The Docking Basin in the Barge Canal in Leidschendam, Paulus Constantijn la Fargue, 1756
A good public transport system by water existed in the west and north of the Netherlands from the middle of the 17th century. Horse-drawn barges were crucial to this system. An extensive network of canals crisscrossing the flat, watery countryside made it possible to travel easily and inexpensively.