A Quiet Walk in Thorn , The Little White Town, Limburg, The Netherlands 4 K60

Morning walk in Autumn Thorn. The little white town of is popular among tourists and it has a rich history dating back to the late 10th century. The historic centre of Thorn is a protected heritage area. Sights include the cobbled streets, the beautiful Abbey Church and the Municipal Museum called Het Land van Thorn. Over the course of time Thorn developed into a miniature country ruled by an abbess and 20 ladies of noble birth. It had its own jurisdiction and its own currency, but this came to an end in 1794 with the arrival of the French. Thats when Thorn got its distinctive white colour. After the aristocratic ladies had fled, the French imposed a tax based on the size of the windows. The locals were often poor people living in large properties that previously belonged to the rich. To reduce the amount of tax they had to pay, many of them bricked up the windows and then whitewashed their houses to conceal the signs of their renovation work. Starting Location: