Voorstraat 265, Dordrecht

Voorstraat 265 is a narrow residential building in Dordrecht with a single-window-wide facade decorated with horizontal stone bands across its exterior. The structure rests directly above a historic waterway passage called Donkere Steiger.

Built in 1632, this house was completed during Dordrecht's period of commercial expansion. The waterway passage beneath it has functioned as a key link to the harbor since 1419, showing the site's enduring importance to maritime trade.

Countess Helena van Beijeren lived here from 1838 to 1858 after leaving court life. The narrow building reflects how wealthy families adapted to living in one of the city's busiest and most crowded neighborhoods.

The building can be viewed from the street, and original medieval wooden beams remain visible in the passage running underneath, revealing traditional construction methods. The narrow layout means you will see more of the structure by looking upward and examining the vaulted passage beneath rather than expecting a wide frontage.

This house competes for the title of Dordrecht's narrowest building, with a facade barely wider than a single window. This extreme narrowness allowed builders to construct it directly over an existing waterway access point, revealing how cleverly property owners worked within tight urban constraints.