In Alkmaar’s central square where the cheese market is held through summer, you’ll find the ornate 14th-century the Waag building. This was once a chapel, but was transformed into a cheese weigh house (Waag) in the 16th century. Visit the Waag and the square to observe old-fashioned customs. Transport yourself back in time before modern technology made weighing houses like this unnecessary.
The Waag is where all the cheese action happens in Alkmaar. Historically, once deals were made in the market, big wheels of cheese were taken by cheese porters on traditional wooden barrows to the Waag, where the cheese was weighed to ensure no one was being swindled. Every Friday during summer locals reenact the processes to entertain tourists. Look for men in white bustling through the square carrying large orange wheels of cheese and women in colourful costumes with wooden shoes and white hats. Have fun and bring your camera for fascinating photos.
Inside the Waag, find all the information you need about Alkmaar in the tourism office. Go inside for the small cheese museum, where you get an interactive insight into the whole process of making cheese and butter from cow to table. Watch a film in English about the history of Alkmaar and its cheese industry and see displays of equipment used throughout the ages.
Study the museum’s collection of 16th-century paintings of women wearing the costumes of the region. Museum entry is quite cheap and includes a cheese sample. The museum is open from April to November from Monday to Saturday.
Climb the spiral staircase to the top of the Waag’s tower for a view over Alkmaar and listen to the mechanical carillon bells which play a tune over the square. From the top you can see the figures of two jousting knights and a clarion player.
