The Markt
In days long gone the Markt was the soggiest, swampiest place in the city centre. For this reason people only used the roads encircling it. In 1395 the area was sold to the city by City Lord Guy van Blois for the purpose of erecting a city hall. For years on end the citizens of Gouda would dump waste and debris here to prepare the grounds for construction. Until long afterwards narrow ditches were used to discharge the area from the water surplus. Although bit by bit the area became used as market field, it was not until the seventeenth century that it acquired its present view. Narrow ditches were replaced by drainage canals and paving was laid out. You might probably be walking around these historical grounds right now as visitor of the Gouda Cheese and Crafts Market.
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