Every modern city is built around the exact same thing. We pave over the dirt with dark asphalt and fill the streets with loud cars. Traffic jams and exhaust fumes are just a normal part of daily life. But hidden in a quiet corner of the Netherlands is a magical place that completely rejected the modern world.
In the town of Giethoorn, you will not find a single street. There are no traffic lights and absolutely no cars. Instead of driving to work or to the grocery store, the local residents travel exclusively by boat.
A Neighborhood of Water and Wood
Getting around this village requires a totally different set of skills. The entire town is connected by a complex web of narrow water canals. If you want to visit your neighbor or grab a cup of coffee, you have to untie your boat and slowly drift down the water.
For walking, the town features over 176 beautiful wooden bridges. These arched bridges connect the tiny islands that make up the village. The houses are old and feature traditional thatched roofs. Walking over the wooden planks feels like stepping directly into an old storybook.
Because there are no roaring engines, the loudest sound you usually hear is the quacking of a duck or the soft splash of a paddle hitting the water.
The Magic of Whisper Boats
The locals do not just use any boats. To keep the peace and quiet, most people use small vessels called whisper boats. These boats are equipped with completely silent electric motors.
Even the mailman has to deliver the daily post by navigating the winding canals in a small boat.
This unique water system was actually created by accident centuries ago. The early settlers in the area mined the wet soil for peat. They dug so many massive holes that the ground eventually filled with groundwater and turned into a series of shallow lakes and canals. The settlers built their homes on the remaining patches of solid dirt.
Today, this accidental water world is one of the most peaceful and unique places on the planet. It proves that human beings do not actually need loud highways to build a perfectly functional and beautiful community.
References: BBC Travel, National Geographic, CNN