Living on the water

Twentieth century: housing shortage and diversification of houseboats

At the end of the nineteenth century, wooden sailing ships from inland shipping were replaced by steel boats. The old wooden sailing ships were bought up and converted into houseboats; 'woonschepen', that is. In times of housing shortage, especially on the outskirts of the city such as in Amsterdam-Noord, slum dwellings emerged on the water. Eventually, in the twentieth century, due to the lack of housing on land, houseboats became increasingly popular. Especially after the First and Second World Wars, the number of houseboat residents rose rapidly. The primary cause of this growth in houseboat living was a distressing housing shortage. In these times, sometimes several families even lived on a single boat. However, the residents of these houseboats were not only people in urgent need of shelter; wealthier residents also used the houseboat to commute between the city and nature. These more upscale houseboats were usually located in the Amstel.

Subsequently, the Caravans and Houseboats Act was introduced in 1918. According to this law, houseboat residents were required to have a permit for their boat, their children had to attend school, and alcohol consumption had to be limited. The houseboats themselves also had to meet 'certain requirements'.

One of the longest-inhabited houseboats was located near the Amstelveld until 2022: the Dogger. This boat, depicted in this 1935 painting by Meijer Bleekroode, was a so-called 'waterhaler' (water fetcher) for the Amstel Brewery. In 1888, water mains were laid in the city, causing the boat to lose its function as a water fetcher. In that same year, fuel merchant Dogger bought the boat, and it was converted into a sales point for coal and wood. He also began living there at that time. The boat was inhabited until 2022.