An Introduction to The Netherlands

Although known as "Holland" by English speakers, the country is officially referred to as the Kingdom of the Netherlands. (The two western provinces of the North and South are called Holland, and the majority of the population resides here.) Holland has a surprisingly varied landscape and besides the lush flat greenery and luminescent skies, the country has sandy coastlines, islands, peninsulas, woodlands, and orchards in addition to the flower regions near Amsterdam. However, windmills may just be the country's most famous feature. The first settlers of the Netherlands began to build dykes to hold back water and reclaim land from the North Sea over 2000 years ago and it's been a full time job ever since. For centuries, the Dutch have been working to push back the water of the new bay, Zuiderzee (South Sea), which was formed when the North Sea flooded the country in 1287. They built dykes and created polders (the name used for land reclaimed from the sea). Canals (weterigen) and pumps were used to keep drain the land and keep it dry. Windmills were used to pump the water off the land. Full control over the water was never possible and the Netherlands suffered severe flooding over 30 times in past centuries. Once there were over 10,000 windmills in The Netherlands and about 1000 remain. Although they have since been replaced by electricity and diesel driven pumps, many of the windmills remained and even proved their worth during WWII when diesel fuel was scarce. About 27 % of the modern-day Netherlands lies below sea level and these regions are home to about 60% of the population.

The Aalsmeer Bloemenveiling is the world's largest flower auction and a center for trade in horticultural products. Approximately 7,000 growers supply the 18 million flowers and 2 million plants that are sold here daily. More than three-quarters of these are exported. The auction building is the largest trade center in the world (at more than 8 million square feet in size), and multiple auction halls equipped with sophisticated electronic technology allow thousands of dealers to bid simultaneously.

Amsterdam is an unusual European capital in that it offers the culture, history, food, entertainment, and good transport of a large urban area -- yet it is has the ambiance and appeal of a much smaller city. The old center is surrounded by three concentric ring canals (Herengracht, Keizersgracht, and Prinsengracht). The streets that connect the ring canals are full of lovely shops, especially the section between Brouwersgracht and Leidsestraat. There are also many hofjes (courtyards) hidden away between houses in the Jordaan, an area to the west of the ring canals.

Amsterdam is especially well known for its three major museums (the Rijksmuseum, the Stedelijk, and the Van Gogh Museum), which are centrally situated around Museumplein. The Rijksmuseum contains the largest collection of art in Holland and a much-visited section of works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Frans Hals, and Jan Steen. The Stedelijk offers a large collection of modern art, while the Van Gogh Museum houses the world's richest collection of works by Vincent Van Gogh.

Delft, known as the city of princes, is one of the best-preserved towns in Holland and the birthplace of 17th-century painter Johannes Vermeer. In the old city center is an intricate tapestry of canals, cobbled streets, and charming pedestrian bridges. The flower-lined Wijnhaven is one of the town's prettiest streets. Delft is known throughout the world for its blue pottery; and the Porcelyne Fles prides itself in the production of traditional, hand-made pieces.

Gouda is an historic trading center situated between Amsterdam and Rotterdam. In the 15th century, wealthy Gouda was Holland's fifth-largest town. Today, it is internationally-known for its beautiful Gothic Town Hall (Stadhuis). At two minutes past the hour and half-hour, there are chimes and a puppet show here that depict the moment in 1272 when Gouda received its city rights from Floris V. St. John's Church (St. Janskerk) has stained glass windows that date from the 16th century and are remarkable for the way in which the artist used small pieces of lead to enforce the images.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, Haarlem was a center of Dutch painting; and the great portrait artist, Frans Hals worked here. Since that period, the city has been a tulip-growing center and an important export point for bulbs. Among Haarlem's numerous historic buildings are the 15th-century Church of St. Bavo (Groote Kerk), which contains a magnificent organ played by Mozart at the age of ten. There are also many gabled medieval houses, including a sprinkling of beautiful Dutch almshouses.

The tidal river Hollandse Ijssel has two faces. Between Gouda and Rotterdam, it is a busy commercial waterway. But between Gouda and Nieuwegein, it is a lovely small river in 'the green heart of Holland'. Here, the landscape consists of wide tracts of reclaimed land situated (on average) more than six feet below sea level and separated by numerous canals.

Each spring, Keukenhof Gardens becomes Holland's premier flower attraction when its 70-acre park is abloom with millions of flowers in all colors. Bulbs are planted in layers by about thirty gardeners from the end of September until the first frost. Late-blooming tulips are planted deepest in the ground with early-blooming tulips and crocuses above them so that colors show three times at the same spot in the park. More than 14,000 pounds of grass seed is also sown each year to ensure a fresh, green lawn beside the colorful splendor of flowers.

The world's highest windmills and gin distilleries give Schiedam its unique charm. Most of the famous Dutch jenever factories are located here (only the Netherlands and Flanders can use the original name for this liquor) and famous Schiedam distilleries include Melkers, Henkes, and Hasekamp. The city is in South Holland and was formed when a small village sprung up around a dam at the river Schie around 1250. The city received its charter in 1275 and has a historic city center, ruins of a 13th century castle, a 14th century church, and a 16th century town hall. The most famous landmarks here, of course, are the five windmills of Schiedam, the highest in the world. In the 19th century, Schiedam had 20 windmills which were used for grinding grain for the distilleries. Now, only 5 of these 'giants' remain. Most were built in the late 18th century and have delightful names such as The Whale, The Three Cornflowers, and The Palm Tree. The latter was actually rebuilt and restored in 1993 and is now a museum which demonstrates the workings of a windmill complete with a miller who explains the process from grinding the grain through delivery to the baker.