Monument

Address

Description

Activity

Sat.

Stadhuis Gouda

Old Town Hall

Star monument

Markt 1

After the city fire of 1438, it was decided that the new Town Hall should stand free. Construction period 1448-1459, late Gothic style, with additions from the 17th century. After WWII, the building was extensively renovated. The current restoration, repurposing and sustainability updates will make the building suitable as a multifunctional public facility. Reopening Fall 2027.

Restauration/construction site open, presentation contractors craft & skills.

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, after restauration, it was given a cultural function. It is now used by the Knowledge Center for Soil Subsidence and Foundations.

Central information point Heritage Open Days.

Sat.

Sun

Goudse Waag

Gouda Weigh House

Star monument

Markt 35

In 1667, Gouda introduced a levy on goods over 10 pounds. A proper Weigh House became necessary. Master builder Pieter Post designed a square building with canopies in Dutch classicism. Bartholomeus Eggers from Amsterdam created the large facade relief (replica 2000). Ground floor: scales and Museum Shop. Upper floor: Museum. 

Ground floor: Gouda Tourist Information. 

Upper floor: Museum de Goudse Waag, ‘Made in Gouda’.

Sat.

Sun

Agnietenkapel

Chapel of St. Agnes Convent

Star monument

Nieuwe Markt 100

This chapel is all that remains of St. Agnes Monastery (built around 1450). From 1585 onwards, Flemish tapestry weavers and wool dyers used the chapel as a workshop. Traces of dye baths were found in the ground, which are now visible in the paving in front of the chapel. Later, from 1650 to 1924, the building served as a mortgage house. Nowadays, the chapel has a cultural purpose. 

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

St. John's Church

Star monument

Achter de Kerk 2

Cruciform church in Gothic style, named after John the Baptist. World-famous for the 72 stained glass windows from the 16th century. The Open Monuments Day route goes over the organ galleries and past the Moreau-organ keyboard. Access through the tower.

Sat. 10.30+11.30+140+15 hrs.: guided tours to the large Moreau organ, including a beautiful view over the length of the church.

Sat.

Sun

Het Catharina Gasthuis | Museum Gouda

St. Catharine's Guesthouse | Gouda Museum 

Star monument 

Achter de Kerk 14

Disabled entrance Oosthaven 9

In the 14th century, a guesthouse was established here for travelers, the needy, and the sick. The chapel, dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria, dates back to 1474. The current facade in Dutch Classicism was erected in 1665. The design is probably by master builder Pieter Post. Since 1947, Museum Gouda has been housed in this complex.

Sat. 12-17 hrs.: Gouda Tijdmachine, digital heritage project 

Sat.

Courtyard Willem Vroesenhuys

House of Willem Vroesen 

Star monument

Willem Vroesenplein 1. Entrance Courtyard: next to

Spieringstraat 2

Courtyard of the Oudemannenhuys. This retirement facility was founded in 1555 by Willem Willemszoon Vroesen. The white front facade in Empire style dates back to 1623. Around 1985, the complex was divided into residential units (not accessible).  

Residents interiors closed.

Sat.

Sun

Weeshuis Gouda

Orphanage Gouda

Star monument

Spieringstraat 1

From 1400, the wealthy St. Margaret's Monastery was established here. After being plundered in 1572, it was converted in 1599 into an almshouse orphanage. In 1642, the complex got its distinctive Mannerist facade with decorative relief work. The gatehouse with the orphan relief dates from the 18th century. From 1942, it housed the regional archives, and from 1973 to 2014, the library. In 2021, it gained a hospitality function. 

The regent's room may be closed for lunch.

Sat.

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. The 12 sided roof is based on 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.  Klarinetquintet, 11+12 hrs.

Sat.+Sun. Now and Forever, easy listening classics, 13.30 + 14.30 + 15.30 uur.

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 a third one (Havensluis, 1615), the world's longest lock chamber (until 1913) was created. Nearly 800 meters long. Crucial for inland maritime transportation between Amsterdam and Rotterdam. In 1778, the Dark Lock was equipped with ingenious crossing doors to flush (scrub) the canals. In 2016 designated by ICOMOS Netherlands as a historic water system (Water & Heritage Awareness plaque).

Sat. 13.15 + 14.15 + 15.15 hrs.: demonstrations by the Gouda lock-keepers' guild.

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

Grain Windmill 't Slot

Punt 17

Grain windmill 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

Nautical Open-Air Museum. Since 1991, Gouda Museum Harbour offers a home port 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. The repair shed het Werfhuijs dates from 1999. 

Ships not acccessible.

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, as we see them now, were built in 1676. The small commissioner’s house dates back to the 18th century. The fish market on the Lage Gouwe was intended for the sale of freshwater fish by locals. On the Hoge Gouwe, traders from outside the city had their own market, also called the ‘foreign fish market.’ Until 1850, both fish markets were connected by a wooden staircase bridge (Fish or Eel Bridge).

Sat. Sun

Gouwekerk

Gouwe Church

Star monument

Hoge Gouwe 39

Neo-Gothic cruciform basilica from 1902 by Gouda architect C.P.W. Dessing. Originally called Saint Joseph's Church. It's tower (80 meters) is the highest point in town. In 2024 the building was renovated and repurposed for multicultural use.  

Sat.

Oud-Katholieke Parochie H. Johannes de Doper

Old Catholic Church

Star monument

Hoge Gouwe 107

In 1630, a hidden Catholic church dedicated to John the Baptist was consecrated behind three houses. In 1723, it broke away from Rome and continued as the Old Catholic Church. The present neoclassical facade dates from 1863-1868. The interior is rich in decorations, including marbled wood. Liturgical vestments and altar textiles, abundantly embroidered, date from the 15th and 16th century. Now partly on display in Museum Gouda.