De Waag

De Waag in Doesburg is the town's old weighing house, and today it is a beer house and restaurant, the Stadsbierhuys De Waag, in a building that is claimed to date from 1478. Doesburg is a small Hanseatic town where the Oude IJssel meets the IJssel, in the Achterhoek of Gelderland, and its compact centre has kept much of its medieval character, with a ring of ramparts, a town hall, and the Koppelpoort, a gate that combines a land gate and a water gate. The Waag stands at the entrance to the old town, near that gate, and it makes a natural stop on a walk through the centre.

The building is a good example of late medieval civic architecture in this part of the country. The facade is in the style known as Lower Rhine Gothic, with stepped gables, small pinnacles and pointed arches over the windows, a style that spread along the river from the Rhineland into the eastern Netherlands. Inside, the cellar has ribless cross vaults carried by two brick pillars, which is part of the original structure and a rare survival. A weighing house, in the Netherlands, was where goods were weighed and taxed, and the Waag was a key institution of the town's trade. The beer house claims to be the oldest restaurant in the Netherlands, a claim that is hard to verify but gives the place a story.

As a venue it is lively and informal. The kitchen is open for much of the day, with a menu that includes meat, fish and vegetarian and vegan options, and the bar has a number of beers on tap, including local and international brews. It is used by locals as a social centre, and meetings, dinners and weddings are held here by arrangement. Opening hours and menus change, so check ahead if you plan a meal, and it can be busy at weekends and in the summer. There is a terrace outside when the weather is good.

Doesburg has plenty to look at beyond the Waag. The Koppelpoort and the old ramparts are a short walk away, the town hall, the Stadhuis, is a handsome building, and several small galleries show local art. The quay along the river, De Buitenkant, is pleasant for walking, and the floodplains across the water are good for cycling. The town is small enough to see in a couple of hours, and it is close to Zutphen and Arnhem.

The Waag suits visitors who enjoy historic buildings combined with good food and drink. It is a pleasant lunch or dinner stop on a cycling tour of the IJssel valley.