The Goude Leeuwin

For almost 250 years, there was a daily boat connection between Maassluis and Delft, which, like the buses and trains of today, departed precisely on time every day. Between 1645 and 1891, three trekschuiten (horse-drawn barges) sailed back and forth every day. The distance was 13.5 km and the journey took about two hours. After 1900, the trekschuit had disappeared as a means of passenger transportation due to the rise of the train.

A trekschuit is much like a canal ferry. Except that there is one important difference, the trekschuit is pulled forward from the shore. Usually by a horse, but sometimes also by manpower. So, the engine of the trekschuit is a horse on the shore. In other words, a trekschuit is pulled along this way. There used to be horse-drawn barges for freight transport and also for passenger transport. In Maassluis, trekschuiten for freight transport were built 300 years ago.