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netherlands:
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The Netherlands recorded history starts with the Roman invasion halfway the first century A.D. but it had its
heydays in the 17th century when it disputed hegemony of the Seven Seas with the English and the
that period New York, parts of Brazil, a series of forts along the African Coast and
the Colonies in Indonesia formed part of the vast Dutch Empire.
Though most historic town centers in The Netherlands date back to the Dark Ages, most building was done in era of oversea expansion
and in the nineteenth century when the country finally took the industrial revolution seriously. In Amsterdam,
Utrecht or Leiden you can see the big 17th century mansions once owned by
the commanders of the Dutch fleet and those of the rich merchants who financed the wars with their overseas gains. They were the Dutch elite
by lack of real aristocracy. The preferred small items of great value stashed away in their mansions over baroque palaces. Though the Dutch
never were really extravagant and did not have a real court like there were in Germany, France and Spain, they were very proud of themselves.
This can still be seen in the countless portrait paintings they commissioned. They also were the patrons of the famous Dutch painters like
Rembrandt, Van Hals or Vermeers.
Apart from the glory days of the 17th century there is much in the Netherlands to attract the present day visitor. Visitors will find
a very open, relaxed and international atmosphere, some great museums with both modern art and historical chef-d'oeuvres. Due to the
bombardment that levelled the city and the reckless renovations that followed Rotterdam is the only real
modern town of The Netherlands (not to mention, the second largest seaport in the world), not counting boring suburbs like Lelystad or Almere.
Especially compared to mega cities like Paris, Berlin, London or even
Brussels, the Dutch cities are all somewhat provincial and lacking the great gesture. Nonetheless places like
Den Bosch ('s Hertogenbosch) and Nijmegen are also certainly worth a
visit, with the latter being close to the national park 'Hoge Veluwe'.
Information here (unless otherwise specified) are licenced
under a Creative
Commons Licence.
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