The city of Amersfoort lies in the Dutch province of Utrecht on the river Eem. The city owes its characteristic street layout to a double ring of canals and a river harbor. Thanks to that visitors to the city can see many buildings – both historic tenement houses and modern terraced houses – located directly above the waterline. Amersfoort can be explored canals from the canals in boats specially prepared for tourist. Some city dwellers also own small crafts, as new housing developments are often designed so that the lowest floors touch the waterline.