The Inventory Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in the Netherlands contains ICH of which the communities, groups or individuals involved have written a safeguarding plan. Those plans are reviewed by an independent review committee. Every three years an evaluation of the safeguarding takes place.

Description

Water is “home” for water residents. In the Netherlands, some 12,000 houseboats float in landscapes and in and around port cities. There is the houseboat with concrete, steel or plastic pontoon, in which by far most people live; there is the “schark”, a hull of a sailing ship with a superstructure in which people live, and there are sailing houseboats. Traditionally, most houseboats have a timber-frame construction.

Creative use of space is a requirement because of the small living area, and many vessels have their own power and water supply. Some water residents live in and maintain sailing historical ships. To do so, they need knowledge of crafts such as riveting, splitting steel wire, heat-forming strakes and splitting lines. For them, being able to sail their home adds an extra dimension to waterliving.

Besides being a way of housing, waterliving is a way of life. Basic amenities require more commitment. It is important to stay afloat, cables and mooring lines must be kept in check when it storms, and energy supplies must be kept frost-free in winter. Life on water requires self-reliance, creativity and improvisation skills. Water dwellers must be able to cope with the elements, different seasons and changing water levels, but above all they enjoy the water so close by. Water is “a basic necessity of life” for many of them. The view of the water is soothing and the special reflecting light is a beautiful sight.

Bonding with watersports and commercial shipping also plays a role. Anyone who grows up in a skipper or fisherman's family has knowledge of water, weather and wind from an early age. The cry "don't throw anything into the water!" is a familiar exclamation, and environmental awareness is high. Sharing the water with other water dwellers like ducks, waterfowl, etc. creates a connection with nature and a desire to care for it.

 

Community

Some 25,000 people are estimated to be living on water in the Netherlands. Some groups of houseboats form small hamlets, where social cohesion, with mutual respect and acceptance for each other's “uniqueness”, looking after and caring for each other is normal. For example, helping each other with practical problems, such as frozen water pipes, during storms, and buying diesel together for sailing boats. The community members need each other, which makes cooperation and helpfulness natural.

Water dwellers are obviously not a homogeneous group but, by their own admission, are as diverse as “landlubbers”. Yet they experience a strong mutual connection. "We all form a minority, sharing the common, unique, often unexplainable experience of how nice and special it is to live on the water in all circumstances. People consciously choose to live on the water, because of bonding with nature and water, living with the elements and sense of freedom, ship crafts and sailing and living on historic ships.

The Stichting Behoud Cultuur Waterwonen in Nederland (Foundation Preservation of the Culture of Waterliving in the Netherlands) made the nomination on behalf of the community.

History

All ports in Dutch towns and cities used to be connected by water. These water routes were used for centuries to transport goods, people and animals. Because of this rich water history, the Netherlands has a wide variety of historical ships and houseboats.

Living on ships came from inland shipping. There were also people living on ships doing seasonal work, or temporary work in, for example, hydraulic engineering, reclamation and bridge building. Every modernisation in freight shipping (transition from wood to steel, increase in scale) produced new suitable hulls to convert into houseboats.

After the First and Second World Wars, waterliving increased. People regarded discarded ships as good and cheap opportunities to create living space. The 1960s and 1970s saw the largest influx. More and more iron and steel ships and boats were replaced by floating concrete barges. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the water villa made its appearance. Currently, much attention is focused on the sustainability and housing issue. Can living on the water contribute to both?

 

Safeguarding

2023-2025

  • Create a pooling of knowledge around waterliving by means of a handbook, including information on waterliving in environmental legislation; information from waterliving organisations such as the national houseboats organisation; and the report: “A proud future for water living”.
  • Offering this handbook to new water residents, Vereniging Nederlandse Gemeentes, other governments, banks and insurers.
  • Map archives and documentation, now mostly fragmented.
  • Gather more knowledge in the field of making water homes sustainable.
  • Build a network via LinkedIn, Facebook, Zoom meetings, thus creating a connection between the “old” and “new” waterliving, or stimulating old and new waterliving subcultures with exchange of (sustainable) ideas.
  • Investigate whether living on the water is a godsend for low-income people, such as students and social starters, along the lines of the Denmark floating container homes and the Sustainable Wrap Boat.
  • Talking to mortgage lenders to find out whether they see financing possibilities for sustainable waterliving, and to insurance companies.

Contact

Stichting behoud cultuur waterwonen in Nederland
Aalsmeer
Website