Gouda is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Gouda, which was granted city rights in 1272, is famous for its Gouda cheese, smoking pipes and its 15th century city hall. The town takes its name from the Van der Goude family, who built a fortified castle alongside the banks of the Gouwe River, from which the family took their own name. The area, originally marshland, created a canal to link to the Gouwe and its estuary, and transformed Gouda into a harbour.
