The Leidse Waag is a national monument located on the Aalmarkt (no.21) in Leiden.
It was built around 1657 to a design by Pieter Post on the site of the old wooden daredevil building. This stood since 1455 on the place where the Old Rhine, the New Rhine and the Mare meet. The Waag was built in the style of Dutch classicism and has a relief made by sculptor Rombout Verhulst above its gate depicting the daredevil company.
The Waag is located between the premises of the former Vroom & Dreesmann and the Mandemakerssteeg and in front of the building is the so-called Waaghoofd, the quay where the ships were unloaded. The cranes that were used for this are no longer present. The Waaghoofd was a landing of the Waaghoofdbrug, a bridge for slow traffic between the Aalmarkt and the Stille Rijn/Stille Mare, which was replaced in 2016 by the Catharina bridge which connects to the new Catharinasteeg. The Waaghoofd is now in use as a terrace.
As a child, there was already a predilection for visual art. As a technician, I was always creative in products, services and working methods. In later years, more time was taken for my art (photography) passion... Read more…