“It’s a shame that we are already demolishing everything,” says resident Noam, as she gives a tour of the site. “It’s a total mess now, but it was always very beautiful here.” Noam and her boyfriend Matthieu have lived in one of the houses on Zuider IJdijk for the past two years.
According to Mathieu, the breeding ground has always been loved by the neighborhood. “InHolland University of Applied Sciences has been located here for a few years now. Many students took a detour past Fort Knox between lectures.”
That is now a thing of the past, because this week everything that is still on the site will be razed to the ground. The ground here will be raised from the beginning of next year. After that, about 1,800 homes must be built. The so-called Baaibuurt is one of the places where the city wants to do something about the housing shortage.
‘Peace-loving hippies’
There is therefore no resistance to departure among these residents. Perhaps that is because they have already given up hope, but Noam and Malou say they understand that homes need to be built. “Although those are not homes that we can afford”
“You don’t want to get the image of a reluctant anarchist. We really want to cooperate with the system and find our own place in it. We have no desire to get angry at all. Actually, we are just peace-loving hippies. But it would be nice when more creative places are offered again.”
There are fewer and fewer places like that, Noam and Matthieu note. The municipality does have a policy on breeding grounds, but according to Matthieu they are not suitable for artists who work with large equipment.
1500 euros
Moreover, says Matthieu, these are not breeding grounds where artists can also live. “An artist often does not have money for a home and a workplace.” “And if I have to rent a place somewhere, I also have to work full-time,” says Noma, “These kinds of places are made for people who can give something back to the city.”