Doesburg was granted city rights in 1237 making it one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands. It is located in a strategic position on the confluence of the Old IJssel and the Gelderse IJssel rivers and grew, as a consequence, into an important fortified city. The layout of the streets in medieval Doesburg is still intact and the town centrehas no fewer than 150 protected monuments.
Hanseatic city
In common with other cities along the IJssel, such as Zutphen, Deventer and Zwolle in the 14th century, Doesburg was part of the Hanseatic League, an international networkof trading cities around the North and Baltic seas. Shipmasters from Doesburg exported beer and textiles and returned with wine, earthenware and millstones. The town´s heydaycame to an end when the Rhine river was widened, and the amount of water flowing into the IJssel was reduced, making the river more difficult to navigate.
Weigh House
In the 15th century, merchants were taxed by the city of Doesburg for trading there. This tax was based on weight, which is why the Weigh House (De Waag) opened in 1478. In those days, beer was the most of the population drank beer, because ordinary water had too many germs and the tenant of the Weigh House had a monopoly on the sale of foreign beers in the city. In this capacity, the Weigh House served as an inn as well.
Alcohol
In those days, workers were paid part of their wages in beer and they would go to the Weigh House to collect it. Merchants would cut deals there, students and young people would sing drinking songs there, all with pitchers of beer in their hands. The Weigh House in Doesburg is even mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest catering establishment in the world.
This history gives Doesburg a close affinity with alcohol. References to wine, beer and liquor pop up all over the town, and there are tasting houses, bars, wineries and a brewery, which is near the monastery. It is well worth taking a tour around all of the town’s 150 historical monuments!
