plaggenhut Echten

The peasant hut and an outdoor toilet remind us of earlier times and life in the countryside of Drenthe, full of poverty and austerity.

The very poorest laborers in the countryside sometimes could not afford a real home by the late nineteenth century. They therefore resorted to homemade peasant huts or "spitketen". These small dwellings, whose roofs usually began at ground level, were commonly found among peat workers in Drenthe but also in poor areas in Friesland, Overijssel, and parts of Groningen. Huts were also found in villages in Veluwe in Gelderland.

The name "peasant hut" refers to the peat or heath sods that were used to form the roofs of these small shelters. The sods were cut from the surrounding area. After sitting on the roof for some time, they sometimes grew together, forming a relatively sturdy underlayer that protected the inhabitants from wind and rain. However, during severe weather, parts of the roof sometimes slipped off, necessitating the replacement of sods to restore shelter. In addition to sods, materials like cardboard and rags were often used to patch gaps.

To build a peasant hut, a small pit about fifty centimeters deep was usually dug first. The bottom was then thoroughly tamped down. The walls of the pit subsequently formed small walls. The inhabitants therefore lived partly underground and were mockingly referred to as 'cave dwellers'. Inside the pit, a skeleton was built with wooden posts, which was then covered with peat or heath sods. The roofs of the huts typically began at ground level.

The living conditions in peasant huts were miserable. Often, families of six to nine people lived there, sometimes along with a sheep, goat, or a few chickens. It was cold, smoky, and damp, and the huts were difficult to heat. A dangerous pneumonia was always lurking as a result. Moreover, it was usually impractical to keep pests out, with all the ensuing consequences. Only the very poorest lived in complete peasant huts. Those who were slightly better off provided the living area of the hut with stone walls and covered the sides with roof tiles. Over time, some peasant huts developed into more stable homes.

The abundance of peasant huts in the peat areas was closely related to the growing need for fuel in the nineteenth century. The peat that could be cut in these areas was then referred to as "the brown gold". The massive influx of peat workers from various parts of the country led to a severe housing shortage. The poorest laborers ended up without homes and took refuge in the peasant huts, often built overnight. Furniture was sparse. The residents often had to make do with a table and a single chair. As a bed, they used a straw sack, with old rags serving as blankets.

By the end of the nineteenth century, it became clear to politicians that something needed to be done to improve the living conditions of many citizens. In 1901, a Housing Act was passed, which came into effect the following year. Thanks to the introduction of this first law regarding public housing in the Netherlands, new homes had to adhere to quality standards. Poor quality dwellings, such as peasant huts and spitketen, could be declared uninhabitable. Despite this law, however, in the early 1920s, many peasant huts could still be found in the peat areas. Gradually, some improvement came with the Agricultural Laborers Act (1918). This law provided rural residents the opportunity to build their own stone houses with government support and to lease land for their own potatoes and vegetables. Little by little, the peasant huts disappeared from the countryside in the decades that followed.

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