The Dutch Town Where Homes Sit on Skinny Islands in a Lake
The Dutch Community Where People Live on Strips of Land in a Lake
In Loosdrecht, Netherlands, hundreds of residents live in boat-access-only homes built on thin strips of land within a lake. This unique geography is manmade, a result of centuries-old peat mining: boats dredged swampland for peat, leaving narrow ridges to dry the extracted fuel. Developers later built houses on these strips, creating a one-of-a-kind community.
In much of the world, owning a lakeside home is desirable. But in the Dutch town of Loosdrecht, residents live within the lake itself, with houses on their own impossibly skinny islands.
- t0mas88
People don't really live there, these are holiday/recreational homes. My family owns two of those islands with a holiday home.
Typically you use them for the weekend. My mom for example lives in a busy city and has a small garden, she uses the holiday home as a weekend getaway and a place to keep the sailing boat.
The Netherlands are small and this area is very central, about 20 minutes drive from Amsterdam or Utrecht. So most owners use it in the same way.
- DivingForGold
I read these properties are actually some of the most expensive properties in The Netherlands ($ million dollar).
But no electricity (need generator) and you cannot drive your car to your lakehouse.
Plus, I bet the mosquitos are horrible, it is a former swamp.
- tromp
You may find this area on google maps at https://www.google.com/maps/@52.1792241,5.0288801,516m
- calmworm
Ahh, the Netherlands… strips of land through their water and strips of water through their land…
- Deukhoofd
I wonder how they're doing right now with water levels reaching critical low points.