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The highlights of Edam, the city

Though small, Edam is a city of many treasures. On this page we present to you a small selection of Edam highlights.

Edam City Hall

The City Hall was built in 1737 mostly in Louis XIV style. Above the doorway you will find the Edam coat-of-arms. The beautifully painted former Magistrate's Court, to the left, is often open to the public. It is still in active use for marriage ceremonies.

Lady Justitia surveys the proceedings, having been painted on the chimney breast by W. Rave. In 1738 he also painted the wall hangings which portray the Judgement of Solomon and the Anointment of Saul.The entrance hall has a staircase at the rear with attractive Louis XIV plasterwork at both top and bottom.

The Dam

This is considered to be the centre of the town. lf you orientate yourself with the Carillon as west, you can see to the north of the Dam, Edam's oldest brick house, the museum. The DAM, incorporating lock gates, was built in 1544 on the orders of Emperor Karel V.

After many years of disputes over the locks, they finally accepted responsibility for their upkeep in 1701 and, to mark this event, two coats of arms were placed in the quay side.
On the southern side of the Hoogheemraadschap and on the other side those of the then dike reeve (the officer in charge). After completion of the new sea locks in 1829, the Dam sluice became superfluous and the lock gates were removed.

The DAM SQUARE was laid in 1624 and on the right of it is the former Butter Hall, called the "Lancester", a name nobody knows the origin of. It has a 19th century wooden colonnade of Tuscan pillars and stands on the site of the prior Market Building.

The Cheese Weigh House

for centuries, Edam's well-known rounds of cheese have made their way to every corner of the world. In fact, 'Edam' and 'cheese' are almost synonymous. Edam's cheese market, a weekly event during the high season, always attracts plenty of visitors. Edam's Cheese Weighing-House is also open for visitors. Henri Willig offers visitors a piece of cheese from the company's own production.
On April 16th Edam received the rights for a weekly market and (waag)from Emperor Karel V. Edam had to pay f 90,- per year for these rights.On March the 2nd the people of the Cheese Weigh House bought this right, by paying f. 10,- a year. With an interruption between 1745 and 1775, the Chees Market was helt until 1922. The building dates from 1778. In the building one can visit a permanent exhibition about the production of cheese.

 


 

 


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