Rainbow houses, Houten, Netherlands Sep. 29, 2025

You won"t find souvenir shops or tourist maps pointing the way—but follow the edge of Lake Rietplas in Houten, and you"ll stumble upon one of the Netherlands" most unexpectedly photogenic sights. While many flock to Amsterdam"s canals or Rotterdam"s cube houses, this quiet commuter town offers its own architectural twist. Lined up like a mirage, the Rainbow Houses shimmer in bold, painterly hues—a residential block turned an understated cultural landmark.

© George Pachantouris/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Blurring the lines with wearable art
Sep. 29, 2023Mid-Autumn Festival
Sep. 29, 2024West Cornwall Covered Bridge, Connecticut, USA

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Poetry in suspense
Oct. 30, 2025Pushkar Camel Fair
Aug. 28, 2023Dubrovnik, Croatia
This museum sets the prairie on fire
An old bridge in a new light
Sep. 15, 2025Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia
Aug. 3, 2025Blooming sunflowers
Where is this ethereal mountain?
Sep. 8, 2024International Literacy Day
King of the ocean
Getting starry-eyed at the moon
Frosty Finland
Stairway to heaven?
A pink moon over Arizona
Jun. 18, 2025Pollinator Week
May 10, 2024Canadian Tulip Festival
Whos in this creepy copse?
Look up, incoming…
Birthplace of the Renaissance
Stretching to the sky
Apr. 9, 2024World Ski and Snowboard Festival
A future built on the past
Feb. 26, 2025Castle Stalker, Argyll, Scotland
Jun. 19, 2024Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya
Jul. 28, 2025World Nature Conservation Day
An engineering marvel
May 30, 2025Little Pigeon River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, United States
Mar. 19, 2024Spring equinox
Mar. 15, 2024Abbotsford, British Columbia
Hot enough to howl