White village in the Netherlands, Thorn. Dutch Cosy village. read the story behind Thorn as white скачать в хорошем качестве

White village in the Netherlands, Thorn. Dutch Cosy village. read the story behind Thorn as white

The French rulers at the end of 18th based their taxes on how large the windows of the house were. Lots of people therefor decided to minimize the existing windows with new bricks and masonry. But because the new bricks looked so different from the original stones, inhabitants decided to paint their houses white to hide the difference in brickwork. Nowadays, the entire historical centre of Thorn is a protected monument. The town of Thorn was founded in the 9th century when Count Ansfried and his wife decided to build an abbey in this spot, where only girls and women from royal descent were allowed to live. These women lived mostly in houses around the abbey, that you can still visit today. After three centuries the town was granted city rights and because of all its royal inhabitants, it was regarded a small kingdom. The kingdom fell during the French invasion at the end of the 18th century. Most of the royal ladies living around the abbey fled their houses, and poor people who lived in the surrounding areas moved in as they hoped to be protected by the city walls.