The Dutch say that God created the rest of the world but that they created the Netherlands. The country is, indeed, a feat of engineering, and since most of it is below sea level, vigorous pumping and a series of dikes have created thousands of square kilometers of land (including Amsterdam) that were once under water. What was once inhabited by seaweed and cod is now littered with cows, cheese, windmills, and the occasional city. The Holland is a country where freedom has come with responsibility and hard work. It is a country where the word "land" means something special valuable resource won from the sea. For, in literal terms, when you walk on dry land in The Netherlands, your head is barely above sea level in some places, and well below it in others. Amsterdam itself is 10 feet below sea level.
To the outside world, the enduring image of The Netherlands is of a land unremittingly flat, criss crossed by canals and dotted with windmills. Popular imagination conjures up pictures of clogs, cheese and swaths of brightly colored tulips. Then there is Amsterdam, the lively, lovely and evocative capital, seen by many as a slightly wicked city.
The Kingdom of The Netherlands is, of course, a far more complex and fascinating entity than such assumptions imply. Although the country is often known as Holland, this name actually only relates to the
country's heavily populated western provinces of Noord (North) and Zuid (South) Holland. These provinces contain the main cities, such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague (Den Haag), known collectively as the Randstad, or "Ring Town." Compared with this heavily urbanized area, The Netherlands' other provinces offer the visitor a remarkably diverse landscape and regional cultures that will correct any misconception that the country is homogeneous.
Land from the Sea
The Netherlands is a small country, just
under 15,500 square miles in area. Its
eastern neighbor, Germany, is nine
times larger. To the south lies Belgium,
once part of the United Provinces of
The Netherlands but an
independent nation since 1830. To the
north and west of The Netherlands lies
the North Sea, and it is with this near
neighbor that the Dutch have their
most pressing relationship. You will
not be too aware of the sea in
Amsterdam or The Hague. You need
to go north to Noord Holland and
Friesland, or south to Zeeland, to f . uliv
appreciate the astonishing control over
their watery environment that the
Dutch have engineered.
For the definitive story of land reclamation, visit the fascinating Zuiderzeemuseum in Enkhuizen or travel across the Afsluitdijk, a 20 mile dam that seals the great inland lake of lisselmeer and connects Noord Holland to Friesland. You could go south to Zeeland, a glittering mosaic of water within a vast web of land. There you 11 want to visit the WaterLand Neeltje OF Jans in Burgh Haamstede in Zeeland to learn about the Delta Plan. This system
of huge dams and movable barriers was built after the storm driven North Sea breached the existing dykes in 1953, killed more than 1,800 people and devastated the countryside.
Exploring Inland
Beyond these water lands beyond the great dunes and beaches of the North Sea coast, and the red, white and neonbright lights of Amsterdam lie the delights of the landlocked Netherlands. In the south, Limburg is known as the Dutch "hill country." In the province of
Noord Brabant, the De Kempen region's landscape of sandy heath and woodland is a very different image than that of the "flat" Holland most people envision. You can explore Gelderland meadows and orchards; the serene villages and waterways of Overijssel , and the moorlands and flower filled bogs of Drenthe, so beloved by Vincent van Gogh. They all add to the variety of rural Netherlands. In the north country, in Groningen, the quintessential Dutch images of windmills, clogs and flat green landscapes reassert themselves.
In neighboring Friesland you will find
another country altogether, a province
with its own language and distinctive
cultural heritage.
Reaching these fascinating districts
is not difficult. Public transportation in
The Netherlands is efficient and
generally inexpensive. Virtually every
place is within a three hour train ride
from Amsterdam. Excellent bus
services run between cities, and there is
an extensive bus network linking towns
and villages in the provinces. Driving in
rural areas is convenient and reasonably
straightforward, but in urban areas it
can be stressful.
The Dutch say that God created the rest of the world but that they created the Netherlands. The country is, indeed, a feat of engineering, and since most of it is below sea level, vigorous pumping and a series of dikes have created thousands of square kilometers of land (including Amsterdam) that were once under water. What was once inhabited by seaweed and cod is now littered with cows, cheese, windmills, and the occasional city. The Holland is a country where freedom has come with responsibility and hard work. It is a country where the word "land" means something special valuable resource won from the sea. For, in literal terms, when you walk on dry land in The Netherlands, your head is barely above sea level in some places, and well below it in others. Amsterdam itself is 10 feet below sea level.
The Kingdom of The Netherlands is, of course, a far more complex and fascinating entity than such assumptions imply. Although the country is often known as Holland, this name actually only relates to the
country's heavily populated western provinces of Noord (North) and Zuid (South) Holland. These provinces contain the main cities, such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague (Den Haag), known collectively as the Randstad, or "Ring Town." Compared with this heavily urbanized area, The Netherlands' other provinces offer the visitor a remarkably diverse landscape and regional cultures that will correct any misconception that the country is homogeneous.
For the definitive story of land reclamation, visit the fascinating Zuiderzeemuseum in Enkhuizen or travel across the Afsluitdijk, a 20 mile dam that seals the great inland lake of lisselmeer and connects Noord Holland to Friesland. You could go south to Zeeland, a glittering mosaic of water within a vast web of land. There you 11 want to visit the WaterLand Neeltje OF Jans in Burgh Haamstede in Zeeland to learn about the Delta Plan. This system
of huge dams and movable barriers was built after the storm driven North Sea breached the existing dykes in 1953, killed more than 1,800 people and devastated the countryside.
In neighboring Friesland you will find
another country altogether, a province
with its own language and distinctive
cultural heritage.
