Githorn: a village where there are no roads
Today we offer you to go to the small Dutch village of Githorn. In another way, it is also often called the Dutch Venice, since it is located on water channels with a total length of about 7.5 km. The village was founded in 1230. To get around the village there is a bike path and numerous water channels.
The main transport is rowboats and boats powered by electric motors, which work completely silently and do not disturb the peace and tranquility in this picturesque village.
Most of the houses are located on islands and connected by wooden bridges (there are more than 50 of them throughout the village).
Githorn is so attractive for tourists because there are practically no ordinary roads and paths, and all kinds of channels and bridges are located nearby.
The village gained wide popularity among tourists in the 60s after the Dutch director Bert Hanstra showed it in his film.
Soon after, numerous visitors affectionately nicknamed the village "Dutch Venice" or "Venice of the North". In the historical part of Githorn, even with a great desire, you will not see a single road, here you can move only along the canals and only on special boats or "punts", as the locals call them. The only innovation that has appeared over the years is bicycle paths.
There are houses along the canals, one prettier than the other. Along one side of the canal there is a narrow asphalt path, sometimes crossing from one bank to the other. This is the only thing on which you can move on foot. No streets in the usual sense of the word. Wooden bridges, rather humped, are thrown over to the houses standing on the side of the canal, which does not have a path. Such bridges allow electric boats, the largest watercraft in the Githorn, to pass under them. In general, they move along the channels on anything — all kinds of boats (they are rented), inflatable boats, small boats. Everything is powered by electric motors, no diesel fuel.
The village of Githorn was founded in 1230 by a small group of refugees from the south of the country. When they found this place, the only thing that caught their eye was the huge number of goat horns that remained after the severe flood. This is the secret of the village's name — Goat horns, or "goat horns".
Over time, people not only changed the name of the village to a more euphonious one, but also discovered that there was a lot of peat here. Delighted with the find, the residents began to dig up peat in the places where it was most convenient for them. As a result of such excavations, pits appeared, later they became lakes, and then a chain of channels, which now attracts tourists like a magnet.
The length of the village of Githorn (the Dutch pronounce "Githorn", sometimes found in guidebooks) is about 6 km. That's how 6 km in one direction and 6 km in the opposite direction we walked through this beauty. I note that this is a residential village, not an attraction, like the famous Zanse-Schans. There is no need to pay money for this, unless you decide to rent a boat or take a ride on an electric boat. There are a lot of parking lots in different places, we stood on the southernmost and walked the whole village from south to north and back. Parking, of course, is free.
The village itself has a population of 2,620. However, the indigenous people believe that the main distinguishing feature of their village is not the canals at all, but the unique atmosphere of silence and comfort, complete relaxation. Everything here breathes peace and the unhurried foundation of an ordinary Dutch village of the XVIII century. Almost all the farms have been preserved in their original form and imbued with the spirit of that time.
Almost all the houses in the village have a thatched roof - swampy areas provide a lot of reeds. Previously, only rich people could afford a tiled roof and many used straw, but now it's the opposite, a thatched roof is more expensive.
Githorn is a fishing place, but in order to engage in such hunting, you definitely need a license. Here you can safely see a heron, which can very boldly look at you with a look asking you to treat her with a fish. There are various signs hanging along the canals, similar to those that can be seen on the roads of any metropolis, with traffic lights and right-hand traffic.
Githorn is worthy of admiration and adoration. Of course, this village does not have the glory and scope of Venice itself, but it is distinguished by its unique charm and natural landscapes of unimaginable beauty.