Life in a Sod Hut in 1918, The Netherlands

This rare archival footage offers a poignant glimpse into the austere life in a "plaggenhut"—a primitive turf sod hut—in the Dutch province of Drenthe over a century ago, in 1918. Filmed amid the rugged landscapes of the northern Netherlands, the film captures the simplicity and hardship of rural existence, with families enduring the earth-walled shelters typical of impoverished farming communities. A stark testament to early 20th-century rural life, this window into the past grips history buffs and those fascinated by the Netherlands’ humble beginnings before modernization.