Visperk Goes
About this location
On the corner of the Kleine Kade and the Turfkade in Goes, at the harbour, stands a small building with a round dome and a few benches. You could easily walk past it. Yet the Visperk has a history dating back to 1469. For centuries this was the heart of the Goes fish trade. Fresh fish from the harbour was traded here: the auctioneer sat in the building while fishwomen sold their wares from the wooden benches.
In 1647 the Visperk was renovated and acquired a distinctive feature: a mermaid on the roof, well before the famous mermaid of Copenhagen. When this one disappeared in 1982, a new one was unveiled a year later.
The fish trade disappeared around 1920 as supplies declined and the harbour lost its importance. In the 1950s the Visperk was a favourite playground for children.
Today it is quiet. But the Visperk recalls a time when Goes lived by the fish.