Along with other colonies established by the Society of Benevolence, Veenhuizen was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2021, for its testimony to a unique method of housing reform and its urban planning[3] The history of Veenhuizen goes back to the late Middle Ages but only as an insignificant hamlet alongside a little stream called the "Slokkert".

The company bought 30 km² of land to found colonies which would house and provide work for the poor from the large cities in the west of the Netherlands.

Veenhuizen used to be closed off to everyone but the inmates and the staff and their families lived in housing (most now newly built in the 1970s, 80's and 90's) provided by the department.

The village was treated as private companies grounds which also meant that the police had no jurisdiction there, meaning that moped-riding youth were thus exempt from traffic violations.

Since 1984 the village is freely accessible for all and houses a tea-garden, a pub (for the very first time in its existence) as well as the national museum for correctional facilities.

The whole village, including the museum and remnants of the original early 19th-century poorhouse-living project, was nominated to become a World Heritage Site in 2011 and was inscribed in 2021.