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Waag (Oudewater)

Oudewater, NL

Waag (Oudewater)

The 15th century Waag, or weigh house, is also called the "witches' scale", as it was used to weigh women and determine whether or not they possessed witchcraft in the 16th to 18th century. Holy Roman Emperor Charles V gave the Oudewater Waag the privilege to perform such test, making it the only of

ficial with weight in Europe at that time. There's no proof of anyone ever being convicted for witchcraft here, though, and only a small number of women were weighed there to prove their innocence. Today, it's one of the town's main attractions. The top floor of the building is now a small museum, housing the witch weigh and offering "certificates" to visitors, confirming them to not be witches due to the test results.

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