Nieuwmarkt grew around the Waag, a former city gate that became a public weighing house. The square’s changing uses—from trade to wartime persecution to modern protest—make it one of Amsterdam’s most layered public spaces.
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The Waag began as a city gate, long before market stalls gathered nearby. Built in 1488 as the Sint Anthoniespoort, it stood in the defensive wall. When the city expanded and the gate lost its military role, it became a weighing house for goods such as anchors and weapons.
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UpgradeQuick facts
- The Waag was built in 1488 as the Sint Anthoniespoort city gate.
- The gate became a weighing house after Amsterdam expanded beyond it.
- Residents protested large-scale demolition plans for the metro in the 1970s.
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