Old Skipper's House

In the center of Hoogeveen, deprived of any natural water whatsoever, lies the quaint restaurant the Old Skipper's House. There are wide streets with heavy traffic on one side of the restaurant, and the busy main street with shops and cafes on the other. But there is no navigable water in the area, and there are definitely no ships. An innocent bystander might think the restaurant owner moved to this town from elsewhere and really liked the name, but the truth lies elsewhere.

Hoogeveen, as the town's name indicates, has a history in peat. Back in the 1600's peat was big business and canals were dug to transport them. The canals were even the main mode of transportation as all the milk from the surrounding area was brought to the market in Hoogeveen by boat. Once a month the farmers would come to town themselves; the men would sit wait at the Old Skipper's House for their milk money, and their wives would go out to market to buy city commodities.

After the second world war the canals were filled, leading to wide roads. The city has since then brought back the water in the form of fountains and an artificial river, meandering through Main Street, between all the shops. Plans for more ponds and fountains await the city council's approval. It just goes to show a name can carry a lot of history and explain even the modern day layout of a city.