Former Peat Cutters Hut

Life was hard for the peat cutters who lived in this part of the country. As the demand for peat dwindled, more and more of them moved to the town to find work. In an attempt to create a better life for themselves, workers went on strike for better pay. But many of them could not afford to strike, or at least not for long, because they desperately needed the income.

So the life of a peat cutter was rarely easy, especially when they lived in separate communities in peat cutters huts like this one, which at one time was owned by Roel Jonkers. More than 1,000 peat cutters lived here. The peat cutters felt a sense of solidarity and trusted each other, but unfortunately the community was also beset by crime, alcoholism and beggars.