Overview

Very accessible and interesting museum in Alkmaar’s historic Cheese Weigh-house. A fine example of how a venerable building can be made accessible for wheelchair users without detracting from its character. Fascinating displays about the techniques of cheese making, including the chemistry which cows use to turn grass into milk.

Transport & Parking

We wheeled/walked from our hotel. We did notice a very ugly multi-storey car park about three munutes’ wheel from the museum.

Access

Bumpy cobbles on the approach to the building but then a wide, level access. The ground floor is the Alkmaar Tourist Information office - good circulating spaces. There’s a decent sized lift up to the two main levels of the museum. C irculatin spaces in the museum are good and almost all displays are visible and approachable from wheelchair level. Captions are in English as well as Dutch.

Toilets

There’s a very well-equipped accessible loo on level one of the museum. Grab rails round the loo, an approachable washbasin and everything within easy reach. Thre’s even some interesting tiling on the walls.

Staff

Very welcoming and helpful. One of the curators gave us free samples of cheese and 5en escorted us to the audio-visual display area - wheelchair users access this via a platform lift - and turned on the English language version of the film for us. Both staff members we met speak English and both were alert to the needs of wheelchair users.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

It’s a fun and informative museum with a mix of historic cheese-making equipment and hi-tech displays as well as games for chidldren of all ages. At one point you encounter a vintage TV set playing. Omer oaks for cheese from the 19050s to the present day, some of which are distinctly cheesy!

Photos