| Netherlands
City Information |
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In a country where you can get a sex change on the national health
scheme, and where Hilde and her two dads can share a joint to celebrate
that she likes boys too, why does the washing up always get done straight
after dinner? The Netherlands has managed to combine liberal attitudes
with one of the most orderly societies on earth, in a community that
manages to be radical and sensible without being silly or staid. The
Dutch aren't bogged in their clichés, even though bikes, dykes,
windmills and blazing flower fields are pretty much the norm outside
the major cities.
For travellers, the integration of the clog and the microchip works
well. The Netherlands is easy to travel in and the locals are friendly
and speak excellent English, but towns are still surrounded by canals
and castle walls, the endlessly flat landscape which inspired the nation's
early artists still stretches unbroken to the horizons, and the dykes
still occasionally threaten to give way. |
Full country name : Kingdom of the Netherlands
Area :
41,160 sq km
Population : 15,800,000
Capital city
: Amsterdam (population 725,000)
People : Over 95% of the
population are Dutch (Germanic and Gallo-Celtic stock), most of the rest
are Indonesian, Surinamese or Moroccan
Languages : Netherlandic
(Dutch & Flemish), Frisian
Religion : 60% Christian (Roman
Catholic and Protestant), 3% Muslim
Government : Constitutional
monarchy |
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Amsterdam
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Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, is among the world’s finest
and most interesting cities. It derives its specific character from numerous
canals and historical monuments. Most of the 7,000 monuments date from
the ‘Golden Age’ in the 17th century, when trade brought great
affluence to the city. |
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Rotterdam |
History : The people of Rotterdam keep their eyes firmly focused
on the present and the future, but without forgetting the past. The city
and its port were leveled during World War II. Rotterdam has transformed
itself and is perhaps most noteworthy for its stunning avant-garde architecture.
Multicultural, cutting edge and buzzing with energy, Rotterdam gives us
a thrilling glimpse of major cities in the future.
 Places
to be : Rotterdam is extremely multicultural and has many different
types of cuisine and restaurants and pubs. Do you feel like a quick bite
or are you in the mood for a culinary tour de force? Rotterdam is certainly
the place for you!
Highlights : Rotterdam is one of the
few thoroughly modern cities in Holland. Located on the Maas River, it
is the world’s largest port. The city offers adventuresome modern
architecture and delightful culture. There is an abundance of attractions,
festivals and museums. Rotterdam has a swinging, young city culture.
Shopping : Stop to shop in Rotterdam. The department stores,
trendy, funky stores, and exclusive boutiques and galleries offer a wide
variety in products, designer furniture, imported wares and fashion. The
"Lijnbaan," famous for being Europe's very first (1960) pedestrian
shopping district, is still Rotterdam’s main shopping street. |
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The Hague |
History : When Count Willem II chose The Hague as his residence
in 1248, it meant the beginning of the city’s development into the
multi-faceted city we know today. The small village was chosen as the
setting for a hunting lodge, but expanded into a complex that today is
the heart of the country’s administrative government. The many palaces
in The Hague still bear witness to the royal blood that has been traversing
the city’s veins since 1248.
Places to be : Wine and dine in royal style in The Hague’s
numerous restaurants and cafés. Each square and street and the
two boulevards have their own special ambience, and you will see many
sidewalk cafés. Enjoy a scrumptious lunch on Grote Markt, see and
be seen on Plein Square, meet the locals on Denneweg, relax over a drink
while admiring the sunset at the beach or swing until the wee hours in
a club.
Highlights : The Hague is a great place for a
vacation. The traditional seat of Holland’s Royal Family and Government,
The Hague never fails to impress visitors with its relaxed and elegant
atmosphere. And on top of that, there is the coast, the seaside resorts
of Scheveningen and Kijkduin and the North Sea! This stylish city houses
many museums, parks and avenues, elegant palaces and parliament buildings,
and the historic town of Delft is only minutes away.
Shopping
: The Hague offers so much that “shopaholics” simply won’t
be able to tear themselves away. It not only boasts branches of all major
department stores, but also a variety of cosmopolitan boutiques and countless
galleries and antique stores, as well as fascinating curiosity shops.
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Utrecht |
| Utrecht, city in the central Netherlands, capital of Utrecht
Province, located where the Kromme Rijn divides to form the Oude Rijn
and Vecht rivers (branches of the Lower Rhine River). It is a commercial,
manufacturing, financial, and transportation center. Major products include
machinery, processed food, metal items, chemicals, clothing, furniture,
and printed materials. Tourism and construction are also important to
the city's economic base. Utrecht is the site of the State University
of Utrecht (1636), the Utrecht Conservatory (1947), and the State Archives
of Utrecht (1843). Points of interest include the Central Museum, which
contains a collection of works by Utrecht artists from the 15th to the
19th century; the Museum of the Utrecht Province Society of Arts and Sciences,
with displays of pre-Roman, Roman, and early medieval items; the Netherlands
Railway Museum; and a Protestant cathedral (13th-16th century; severely
damaged by a hurricane in 1674).
First settled as a Roman fortress, the community became an episcopal
see in the 690s and was ruled by the bishops of Utrecht until 1527,
when it passed to the Habsburgs. In 1579 it was the scene of the signing
of the Union of Utrecht, an alliance of Dutch provinces against Spain.
From 1713 to 1715, several treaties were concluded in the city. These
treaties were collectively known as the Peace of Utrecht and brought
the War of the Spanish Succession to a close. Population 234,323 (2000). |