From milk to market in Alkmaar’s Weigh House
The Dutch Cheese Museum explains in five steps how milk becomes cheese and connects production with trade at Waagplein.
The Dutch Cheese Museum occupies Alkmaar’s historic Weigh House on Waagplein. The setting fits its subject: the museum covers the history, production and trade of cheese. Its collection includes historic objects; according to the museum, traditional paintings also show cheese trading and rural life.
The museum explains cheesemaking as a sequence. First, starter culture and rennet are added to milk. This creates curds and whey. The curds are then put into moulds and pressed; the museum explains that this helps give Edam its round shape and Gouda its flatter form.
After pressing come a brine bath, a protective coating and ageing on wooden shelves. The sequence leads from production to a product that can be stored and traded. In the Weigh House, that history meets the weighing and selling once associated with the square. The cheese market has its own calendar and is not automatically part of a museum visit.
For children, the museum offers an interactive trail in Dutch, German and English. Touchscreens address questions about cows, production and the difference between young and aged cheese. Visitors can therefore relate the historic tools to the stages from milk to cheese.
An average museum visit lasts about an hour. Opening hours vary by day and appear in the daily calendar. The online price page lists €7 for adults and free admission with a Museumkaart or AlkmaarPas.