The Netherlands is one of the smallest but most important nations
in Europe. Its population is 15 million, yet its economy is
disproportionately large and a number of international corporations
are based there. Shell Oil is well known around the world as is Philips, the electronics company
which co-invented the CD, and Royal Ahold, an international grocery company which now owns the U.S. chain Giant
Foods. Rotterdam is the world's busiest port, positioned where the Rhine meets
the North Sea. Schiphol Airport is Europe's fourth busiest. Despite its limited size and high population density the Netherlands is
an important agricultural exporter and the world's number one producer of
flowers. The Netherlands receives a large number of international visitors each
year, and most Dutch adults speak at least one foreign language, particularly
English. Amsterdam is known as a gracious, liberal, and livable city sometimes called
the "Venice of the North" for its canals, though in fact its
architecture is more Georgian than Italian. The Netherlands is known for Gouda
and Edam cheeses as well as rijstaffel, a Dutch/Indonesian creation, and played an
important (consuming) role in the international wine trade, though more beer is
drunk today. The Dutch
have produced an unusual number of first-rank
artists, including Rembrandt, Vermeer, Van Gogh, and Mondrian. One
third of the country is below sea level and has been reclaimed from the water,
both salt and fresh.
Dutch History
The Netherlands had a difficult time emerging from the medieval political
structures created by heredity and aristocracy. It was a series of provinces
controlled by the Duke of Burgundy and then by the Hapsburgs, both the Austrians and
the Spanish. Resentment of the Spanish
king, Philip II, was fanned by the Reformation and the Calvinist Dutch created a
nation called the United Provinces through the Union of Utrecht in 1581, which
the Spanish finally recognized after the Eighty Years War. The seventeenth
century was an era of Dutch dominance in international shipping accompanied by
planting of colonies in North America (New Amsterdam), South America (Surinam), Asia
(Indonesia) and South Africa.
The Dutch had an quasi-parliamentary system with
the
Stadholder as central figure. This office was often held by the Prince of
Orange but was not necessarily hereditary or universal (each of the seven
provinces chose their own). Following Napoleon's invasion the Netherlands
was briefly united with Belgium, but differences in language, culture, and
religion caused the two to separate and establish their current borders around
1830. At this point a constitutional monarchy was created which exists to this day.
The Netherlands is unique in having 3 consecutive reigning Queens—since 1890 they have
had Queen Wilhelmina, Queen Juliana, and now Queen Beatrix. Incidentally, the
name of the house came from its previous connection to the tiny principality of
Orange, which was then in the Holy Roman Empire but adjacent to the Rhône (now in France). More
history.
Art & Amsterdam
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has an unparalleled collection of classic era Dutch art and should not be missed. It has many of Rembrandt's self portraits as well as his monumental painting "Night Watch". Vermeer's known work only consists of 35 paintings and many of them are in the Netherlands, with notable works at the Rijksmuseum or at the Mauritshuis. Vermeer is known for his use of light and a rare showing of his paintings in America at the National Gallery of Art was so popular it inspired private donors to open the museum during the government shutdown of 1994. The Dutch are especially famous for their portraits, still lifes, and landscape painting. Aside from its Golden Age, the Dutch are also represented in 20th century art with the De Stijl movement, Mondrian, and M. C. Escher.
Rembrandt |
Vermeer |
Van Gogh |
Adjacent to the Rijksmuseum is the Van Gogh Museum. While Van Gogh is one of the most famous artists today, with an instantly recognizable style, he did not sell any paintings during his lifetime and died unappreciated. His loss is the art lover's gain because it allowed a plethora of paintings to be gathered in one place, many more so than is true for his immediately appreciated contemporaries, such as Monet. For information on books and videos useful for VaCIE-VCCS delegates, click on More Dutch resources.
The Dutch have long been known for their outward-looking international perspective. They are founding members of the EU and NATO and have participated in many peace-keeping missions, such as in Macedonia. They have been regarded as a peaceful, orderly nation where "things work", and have a reputation of tolerance and progressiveness on issues such as gay marriage or euthanasia. Recently they gave up the guilder and embraced the euro (currently € 1 valued at about 90¢).
| Royal Netherlands Embassy in Washington, D.C. Extraordinarily informative site |  |
|
CIA Factbook on ND See what the spooks have to say. |
|
Netherlands Board
of Tourism  |
Dutch Internationalization in Education |
Amsterdam
Guide  |
|
| Education
in the Netherlands
|
Current Dutch movies |
| Education II | www.expatica.com |
September 01, 2003.
Comments to
ccowden@nvcc.edu 
