Alte Waage (Old Scale House), Leipzig

Alte Waage (Old Scale House), Leipzig

On the north side of Leipzig's Market Square on the corner of Katherine Street is Old Scale House (Alte Waage). The Council Scales (Rats Waage) was the core of the Leipzig Trade Fair in the 16th century. All goods had to be weighed here. A duty was collected to be shared by the city and the king.

The Scale House was constructed in 1555, as directed by the Mayor of Leipzig, Hieronymus Lotter. It was built in the Renaissance style by master builder Paul Speck. The front had a four-tiered voluted gable and a sundial. Below this was a stair tower. There were two upper floors, above the basement ground floor and attic floors. The basement held the council bar and a drinking room.

The Old Scale House became a commercial building. From 1590, the house was the seat of the Leipzig Council Post with the messenger room. The post office was housed here from 1661 to 1712. Weighings were transferred to a new location in 1820. In 1861, during renovations, the stair tower was removed. The building was destroyed in the air raid of December 1943 and was undeveloped for a few years.

In 1964 the Scale House was built anew as designed by Leipzig architect Wolfgang Muller. The entire structure, including the Katherine Street side facade, is new. Only the south side gable was fashioned in the Renaissance style.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Leipzig. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

Download The GPSmyCity App

Alte Waage (Old Scale House) on Map

Sight Name: Alte Waage (Old Scale House)
Sight Location: Leipzig, Germany (See walking tours in Leipzig)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Leipzig, Germany

Create Your Own Walk in Leipzig

Create Your Own Walk in Leipzig

Creating your own self-guided walk in Leipzig is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
A Walk on the Leipzig Music Trail

A Walk on the Leipzig Music Trail

The spatial density of historic locations associated with music in Leipzig is truly mind-boggling. But then again, this is hardly surprising, given the eclectic score of musicians who had left their mark on the city in various years.

Indeed, it was in Leipzig that Johann Sebastian Bach served as an organist and choirmaster at Thomaskirche as well as a cantor at Nikolaikirche; composer Robert...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.2 Km or 2 Miles
Leipzig Introduction Walking Tour

Leipzig Introduction Walking Tour

The name "Leipzig" may be derived from the Slavic word "Lipsk", meaning "linden trees place." The Nazi government renamed the city "Reichsmessestadt Leipzig" ("Reich Fair Trade City Leipzig"). In 1989, with the fall of communism, the city was "Hero City" - in recognition of the role that the Monday demonstrations there played in the fall...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.4 Km or 1.5 Miles
Leipzig Architectural Jewels

Leipzig Architectural Jewels

Anyone who has ever wanted to delve into Leipzig's history could hardly imagine doing so without exploring the local array of architectural jewels. Indeed, Leipzig boasts one of Germany's most beautiful collections of Renaissance buildings.

Our first point of interest lies in downtown Leipzig at the intersection of Katherine and Bruhl Streets. Here, the stunning Baroque-style Romanus...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.9 Km or 0.6 Miles