Oudewater

   Small town of about 10,000 inhabitants on the border of the provinces of Holland and Utrecht (it has belonged to the province of Utrecht since 1970). It won some international notoriety because of its weighing house for “witches.” After the town was granted a privilege by Emperor Charles V, accused witches were weighed there until the 18th century. An official certificate of “nor mal weight” was supposed to testify that a woman accused of sorcery was not a witch. In 1572, Oudewater was one of the revoltingtowns, for which the Spanish punished its residents severely during their temporary occupation in 1575–1576.