Kantoorwaaggebouwen

Kantoorwaaggebouwen, literally office weigh houses, are a category of public buildings found in Dutch-speaking regions, built to combine a weigh house (waag) with official office spaces (kantoor). They emerged in the early modern period, roughly from the 16th to the 19th century, in towns and along harbours and market squares where trade goods were weighed for taxation and regulation. The primary function of a kantoorwaaggebouw was to provide a controlled space for weighing goods such as grain, timber, textiles and other commodities, issue weigh certificates, collect tolls, and house municipal or guild offices responsible for trade oversight, inspection, and record-keeping.

Architecturally they are typically brick buildings with a sturdy, functional ground floor that could accommodate a weigh platform and goods movement, often with an upper floor or wings housing offices and meeting rooms. Some examples feature a stepped gable, a small clock tower, or arcades. Interiors commonly include a weigh hall with a permanent platform and ledger spaces for weigh records.

Today many kantoorwaaggebouwen survive as heritage monuments. Several have been repurposed as museums, cultural centers or commercial premises, while others remain in municipal use or are restored as historical landmarks. They illustrate the historical regulation of trade and the integration of administrative offices with practical trade infrastructure in early modern towns.