De Waag is located opposite the City Hall. The construction style of this building located on the corner of Koepoort and Gasthuisstraat is immediately reminiscent of the style found in the Northern German Hanseatic cities.
The building, which was originally called 'Nieuw Gelre' or 'Het Hoge Huis Gelria', dates from 1478. It functioned as a city beer house, an inn where the city's workers were also paid part of their wages in beer. Later it also served as a weighing house.
Understandable, if one considers that the then market was held on and around the intersection of Koepoort-, Gasthuis-, Rogge- and Kerkstraat. It remained in municipal ownership until 1943. In 1949, the building was thoroughly restored and reconstructed where necessary by the then owner, the Huis Bergh Foundation. It continued to serve its function as a café-restaurant. And as such, it is also included in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest restaurant in the Netherlands. The eye-catching so-called basket arch niches can be called characteristic of Doesburg. The viewer will find them everywhere in the city. Thanks to the fact that the exact year of construction of De Waag is known, we can date this style feature to the second half, or at least the last quarter, of the 15th century.