Witch Museum

The Witch Museum in Oudewater is officially called Museum De Heksenwaag, and it occupies the old weighing house of this small town in the province of Utrecht. Oudewater became famous across Europe for a very particular reason: it was one of the few places where a person accused of witchcraft could be officially weighed and, if the result was reasonable, receive a certificate of innocence. The practice rested on a privilege granted to the town in the sixteenth century, associated with Emperor Charles V, and the reputation of the weighing house for fairness spread widely.

The idea behind the test was that witches were believed to be unnaturally light, since they were thought to fly. Elsewhere in Europe, accusations and trials led to tortures and executions, and the survivors rarely had a means of redress. In Oudewater the weighers applied a measured and honest approach. The scales were official and the weights recorded, and a person whose weight matched their body size was given a written certificate that could be shown to protect them against further accusations. The result was that people travelled from a wide area to be tested.

The museum tells this story with displays on the history of witch beliefs, the legal background and the people who were weighed. Visitors can even sit on the old scales and be weighed themselves, and receive a modern certificate as a souvenir, which is a popular activity with families. The building is old and atmospheric, and the exhibits set the story in the wider context of European history, including the persecutions that took place in many countries.

Oudewater is a pleasant town in its own right, with a historic centre of small streets and canals, and it was the birthplace of the theologian Jacobus Arminius. The small independent shops in the centre make a good follow-up, and the town fits easily into a day trip between Utrecht, Gouda and Woerden. The surrounding countryside is typical Dutch polder land, ideal for cycling.

The museum suits adults and children with an interest in history, folklore and curious facts. Check the opening days and admission arrangements before travelling, as these differ across the seasons, and plan an hour or so for the visit. The building is often called the Witches’ Weighing House, and the Netherlands’ most famous witch story is told within its walls. Guides sometimes explain how the House of the Weighing worked in practice.