The Dutch community where people live on strips of land in a lake
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
In Loosdrecht, Netherlands, houses sit on skinny manmade islands within a lake.
The unique geography is manmade from centuries of peat mining. Boats dredged swampland for peat fuel, leaving thin strips of land where peat was dried. In the 20th century, developers built houses on these strips. Today, hundreds of residents live in these boat-access-only homes.
What commenters are saying
Commenters note these are mainly holiday homes, not primary residences, and that permanent living is officially restricted. Some add that properties are among the most expensive in the Netherlands, with some listed for millions. A user explains water levels are tightly managed by pumps, and another confirms electricity is now available. A few discuss peat's properties as a carbon sink and fuel source, with corrections that destroying peat bogs releases stored carbon.