The Cheesemuseum

Get to know an entire world of cheese!

Overlooking the world famous square Waagplein in Alkmaar, the Hollands Kaasmuseum has been the go-to spot for cheese ever since 1983. Housed within a monumental building in the North-Holland town of Alkmaar, the museum has a unique collection of historical artifacts. The museum puts the spotlight on the two most famous cheeses of the Netherlands: Edammer and Gouda cheese.  Learn about the making of cheese, the world famous cheese market and rural life in the Dutch countries, and admire paintings and artifacts from the Hollands Zuivelarchief. At set times, interactive presentations are being held at the ‘theatre’ of the museum. Children have their own section with interactive games and videos, and may enjoy the specially laid out scavenger hunt.

Opening hours
&
Fees

Cart for retail milk

Around 1880 dairy factories were founded in large cities to improve the quality and hygiene of milk. It was a reaction to the practices of milk merchants that often mixed milk with canal water and added a little calcium carbonate or flour to bring the colour back. The dairy factories sold 'pure and unadulterated whole milk' and other dairy products in their own shops or via street traders (dairy farmers) with carts such as this one. The 's-Gravenhaagse Melkinrichting (The Hague Dairy) was founded in 1879. In 1961 the company merged with the Nederlandse Melk Unie, which later became CMC Melkunie.

In Depot

The exhibited objects are just a small part of the collection of Stichting Hollands Zuivelarchief. Most is stored in the depot.

Victorian water filter ± 1900

Victorian water filter of stoneware, with two handles in the form of lion masks, cream glazed. Consists of two compartments, each with a filter of stoneware. Was filled with charcoal. Water was poured into it, which was purified by the charcoal. The tap at the bottom serves to pour out the clean water.
Size: height 35 cm, diameter 20 cm.

The Cheavin Filter Company was originally the Fulham Pottery, founded in 1671. In 1864 Bailey bought the pottery. He went bankrupt in 1889 when the company was taken over by Winston Cheavin. The pottery was named 'The Fulham Pottery and Cheavin Filter Company Ltd. Cheavin had already applied for a patent in 1862 for his water filters. In 1867 his son G. Cheavin changed the label in the text on this water filter. The Cheavin's filters were popular at home and abroad and won prizes and medals.

Cork Press circa 1887

Made by Enterprise Manufacturing Company Patent no.2 (1867/08/07). Used to mould corks so they could fit laboratory bottles.

Opening hours

Entrance fee

Fees
Adults		€ 5,00
Kids 4 till 12 year		€ 2,00
Kinderen till 3 year		Free
With Alkmaarpas		Free
With Museumkaart		Free
Groups		reserv groups

* The Musemkaart is available at the VVV shop.
Paiment with card or cash.

Accessibility

From trainstation Alkmaar Centraal

On foot  About 15 minutes. Use the exit at the Burger King and Bruna and cross the street (traffic lights a little to your left). Follow the foot path in between the two rows of houses until you reach a road. Cross the road and follow the foot path until you reach parking garage Karpeton. Heading to the right just before the Karpeton, you can already see the monumental Waagtoren. To reach it, cross the small white bridge and cross the square. Enter the VVV-store. The entrance to the museum is located on the first floor (staircase and elevator to the right). 

By bus
About 5 minutes. Lines 3, 4, 6, 10, 160 stop at the Kanaalkade. Ask the driver for more information or look at the screens on the bus. The Kanaalkade is the first stop when starting from Alkmaar station.
When you get off the bus: cross the street from the Kanaalkade and follow the road to your left until you see the Karpeton garage. Heading to the right just before the Karpeton, you can already see the monumenal Waagtoren. To reach it, cross the small white bridge and cross the square. Enter the VVV-store. The entrance to the museum is located on the first floor (staircase and elevator to the right). 

From parking Karperton

On foot 5 minute walk.
Take a right upon exiting the garage. Heading to the left at the corner, you can already see the monumental Waagtoren. To reach it, cross the small white bridge and cross the square. Enter the VVV-store. The entrance to the museum is located on the first floor (staircase and elevator to the right).  

From parking Schelphoek

On foot  about 9 minute walk.
Go to Korte Vondelstraat, cross the street (zebra crossing), turn right. Continue until the excise tower on the right and turn left to Verdronkenoord. Turn right at the Kipbrug in Sint Annastraat. Then turn left at the end to Fnidsen. You go to the Bath Bridge. You will now see the Waag building. Now straight after about 50 m. You will find the entrance on your right.

Address
Het Kaasmuseum
Waagplein 2
1811 JP  Alkmaar
 

Wheelchair accessible

Eager to visit the Dutch cheese museum, but not able to walk up a flight of stairs? We are happy to help you enjoy your visit in any way we can. Amongst our facilities are the following:

• The shop (ground level) houses an elevator to the museum.
• Restroom facilities for the disabled.
• The ‘theater’ is equipped with a wheelchair lift.

Need an extra hand? Please contact us and let us know what we can do to enhance your visit!

House rules
We would like all visitors to enjoy everything the cheese museum in Alkmaar has to offer. That is why we have a few house rules.

• We have a smoke-free building.
• Pets stay outside.
•  Drinking or eating inside the museum is not allowed. Please enjoy a drink or a bite to eat at the square (Waagplein).
• To ensure safety, video surveillance is in place.

Groups

You can visit the museum as a group without a guided tour, no need to sign up, you can directly pay at the cashier.

Visiting as a group with a guided tour and cheese tasting, is off-course possible.
The cheese tasting consists of three types of cheese.
Booking only the tasting without the tour is not possible, because this is cared for by the guide.
The maximum group size is 20 people per guide.
The duration of the package is 1 hour.
 

Do you have questions about the cost of this package or do you want to book, you can contact us using the reservation form or call +31229 271630.
Guided tours must be scheduled at least 2 weeks in advance.

Hall letting

Our monumental building makes for an excellent spot for parties, business meetings and more. The FrieslandCampinazaal is available for such events. Enjoy a spectacular view of the Alkmaar canals. Inside, the authentic atmosphere is enhanced by details such as chandeliers, wooden beams. The space has a capacity of 80 guests.

 

Rates (from)
At request
Audio with microphone		€ 50
Beamer		Present

More information
We will gladly provide you with more detailed information about the FrieslandCampinazaal. Please contact us.

The schoolproject is only available in dutch.

The cow

Did you know that.....

• a cow eats 60 kilos of food per day;20 kilos (silage) of maize, 30 kilos of (silage) grass and about 8 kilos of concentrate
• a cow can drink 100 liters of water per day
• a cow in the barn spends 2 hours per day on food and drinks
• a cow per day has enough 20 minutes of sleep
• a cow weighs around 500 kilos
• a cow gets a calf every year
• a cow gives an average of 25 liters of milk per day
• a cow has 4 stomachs: the rumen, the retuculum, the omasum and the abomasum

WHEN IS THE COW TO BE A MILK COW?

From 12 months one speaks of a YEARLING. A YEARLING is usually inseminated for the first time (KI) at around 14 months.If the YEARLING is declared pregnant by the veterinarian, it will become a HEIFER.

After the birth of the calf (the gestation period of a cow is 9 months), the cow will be milked for the first time, and will start to run in the production process.

A cow is grown at an age of about 3 years (so after the second calf)

The History Of Cheese

The history of Dutch cheese goes back very far.  A precise date is difficult to state but there are several facts known which prove that the Netherlanders made cheese hundreds of years before Christ.

Archaeologists found earthenware jars with holes in about 800 years before Christ, which possibly had been used to let the curds drain out and dry.  Also Julius Caesar referred in his book “De Bello Gallico” – 57 years before Christ – to the “Law Lords” and that cheese was eaten there.  “Karel de Grote” made a referral to the making of cheese.

During the Middle Ages

In the middle ages the manufacturing and trading of cheese got a very prominent role in the daily life of the Dutch population.  Cheese was made widely throughout the country and more and more cheese markets were appearing.  Especially towns that had “weighing rights” and a weighing house.  The Dutch cheese makers developed cheese which had a good shelf life and therefore ideal for export.  The cheeses were transported for example to Germany or by sea to the Mediterranean areas. Netherlands Cheese Land
Although in the middle ages cheese was already being exported, it was in the “Golden Age” that things really took off!  Since that time is Holland at home and abroad – known as cheese land.  In 1913 a quality mark for Dutch cheeses was established.  This mark is mainly to define the fat content of the cheese.

From the farm to the diary

Until the nineteenth century, cheese was made mainly on the farms.  Farmers specialised themselves in the preparation of milk to sell it to the towns people.  At the end of the nineteenth centre, slowly the first diaries came into being.

Dutch cheese Exporters

With a cheese production of almost 800.000.000 kilos per year, Holland has grown into one of the biggest cheese producers in Europe.  And as much as two thirds of this production is exported to foreign countries.  Holland may also call itself one of the world’s largest cheese exporters.

Farm or factory cheese?

Cheese at the farm
Before cheese factories arrived on the scene sometime around 1880, all Edam cheese was made on farms by thefarmer’s wife. During the grazing season, she made cheese twice a day from the whole milk, each morning and evening after milking. Read more about farm cheese under ‘the cow’.

Factory cheese
Around 1880, cooperative cheese factories were founded by dairy farmers in order to compete with factory-made cheese. In 1906 North Holland had about 100 cheese factories and about a 40% share of all the cheese produce. After 1911, fresh milk was delivered twice a day. The cream was removed from this milk in a centrifuge and factory-made butter was produced from the cream.

The primary symbol of the dairy factories is the old-fashioned milk can. In the years following 1920 up to the ‘60’s, it became common practice to have refrigerated milk trucks drive off and on to and from farms and factories to pick up and deliver milk.

After the Second World War, Gouda cheese took the lead in North Holland. This lasted up until 2007, when the last Edam cheese rolled out of a North Holland factory. Gouda cheese, on the other hand, is still fully produced in the provincie

Types of cheese

In our museum two cheeses are central:

Edam cheese
Edam cheese or simply edammer was originally made in and around the city of Edam. The designation 'Edam Holland' has been protected since October 2010 by decision of the European Commission. Cheese with this quality mark may only originate in the Netherlands and must be made from Dutch cow's milk.

The cheese is known all over the world. It began as early as the Golden Age, when it was traded for other goods.

The cheese is a 40+ cheese, which means that the dry matter contains 40% fat. In the case of Edam cheese, this means an absolute fat content of 25%. The cheese has been produced in several places over the centuries. Nowadays the factory production of edammer takes place at FrieslandCampina in Marum, Friesland. There is also a small amount of traditional edammer cheese made.

Why did people in North Holland in the past only make round Edam cheeses and not flat Gouda cheeses?
Traditionally, round small cheeses have always been made in North Holland.
It is certainly true that the small round cheeses with a higher salt content and lower fat content were particularly suitable for export to warmer places and for consumption on board ships. Partial the edammers were also packed in cans. This made transporting round cheeses easier and reduced the risk of damage.
An additional advantage of the production of small cheeses was that less milk was needed for 1 cheese. A few centuries ago the farmers did not have that many cows and when some of the cattle were dry in the winter the amount of milk was minimal.

Gouda cheese
The name of Gouda cheese owes its name to the fact that it was originally sold in Gouda.

Gouda cheeses are produced in large numbers in cheese dairies. Gouda cheese is also made abroad under this name, because the name of the species and its shape are not protected. However, since October 2010, the designation 'Gouda Holland' has been a protected geographical indication by a decision of the European Commission. Cheese with this indication in the cheese mark may only originate in the Netherlands and must be made from Dutch cow's milk.
The cheese is a 48+ cheese, which means that the dry matter contains 48% fat. This fat content is the quantity of fat based on the total dry matter (excluding water/humidity). The actual fat content is 32% fat based on weight (including water/humidity).
 

Maturing of cheese

Only with maturing, cheese gets its firmness and taste. Big warehouses store cheese for riping by arranging them on wooden shelves.

From cow to cheese
Cheese used to be made only once a day. The evening milk was poured into a separating vat to allow the light milkfat, the cream, to float to the top overnight. The cream was then skimmed off the top the next morning and used to make butter at later time. The skimmed-off evening milk was then combined with the whole-fat morning milk and processed into cheese. The principle of cheese making has remained the same for centuries.

Young or old?
In Dutch, cheese is either ‘jong’ or ‘old’ or in between, depending on the amount of time it spent maturing. The Dutch call ‘maturing’ ‘riping’ (if translated literally).

Maturing for…	How mature (or ‘ripe’) is your cheese?
1 month	Fresh and soft cheeses
2 months	Soft cheeses
4 months	Semi-cured cheeses
7 months	Cured cheeses
10 months	Matured
12 months and up	Over-aged

The Waag building: a national monument

Marvellous quotes and poems
It’s the gothic windows that remind us of the religious base the building once had. Seen from the water front, the front of the building reads: SPQA Restituit Virtus Ablatae Jura Bilancis. SPQA (Senatus PopulusQue Alkmaris - Council and People of Alkmaar) by virtue of its courage and strength, restored the rights to the balance to the people and government of Alkmaar." This refers to a battle against Spanish Roman Catholics, which, upon the truce of October 8, 1573, established the rights of the citizens to have a weigh house.
This is just one of the citations and poems found on the outside of the Waag Building.

• Vive memor leti fugit hora (Live remembering death, time passes quickly)
• ‘Singulas horas Singulas vitas puta’ (Consider each hour a separate life)

 
The square
When building the Waag, there was no square. The Waagplein has been created throughout the years by removing houses until a square was in place. Over a period of 100 years, the square grew eight times its size. Currently, it is considered big enough for both the cheese market and the terraces.

The cheese market

The bell at 10 am indicates the start of the cheese market. Ringing the bell are invitees by the municipality of Alkmaar. Ranging from Dutch artists to famous athletes and foreign ambassadors to business partners of the municipality of Alkmaar, many Dutch celebrities have had a go at the opening of the market.

Now, the samplers and traders get to work. It’s not just looking at the cheese that does the job! A knock on the cheese and of course trying a piece are part of the routine. Before actually putting any cheese in their mouth, samplers will crumble some of the cheese between their fingers and smell it. The taste will tell them more about the percentage of fat and moisture. Naturally, it has to be ‘just right’.




Next is the bargaining. It’s called ‘handjeklap’ in Dutch; the clapping of the hands while shouting and – finally – agreeing on the right price for a batch of cheese with a last clap of the hands. All that is left to do now is the weighing of the cheese, overseen by the cheese father.

The last cheeses are loaded in carts by the ‘ingooiers’ and the entire square empties, signaling the end of the market by 12.30pm. The bars and cafés at the Waagplein square are now free to open their terraces.

Cheese carriers

Contact

Hollands Kaasmuseum
Waagplein 2
1811 JP  Alkmaar

info@kaasmuseum.nl
 

RSIN nummer 804555771

Frequently asked questions

When can I visit the cheese museum?
Both business days and during the weekends the cheese museum is open for visitors. We do close on Sundays and certain holidays.
View all openings hours

Can groups visit the museum as well?
Yes, we welcome groups and even offer guided tours. We do ask you reserve your group visit in advance.
To contact form

How do I get into contact with the cheese museum?
Please feel free to use any of the contact options at our contact page.

I need more information for a school report. Can you help me?
Yes, on our website we offer a lot of information about cheese, Alkmaar, cows, and the cheese markets. Please feel free to browse around.

Am I allowed to bring food and/or drinks?
No, to keep the museum clean and neat we do not allow food or drinks on the premises (see house rules). Before or after your visit we invite you to enjoy a drink or bite to eat at one of the terraces at the Waag square (see package deals).

Am I allowed to bring my dog?
No, dogs are not allowed at the cheese museum. View house rules

Is smoking allowed at the Kaasmuseum?
No, our premises are smoke-free.  View house rules

How do you keep the museum safe?
We have camera surveillance in place. View house rules

How long does a visit last?
On average, visitors spend about 1,5 to 2 hours at the museum.

Is the museum any fun for kids?
Yes, please read more information under Education and youth

I want somewhere to keep my valuables. Can you help me?
Yes, the cheese museum provides free lockers.

Can I find the cheese museum on social media?
Yes, you can! Check out our facebook page or find reviews on Tripadvisor.

I loved the cheese museum! How can I leave a review?
We are always happy to hear from you! Reviews can be published on facebook  or Tripadvisor.

I have a complaint. What can I do?
Please contact us with any feedback or complaints. Contact page

Links

City Counsel Alkmaar	www.alkmaar.nl
Alkmaar Tourist Office	www.vvvhartvannoordholland.nl/en/home
Shopping	www.vvvhartvannoordholland.nl/en/home
Restaurants	www.vvvhartvannoordholland.nl/en/home
Cheesemarket	www.kaasmarkt.nl
Museums in Alkmaar
Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar	www.museumalkmaar.nl
Nationaal Biermuseum de Boom	www.biermuseum.nl
Museums in the region of Alkmaar
Museum Kranenburgh, Bergen NH	www.museumkranenburgh.nl
Gemeentemuseum Het Sterkenhuis, Bergen NH	www.museumhetsterkenhuis.nl
Museum Mill, Schermerhorn	www.museummolen.nl
Museum Broeker Veiling, Broek op Langedijk	www.broekerveiling.nl
Poldermuseum Heerhugowaard	www.poldermuseumheerhugowaard.nl

About us

The Hollands Kaasmuseum foundation

The Hollands Kaasmuseum foundation dates back to 1983. Having only volunteers at their service, the cheese museum in Alkmaar is mostly run by enthusiasm. Combined with the amazing monumental building the museum is housed in, it makes for a very special visit.

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