GIETHOORN – Did you know that the first inhabitants of Giethoorn were not Dutch at all? Around 1230, a group of Flagellants – pilgrims from Perugia in Umbria, Italy – settled here.

Imagine: people in simple robes, members of a strict religious movement, carving out a new life in the swampy peatlands of what is now the Kop van Overijssel. Their settlement did not grow along a road, but along the water.

The settlers discovered goat horns, remains of animals that had perished in the great flood of 1170. They named their small community Geytenhorn, later Geythorn – and through local dialect, it became Giethoorn.

Who would have thought that the roots of the Netherlands’ most famous water village reach all the way to Italy? Those early pilgrims unknowingly laid the foundations for the charming water village that visitors today explore by boat, bike, or on foot.

Giethoorn is approaching its 800-year anniversary. The official celebrations are planned five years from now, but preparations have already begun – including a kickoff evening at Grand Café Fanfare in September 2025, marking the start of a festive journey toward this remarkable milestone.