GIETHOORN

Giethoorn is located about 55 miles and an hour and 20 minutes by car from Amsterdam in the of Overijssel province. This historic village has been around since the 13th century.

Its name originated when the first settlers of farmers and refugees discovered hundreds of wild goat horns, that died from a flood, in the marshland. The settlement was called Geytenhoren. Somewhere along the way, the name was shortened to Giethoorn.

The village is surrounded by a natural reservation called De Wieden and was near the National Park Weerribben-Wieden. Giethoorn is part of the area’s vast canal system, waterways and miles of trails.

Many of the houses in the village is only accessible by boat, bike or on foot. There are no roads to get around, only canals. So, how was this historic town built?

In addition to discovering the wild goat horns, the first settlers also found an area with large amounts of peat moss. Peat is decomposed plant material mixture that has built up in waterlogged areas. It became a valuable energy source when dried before coal usage. Thus, Giethoorn became a settlement of peat harvesters.

Ponds, canals and lakes formed when the settlers extracted, cut and transported peat. The settlers built farmhouses on these small peat islands using the reeds found around the area for the roofs. The wooden bridges were built to connect the islands. The flat-bottomed punter boats along with the pole to help move it along were used to cruise the shallow canals.

FOLLOW BRIANNE

Giethoorn takes curb appeal or, in this case, canal appeal, to a whole new level. Many of the houses boast brightly colored wood shutters, while perfectly trimmed hedges augment gardens full of bright flowers. Each corner reminiscent of Hansel & Gretel meets Ferngully.

FOLLOW BRIANNE