden market stalls on the Nieuwmarkt. Visitors stamp the snow off their boots at the door.