Monument

Address

Description

Activity

Sat.

Sun

Stadhuis Gouda

Old Town Hall

Star monument

Markt 1

After the city fire of 1438 it was decided that the new Town Hall should be standing alone. Construction period 1448-1459, in late Gothic style. The Renaissance landing dates from 1603, designed by the city sculptor Gregorius Cool. The scaffold at the back dates from the 17th century. After WWII the building was extensively renovated. The statues in the front facade were placed in 1960/61.

Interior closed for renovation/restoration.

Sat, Sun

Arti Legi 

Markt 27

Until 1573, the Latin school was located here, followed by the butter house. The current Arti Legi, in eclectic style, dates from 1855. It was designed by W.C. van Goor for the dual purpose of the City Drawing School (Arti) and the District Court (Legi) - 'For Art and Law'. In 2012, it was given a cultural function after restoration. It is now used by the Knowledge Center for Soil Subsidence and Foundations.

Central information point Heritage Open Days.

Sat.

Sun

Grand Cafe Central

Markt 23 

Salon entrance Zeugstraat 9

In 1916, Louis de Groot opened Café Central; in 1921 it was expanded with a party hall in Art Deco style. The wall and ceiling paintings in the back room were created in 1924 by the artist Pieter den Besten who also worked for the Tuschinski Theater Amsterdam. The Grand Art Deco Salon with female figures is one of the few remaining 1920s ensemble in the Netherlands. The stained-glass windows date from 1939.

Hospitality

Sat.

Sun

Goudse Waag

Gouda Weigh House

Star monument

Markt 35

Gouda was granted the weighing right for goods over 10 pounds in 1667. Architect Pieter Post designed a square building with canopies in Dutch classicism. The large relief is by Bartholomeus Eggers from Amsterdam. Sculptor Ton Mooij made a replacement replica in 2000.

Groud floor: Gouda Tourist Information. 

First floor: Museum.

Sat.

Sun

Agnietenkapel

Chapel of St. Agnes Convent

Star monument

Nieuwe Markt 100

Remains of the St. Agnes convent built around 1450. Flemish tapestry weavers and wool dyers used the chapel as a workshop as from 1585. In front of the chapel foundations of dyeing tubs were found and are now indicated in the pavement. After 1653 the building was long used as a pawn shop (until 1924).

Sat. Art exhibition.

Sat.Sun

Van Vreumingen

Tabacco shop

Wijdstraat 20

Oldest tobacco shop in the Netherlands from 1836. The 'Eenhoorn' (Unicorn) also housed a tobacco carving and cigar factory. Famous for the Gouda clay pipes.

Sat.

Sint-Janskerk

Sint-Jan's Church

Star monument

Achter de Kerk 2

Late Gothic church (first mentions 1280), rebuilt after the great fire of 1552. It was named after John the Baptist, the patron saint of Gouda. With its 123 meters, it is the longest church in the Netherlands. Most of the 72 world-famous stained glass windows were made in the second half of the 16th century by the Crabeth brothers. They depict scenes from Biblical and national history. Don't miss the impressive Moreau organ.

Sat. 10.00-16.30 hrs.: organ concerts.

Sat. 10.30+11.30+13.00+14.30+15.30 hrs.: guided tours to the large Moreau organ, including a beautiful view of the length of the church.

Sat. 

Het Catharina Gasthuis | Museum Gouda

St. Catharine's Guesthouse | Gouda Museum 

Star monument 

Achter de Kerk 14

Disabled entrance Oosthaven 9

The history dates back to the 14th century, when it was a guesthouse for travellers and for needy and ill people. The current facade, in the style of Dutch classicism, dates from 1665. The design is probably by master builder Pieter Post. The chapel was built in 1474, dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria. When Gouda became Protestant at the end of the 16th century, the chapel lost its original function. Since 1947, Museum Gouda has been housed in this complex.

Sat. 11.00-16.00 hrs.: guided tours, free admission.

Sun.: open, paid entry.

Sat.

Willem Vroesenhuys

House of Willem Vroesen (garden)

Star monument

Willem Vroesenplein 1. Entrance Inner Court Garden:

Spieringstraat 2

In 1555 Willem Vroesen transformed his house into almshouses for men. The white empire front was added in 1831. In the side wall (Spieringstraat) the door is decorated with stoneware illustrations of old men and governors. Probably made by the town’s stone mason Gregorius Cool. The almshouses have been transformed into private dwellings.

Residents interiors closed

Sun

Jeruzalemkapel 

Jerusalem Chapel

Star monument

Jeruzalemstraat 11

Grateful for his safe return from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, father Gijsbrecht Willemsz Raet built this chapel around 1500. Its 12 sided roof was inspired by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. During the 2004 restoration parts of Raet's skeleton were found. They were reburied in the adjacent 'Schoolmaster’s House' (18th century). 

Sat.Sun

Donkere Sluis

Dark Lock

Star monument

near Dubbele Buurt 12

One of the oldest locks in the Netherlands (+/- 1250). After the construction of a second lock (Amsterdams Verlaat, 1436) and the Havensluis (Harbor Lock) on the Hollandsche IJssel (1615), the world's longest lock chamber was created. Nearly 800 meters long, crucial for inland transportation between Amsterdam and Rotterdam. In 1778 equipped with an ingenious system of crossing doors, essential for the 'flushing' of the Gouda waterways. A hydraulic engineering monument since 1954.

Sat.

Sun

Het Groote Huys

The Great House

Westhaven 65

One of the oldest stone buildings in Gouda, first half of the 16th century. The style is late Gothic: natural stone bands and profiled door jambs. The upstairs room has a beamed ceiling with tendrils and birds, painted in 1635 by Antony Hendricksz. From 1563 to 1990, the Endenburg sailmaker and rigging company was located here.

Sat. 

Tolhuis

Toll House

Westhaven 73-74

In the 15th century, there was already a count's Toll house at this strategic location on the Hollandsche IJssel. In 1623 the Lock Keeper's House was added. The plaque with the coat of arms of Holland dates from 1631. The Toll House served until 1795. After the flood disaster of 1953, the flow between the Hollandsche IJssel and the Port was dammed.

Sat. 10-16 hrs.

Sat.

Molen 't Slot

Corn Mill 't Slot

Punt 17

Corn tower mill built shortly after 1582 on the remains of Gouda Castle (1385-1577). The mill was destroyed by fire in 1831 and in 1832 replaced by the present one. In 1975 the milling mechanism has been restored. The sails were renewed in 2025. The mill is managed by the Gouda Millers' Association.

Sat. Sun

Museumhaven Gouda / Werfhuijs

Gouda Museum Harbor 

Star monument

Vest 252

Since 1991, Gouda Museum Harbour offers a berth to occupants of monumental commercial vessels from the early 1900s to the fifties. Most of the approximately 20 historical ships have been restored by the skippers' families themselves. A little further along the quay is a small repair dock (Het Werfhuijs, 1999). 

Sat. Sun

Visbanken

Fish Markets

Star monument

near Hoge Gouwe 19 / Lage Gouwe 23

In the 15th century, Gouda already had a fish market on this spot. The two colonnade buildings were built in 1676. The commissary's cottage dates from the 18th century. The marketplace on the Lage Gouwe was for the trade in freshwater fish, the one on the Hoge Gouwe for saltwater fish. Until 1850 both were connected by a wooden stair bridge.

Sat. Sun

Gouwekerk

Gouwe Church

Star monument

Hoge Gouwe 39

This Neo-Gothic church was built 1902-1904 and designed by Gouda architect C.P.W. Dessing. The church is dedicated to St Joseph. It's tower (80 meters) is the highest point in Gouda. In 2024 the building was renovated for multicultural use.

Sat.

Oud-Katholieke Parochie H. Johannes de Doper

Old Catholic Church

Star monument

Hoge Gouwe 107

As from 1630 several buildings were combined to establish a secret church dedicated to John the Baptist. In 1723, this Old Catholic Church separated from Rome. Between 1863 and 1868 a new neo classical front and interior were added. The church is rich in decorations, including marbled wood. Iconic vestments and altar textiles, richly embroidered, dates from the 15th and 16th century. Now partly on display in Museum Gouda.