You’re familiar with Google Street View, which allows you to explore streets digitally, but did you know that you can use it to travel through time? Or view the whole of the Netherlands from above with one website dating back to 1815? In this article, we’ll show you how to do just that.
View More Dates in Google Maps
Cities, neighborhoods, and rural areas change over the years. For example, new trees are planted, houses are renovated, and roads are constructed. Google Maps has a fascinating feature that lets you travel back in time via Street View. Follow the steps below to get involved.
- Open Google Maps on your Android smartphone or tablet;
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Find the location you want to see in the past;
This can be done by entering an address in the search bar or by long pressing the screen until a red pin appears.
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When the street is available in Street View, a square will appear at the bottom right;
Click on that to enable Street View.
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Click on ‘View more dates’ and select how far into the past you want to go.
You can now zoom and swipe to look around. Don’t see the option here? Then try a different location.
This is how you can use Google Maps to view the past. How much has the neighborhood changed? Did your house even exist ten years ago? Let us know in the comments below. For those who want to go even further into the past, we have another tip.
Also Interesting: Topo Time Travel
Topotijdreis takes you even further into the past, all the way back to the year 1815. The website overlays different historical maps, giving you a view of the Netherlands from above in various years. The website is user-friendly and works on Android smartphones, tablets, and your computer.
The website works as follows: zoom in and out and swipe to navigate through the map. You can swipe the year up or down on the left side to go back further or less back in time. Each map is designed slightly differently, but you can also choose to view aerial photos from 2006.
If you’re curious about how your city, village, or residential location has changed over the years, tap the three lines at the top right of the screen. Click on ‘Compare’ and then the cross. You can set two different years to see the differences on the map side by side.
Explore the past with Google Maps and Topotijdreis.nl. What fascinates you the most? Let us know in the comments below. Want more great tips for Android? Add us to your Google News and view the messages below.