Giethoorn – Venice
of the Netherlands
A Village in Holland... With
no roads AT ALL !!!!!!!
Netherlands Statistics
• Area: 41,543 sq km
– 24% below sea leval
• Border countries: Belgium 450 km,
Germany 577 km
• Elevation extremes:
– lowest point: Zuidplaspolder -7 m
– highest point: Vaalserberg 322 m
• Population: 16,715,999 (July 09 est.)
• Population growth rate: 0.412%
(2009 est.)
Netherlands Statistics
• Age structure:
– 0-14 years: 17.4%
– 15-64 years: 67.7%
– 65 years and over: 14.9%
• Urban population: 82%
• Infant mortality rate: 4.73
deaths/1,000 live births
• Life expectancy at birth: 79.4 years
• GDP - per capita (PPP): $39,000
(2009 est.)
Much of the land is below sea level.
Giethoorn
• Giethoorn is a village in Holland
wherein you can’t find a single
road...all transportation is done
by boat. No one seems to mind
because it is so beautiful. It’s a lot
smaller, less crowded and doesn’t
have the rich history of the real
Venice, but if you enjoy long,
peaceful boat rides while
admiring classic Dutch sceneries,
Giethoorn will make a great
impression on you.
• Located in the center of the
Netherlands, right in the middle of
the De Wieden nature reserve, the
small village of Giethoorn was in
1230, by a group of fugitives.
When they arrived in the area the
first thing they noticed was a large
mass of goat horns, left over after
a flood ravaged the area a few
years earlier. They initially named
their settlement Geytenoorn (geit =
goat), but the dialect suffered
some changes over the years and
it is now known as Giethoorn.
Traditional Dress
• The unique look of this 2620inhabitants village has to do with
early peat mining in the area. The
villagers used to dig for peat in the
areas that most suited them and
the holes left behind soon turned
into small and large lakes. In order
to carry the peat from one area to
another, people had to sail through
navigable canals and ditches.
Little did they know, what they
build out of necessity, would
eventually become a world
renowned tourist destination.
• Geithoorn became a famous
attraction after the year 1958,
when Bert Haanstra, a great Dutch
film-maker, shot his movie
“Fanfare” there. That’s when
tourists started arriving and
calling it Venice of the
Netherlands. The bridges,
waterways and “punters” (typical
Giethoorn boats) are unique in the
world and have become
trademarks of the area.
• The main attraction of Giethoorn is
the village itself, admiring this oneof-a-kind settlement, in a peaceful,
relaxing atmosphere will keep you
busy for hours. If you’re really
interested in classic Dutch village
architecture, you can check out
some carefully preserved 18th and
19th century farm houses, while
taking the village boat tour.
• The old part of Giethoorn still has
no roads, just a recently built
cycling path, and the locals still
use “punters” as transportation
around the village.
• Sure, it’s nowhere close to
Venice, in size or popularity, but
for those looking for a relaxing
experience, in one of the
Netherlands’ most beautiful rural
areas, Giethoorn is the perfect
destination.