The former proud owners of the Huisje Merum were Mr. and Mrs. Jansen. Both had always lived and worked on a barge. After their retirement, they settled back in Merum out of homesickness. Mr. Jansen was always active in his vegetable garden, spent a lot of time with his horses, and was a great lover of shipping. He made his own replicas of ships and sailing boats. Mrs. Jansen made beautiful paintings of nature in the area. In this way, they lived in their little house for many years and enjoyed the surroundings.
The love for their little farm and the Limburg landscape was so great that they approached the Limburg Landscape Foundation to bequeath the house to them at the time they could no longer enjoy it themselves.
The Limburg Landscape Foundation became the heir to the house under the condition that the cottage and its immediate surroundings would be preserved. With the consent of the couple, it was decided to convert the farmhouse into a vacation home in due course. In this way, many more after them would be able to enjoy this little gem.