Holysloot? 'Sloot' is the Dutch word for 'ditch'. Why would a ditch be blessed?
'Holy' is just old Dutch for 'hollow' and denotes that the ditches in this part of Holland were particularly low-lying, and prone to flooding. Over the years a typical Dutch combination of dams and canals created a low-lying landscape of green meadows interrupted by streaks of water.
In 1921, after the last great flood left the villages here devastated, they made a pact with the devil: the big city, Amsterdam, could annex them, sniffing out centuries of independence. But in return, the landscape would remain protected guaranteeing a rural existence within city limits.
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