The Snake House - Follow up

Some months back I visited Amsterdam in The Netherlands and posted two photos of the "Snake House" which I was drawn to while walking about the city.  At the time, I really wasn't able to provide much information about what the "Save the Snake House" issue was all about.

The Snake House, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Well, I have finally been able to find out a bit more from an article entitled "Snake House Has Final Decision In 27 Days" and a blog post entitled "A Snake In The Dam".    

It turns out that for many years the Snake House has been inhabited by squatting artists.  Now, in Amsterdam, squatting apparently means something a little different than it does in the US. It means living cheaply and covering costs like heating and electricity, at least from what I can gather.  And the artist's living there made the first floor into something of an art and cultural center hosting events for the local community.

The Snake House is reported to have been inhabited by such squatters for over thirty years, long enough to make the building theirs (believe me, I don't have the slightest idea if this is truly the case based on Dutch law) but in 2010 squatting was made illegal.  In 2008 the building was bought by a group that wants to convert it into luxury condos (sound like a familiar story?).  The court is apparently set to rule on the issue in January.

The details are in the articles linked above.  I will report back in January if I can find out what the outcome is!