Explore Gouda with Self-Guided GPS and Audio Tour

Gouda's town hall is one of the oldest town halls in the Netherlands. The huge building from 1450 is located in the historic heart of the city. The town hall is prominently located on the market. The city council wanted a detached building, because the previous city hall had not withstood a major city fire. By the way, the appearance was very different in the 15th century, because the 'market' was then still a swampy peat area.

In the winding streets of Gouda, where the Gouwe winds its way through the heart of the city, there is a history that goes back to the Middle Ages. Once a modest settlement on the riverbank, Gouda grew into a thriving trading city that would lend its name to one of the most famous cheeses in the world.

When you say Cheese, you say Gouda. “Say Cheese, Say Gouda” The whole world knows it, the whole world eats it. But do you also know the story of Gouda Cheese? This is your chance, experience Gouda Cheese in the one of the cheese shops in Gouda

The St. John's Church is dedicated to John the Baptist, the patron saint of Gouda. He has the symbolic colors white (purity, love) and red (suffering), which can be found repeatedly on the glasses but also in the Gouda city coat of arms.

Museum {Gouda} was founded in 1874 as the Municipal Museum of {Gouda}. The museum was located in the Arti Legi building on the Markt. In 1947 the collection was housed in the Catharina Gasthuis. The function and history of the Gasthuis can be found in various rooms: the Surgeon's Guild Room, the room where the surgeons have met since 1699, a complete pharmacy interior on the original site of the {Goudse} city pharmacy and in the basement of the Gasthuis Chapel is a collection instruments of punishment and torture. These were previously used at the town hall of {Gouda} to settle punishments of citizens

Look at another beautiful courtyard, the history of the {Swanenburghshofje} starts over 330 years ago. On April 27, 1689, Elisabeth Nathans Bars, widow of the timber merchant {Noach Cornelisz Swanenburgh}, had her will made by the notary. She transfers the monetary proceeds from her possessions to the Gouda Reformed Church. The money is intended for the purchase of suitable land and the construction of twelve houses with a communal bleaching field in the middle. A bleach field from that time was needed to bleach the sheets

the Museum Port of Gouda in Dan Uncle in the city center of {Gouda}, the museum is for historical transport ships. Many of the ships present date from around 1900 and were suitable for sailing on the inland seas that Holland still had at the time and along the coast. The ships are of many types and come from all parts of the Netherlands.

For several centuries, the Gouda cheese market was a market for the Waag in Gouda where the famous Gouda cheese was traded. Farmers from the region brought their cheeses to the market using horse-drawn cheese brigs, where they were weighed, inspected and sold. the cheese market is held every Thursday from approximately April to August

This high, narrow house with its exceptionally beautiful rococo interior is known as 'Admiral's House'. It has a history that can be reconstructed as far back as the 14th century and has building and interior parts from the 17th and 18th centuries.

The name 'Admiral's House' refers to two naval heroes who once inhabited it: vice-admiral Jan de Haen (1630-1676), who fought in three English wars and, as successor to De Ruyter, was killed in the naval battle of Palermo and to the vice-admiral Roemer Vlacq (1712-1774).

Gouda's town hall is one of the oldest town halls in the Netherlands. The huge building from 1450 is located in the historic heart of the city. The town hall is prominently located on the market. The city council wanted a detached building, because the previous city hall had not withstood a major city fire. By the way, the appearance was very different in the 15th century, because the 'market' was then still a swampy peat area. The natural stone town hall with its red shutters, carillon, statues and turrets looks strikingly similar to the town hall of Middelburg and has a Flemish appearance. This is thanks to the Keldermans architect family from Mechelen who worked on both buildings. The imposing town hall of Gouda is richly decorated and the facade in particular is impressive with its pinnacles (small tower-shaped decorations), the protruding corner turrets and the large square tower. The numerous images of the main players from Gouda's history complete the picture.