A weighhouse or weighing house is a public building at or within which goods are weighed.[1] Most of these buildings were built before 1800, prior to the establishment of international standards for weights, and were often a large and representative structures, situated near the market square, town hall, and prominent sacred buildings in town centre.
As public control of the weight of goods was very important, they were run by local authorities who would also use them for the levying of taxes on goods transported through or sold within the city.
Throughout most of Europe, this building was a multifunctional trade hall and would contain diverse functions related to trade and commerce. There is a big variety among their physical organization and the external appearance due to the fundamentally different political and economic conditions that existed throughout Europe.
- ^ "Definition of Weighhouse". www.merriam-webster.com. Merriam-Webster Inc. Retrieved 21 October 2022.