venice of the netherlands

Giethoorn is called the Venice of the north and many tourists flock the little village to see it's unusual scenery. There are lakes (Wieden), only chest deep in the middle, that are connected with canals used for peat transport in the middle ages and later. Because of the canals, each house needs a little high bridge to get to the road. The bridges are high, because boats have to go under them.

Tourism has had a relatively small influence on the old traditional town. The village, still only fully accessible by boat, is one of several places commonly known as the Venice of the North[4] or Venice of the Netherlands.[5] Giethoorn has over 180 bridges.[6]

Giethoorn is a very popular attraction among Chinese tourists. The village of only 2620 inhabitants sees between 150,000[7] and 200,000[1] Chinese tourists every year.

Source:Wikipedia