Giethoorn: Meet the charming Dutch village where there are no streets

As you know, in Amsterdam there are many, many canals - which total over 100 kilometers - which earned the city the nickname “Northern Venice”. However, this feature is not unique to the Dutch capital, as there is a village called Giethoorn in the country where there are no streets and access is only by boat.

The place is simply charming, and the population - 2, 600 - lives on tiny private islands and circulates around the village through small boats. Displacements can also be done on foot, and crossings take place through the 180 wooden bridges that connect over the 6.5 miles of canals.

Giethoorn was founded in the 13th century by a group of fugitives from the Mediterranean region who settled there and began to explore the land. However, the village was not known until 1958, when a famous Dutch filmmaker used the location as a location for a movie. Since then, Giethoorn has become a popular tourist destination.

In addition to various exhibitions and museums, on weekends a platform boat takes the village band through the canals while members play for the locals and visitors. By the way, for those who decide to know Giethoorn, it is possible to hire specialized guides or rent motor boats, rowing and even gondola type, which move with the help of sticks that are used to push the boat down the canal bed.

Many of today's residences in Giethoorn are former 18th-century country houses. Lovely estates boast well-kept, flower-filled gardens, and many have thatched roofs. But do not think that the place is only visited during the warmer months of the year! During winter, Giethoorn becomes a popular destination for ice-skaters who enjoy the frozen waters of the canals. Look:

The locals were not very happy with the invasion of tourists, claiming that the movement took some of the peace of all - already imagined the tranquility of Giethoorn, where the circulation of vehicles was forbidden the population is super small! Not to mention that they also complain (and rightly so) that it is not pleasant to have strangers constantly looking into their homes. Check out more images of this charming village: