Top 10 Most Interesting Facts About the Netherlands
Here is the collection of Top 10 Most Amazing Facts About the Netherlands :-
1. The Dutch invented the first stock market in the world
The Netherlands has been characterized as the first modern economy in the world. The Amsterdam Stock Exchange is considered to be the oldest, still in operation stock exchange in the world. In the early 16th century, essential components of today’s Western economic model emerged in the Netherlands. The first modern stock trading was created in Amsterdam and the Dutch East India Company was the first publicly traded company.Both the stock market and the related idea of financing companies through the stock market are Dutch discoveries. It was founded in 1602. Amsterdam Stock Exchange is currently 420 years old. This was the beginning of the worldwide trade in shares. Investors from all walks of life were invited to buy shares. In 1606, they were given depositary receipts for their investments; these are now regarded as being the first shares ever issued. Investors could recuperate their money by selling their shares. For many years, the only trading activity on the exchange was trading shares of the Dutch East India Company.
2. There are more bicycles in the Netherlands than people
With a population of just under 18 million, the Netherlands has more bikes than people. There are over 22 million bicycles in the Netherlands. Cycling is a common mode of transport in the Netherlands, with 36% of Dutch people listing the bicycle as their most frequent way of getting around on a typical day. Cycling has a modal share of 27% of all trips nationwide. This high frequency of bicycle travel is enabled by excellent cycling infrastructure such as cycle paths, cycle tracks, protected intersections, ample bicycle parking and by making cycling routes shorter and more direct than car routes.
3. Amsterdam alone has over 1,200 bridges
Amsterdam has been nicknamed “Venice of the North”, due to its extensive network of 165 canals. There are 1,281 bridges in Amsterdam which connect the city’s 90 individual islands. The many canals and waterways make bridges a necessity. Amsterdam’s beautiful bridges are an icon of the city. There are several historic bridges, while others are decorated with bright flowers or lit up at night. Amsterdam has so many picturesque bridges adding to its lovely cityscape. You can even see 15 bridges at once.
4. There are over 1,000 windmills
One of its most iconic symbols, the windmill has played a vital role in the history of the Netherlands for centuries. There are still more than 1,000 windmills in Holland, with many still in use. Windmills in Holland had many different purposes; they utilized wind and water to generate energy to process, mix, grind and cut everything from hemp and grain to oil, paint and wood. Some of the best-known Holland windmills include those in UNESCO Sites Kinderdijk, Zaanse Schans and Schiedam. The Molen de Otter, still in operation in Amsterdam, is also used for drainage. The Molen de Valk in Leiden has been restored and now grinds grain once again. The oldest remaining windmill can be found in the province of Gelderland: the Zeddam tower mill, which was first written about in 1451.
5. One-third of the Netherlands is under sea level
The landscape of the Netherlands looks completely flat. Almost a third of the Netherlands is situated below sea level. The lowest point below sea level can be found in ‘Nieuwekerk aan den Ijssel’ and is 6,76 meter below sea level. The highest point above sea level can be found at the tri-border area where the Netherlands meets Belgium and Germany. This point is 323 meter above sea level.
6. Tulips are not native to the Netherlands
Tulips were rare and exotic plants and the Netherlands soon became fascinated by them. While tulips may be very popular in the Netherlands, but they didn’t originate there. They were originated in the Tien Shan mountain ranges in Central Asia. At the end of the 16th century that tulips were imported to Holland from the Ottoman Empire. They were already being cultivated by gardeners in the Ottoman Empire for decades. Although it’s not known exactly who first brought the tulip to Northwestern Europe. The most widely accepted story is that it was Oghier Ghislain de Busbecq, who was Emperor Ferdinand I’s ambassador to Suleyman the Magnificent who had seen the beautiful tulip flowers growing in the palace gardens of the Suleyman. The flower was first introduced to the Netherlands thanks to botanist Carolus Clusius and the bulbs he brought back from the Silk Road to his garden in Leiden in 1593. The Carolus Clusius wrote what’s considered the first major book about the flower.
At the beginning of the 17th century, everyone had become so besotted with tulips that people started using them as garden decoration. The popularity of the tulips became especially strong among the wealthiest, who used them to decorate their homes, and Flemish artists such as Jan Brueghel the Elder, who represented the flowers in their paintings. They soon became a major trading product in Holland and other parts of Europe. At the time, tulip bulbs were worth more than gold and were sold for 10 times what a commoner made in a year. Needless to say, the time period was appropriately named “tulip mania.” Tulips becomes Holland’s one of main exports and one of the things it’s most well-known for.
7. The national anthem is the oldest in the world
"Wilhelmus van Nassouwe", usually known as "Wilhelmus" is the national anthem of both the Netherlands and the Kingdom of the Netherland. It was written between 1569 and 1572, making it the oldest national anthem in use today, provided that the latter is defined as consisting of both a melody and lyrics. "Wilhelmus" originated in the Dutch Revolt, the nation's struggle to achieve independence from the Spanish Empire. Seven provinces were liberated in 1581, and the whole of The Netherlands finally gained independence from Spain in 1648 at the end of the 80 Years War.
The anthem's full name is 'Wilhelmus van Nassouwe' and it tells the story of the Revolt's leader William of Orange, who was a member of the House of Nassau, and his struggle to fight the Spanish and gain independence for his homeland. Today William is known as the Father of the Nation. The Wilhelmus was officially adopted as the national anthem in 1932. It has always been popular with parts of the Dutch population and resurfaced on several occasions in the course of Dutch history before gaining its present status.
8. Carrots are orange because of the Dutch
For centuries, almost all carrots were yellow, white or purple. But in the 17th century, most of those crunchy vegetables turned orange. It may have to do with Dutch politics. In the 17th century, Dutch growers cultivated orange carrots as a tribute to William of Orange, who is largely credited as the country's founding father. A thousand years of yellow, white and purple carrot history was wiped out in a generation. Even the Dutch national colour is orange, after the House of Orange.
In the late 1500s, the Dutch low countries were a Spanish colony, ruled as the Spanish Netherlands by Habsburg monarchs in Madrid. At that time William, Prince of Orange, who ruled territory, which is now in the south of France. He was also one of the main leaders during the Dutch Revolt, which began in 1566 and led to the formal recognition of a self-governing Dutch Republic more than 80 years later.
Though William was assassinated before independence from Spain was official. His descendants went on to occupy the Dutch throne when the republic was later abandoned in favor of a home-grown monarchy. They tried hard to establish orange as THE Dutch color, the farmers joined in the effort. According to the tale, Dutch farmers at the time began to develop and cultivate orange varieties of the carrot as a mark of respect for William's House of Orange. In the 17th century, the Dutch were the world’s biggest producer of carrots. By almost exclusively growing the orange kind, the orange became standard color of the vegetable.
9. The Netherlands is the world’s biggest flower exporter
The reason for ultimate popularity and beauty of Netherlands is the massive flower production there. Holland, the country of world’s beautiful flowers. The Netherlands is the largest flower producing country in the world with about 68% contribution of the annual flower production. Dutch growers breed and cultivate around 1,200 to 1,500 types flowers and plants. Wonderful blooms adds immense beauty to the Dutch nation.
For decades, the Netherlands has been the hub for global flower trading activities. The nation is one the world’s top exporters and importers of flowers. Cut Flowers was the 20th most exported product in Netherlands. In 2020, Netherlands exported $4.01B in Cut Flowers, making it the 1st largest exporter of Cut Flowers in the world. The main destination of Cut Flowers exports from Netherlands are Germany, United Kingdom, France, Russia, and Poland.
Holland is world famous for its wide fields of tulips with wonderful colors. Around 2 billion of these tulips are exported to many countries worldwide, with this number, the tulip is the most exported flower in the Netherlands. The Netherlands is also home to the world’s biggest flower auction FloraHolland. The company controls 90% of cut flower market in the Netherlands and its turnover is worth about $4 billion annually. The square of flower exchange is 75 of hectares. On flower auction, flowers are sold not only from the Netherlands, but also from Kenya, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium and several other countries too.
10. The Netherlands national flag is also the oldest tricolor flag dating back to 1572.
The flag of the Netherlands stands out from the rest of the world's flags as the oldest national tricolor that is still in use. The flag of the Netherlands is a horizontal tricolour of red, white, and blue. Its long history dates back to 1572, during the earliest days of the Dutch Revolt when a Netherlands flag became necessary to distinguish Dutch forces on the battlefield. It is one of the first tricolours and the oldest tricolour still in use today.
This particular flag was first waved by the Buccaneer Rebels known as the Geuzen who helped liberate the Netherlands from Spanish rule in the 16th century with a little help from a man named William of Orange. Although the orange, white, and blue is commonly considered the original Dutch flag. Under the annexation by France, flag was replaced by the Imperial French flag which has a colour scheme suspiciously similar to the Dutch. When the House of Orange resumed its rule of the Netherlands in 1913, the colours of the Dutch flag weren’t officially established. Both orange and red versions were flown, although government buildings tended to prefer the red, white, and blue flag. Since 1937, the flag has officially been the national flag of the Netherlands and of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The Netherlands has been characterized as the first modern economy in the world. The Amsterdam Stock Exchange is considered to be the oldest, still in operation stock exchange in the world. In the early 16th century, essential components of today’s Western economic model emerged in the Netherlands. The first modern stock trading was created in Amsterdam and the Dutch East India Company was the first publicly traded company.Both the stock market and the related idea of financing companies through the stock market are Dutch discoveries. It was founded in 1602. Amsterdam Stock Exchange is currently 420 years old. This was the beginning of the worldwide trade in shares. Investors from all walks of life were invited to buy shares. In 1606, they were given depositary receipts for their investments; these are now regarded as being the first shares ever issued. Investors could recuperate their money by selling their shares. For many years, the only trading activity on the exchange was trading shares of the Dutch East India Company.
2. There are more bicycles in the Netherlands than people
With a population of just under 18 million, the Netherlands has more bikes than people. There are over 22 million bicycles in the Netherlands. Cycling is a common mode of transport in the Netherlands, with 36% of Dutch people listing the bicycle as their most frequent way of getting around on a typical day. Cycling has a modal share of 27% of all trips nationwide. This high frequency of bicycle travel is enabled by excellent cycling infrastructure such as cycle paths, cycle tracks, protected intersections, ample bicycle parking and by making cycling routes shorter and more direct than car routes.
3. Amsterdam alone has over 1,200 bridges
Amsterdam has been nicknamed “Venice of the North”, due to its extensive network of 165 canals. There are 1,281 bridges in Amsterdam which connect the city’s 90 individual islands. The many canals and waterways make bridges a necessity. Amsterdam’s beautiful bridges are an icon of the city. There are several historic bridges, while others are decorated with bright flowers or lit up at night. Amsterdam has so many picturesque bridges adding to its lovely cityscape. You can even see 15 bridges at once.
4. There are over 1,000 windmills
One of its most iconic symbols, the windmill has played a vital role in the history of the Netherlands for centuries. There are still more than 1,000 windmills in Holland, with many still in use. Windmills in Holland had many different purposes; they utilized wind and water to generate energy to process, mix, grind and cut everything from hemp and grain to oil, paint and wood. Some of the best-known Holland windmills include those in UNESCO Sites Kinderdijk, Zaanse Schans and Schiedam. The Molen de Otter, still in operation in Amsterdam, is also used for drainage. The Molen de Valk in Leiden has been restored and now grinds grain once again. The oldest remaining windmill can be found in the province of Gelderland: the Zeddam tower mill, which was first written about in 1451.
5. One-third of the Netherlands is under sea level
The landscape of the Netherlands looks completely flat. Almost a third of the Netherlands is situated below sea level. The lowest point below sea level can be found in ‘Nieuwekerk aan den Ijssel’ and is 6,76 meter below sea level. The highest point above sea level can be found at the tri-border area where the Netherlands meets Belgium and Germany. This point is 323 meter above sea level.
6. Tulips are not native to the Netherlands
Tulips were rare and exotic plants and the Netherlands soon became fascinated by them. While tulips may be very popular in the Netherlands, but they didn’t originate there. They were originated in the Tien Shan mountain ranges in Central Asia. At the end of the 16th century that tulips were imported to Holland from the Ottoman Empire. They were already being cultivated by gardeners in the Ottoman Empire for decades. Although it’s not known exactly who first brought the tulip to Northwestern Europe. The most widely accepted story is that it was Oghier Ghislain de Busbecq, who was Emperor Ferdinand I’s ambassador to Suleyman the Magnificent who had seen the beautiful tulip flowers growing in the palace gardens of the Suleyman. The flower was first introduced to the Netherlands thanks to botanist Carolus Clusius and the bulbs he brought back from the Silk Road to his garden in Leiden in 1593. The Carolus Clusius wrote what’s considered the first major book about the flower.
At the beginning of the 17th century, everyone had become so besotted with tulips that people started using them as garden decoration. The popularity of the tulips became especially strong among the wealthiest, who used them to decorate their homes, and Flemish artists such as Jan Brueghel the Elder, who represented the flowers in their paintings. They soon became a major trading product in Holland and other parts of Europe. At the time, tulip bulbs were worth more than gold and were sold for 10 times what a commoner made in a year. Needless to say, the time period was appropriately named “tulip mania.” Tulips becomes Holland’s one of main exports and one of the things it’s most well-known for.
7. The national anthem is the oldest in the world
"Wilhelmus van Nassouwe", usually known as "Wilhelmus" is the national anthem of both the Netherlands and the Kingdom of the Netherland. It was written between 1569 and 1572, making it the oldest national anthem in use today, provided that the latter is defined as consisting of both a melody and lyrics. "Wilhelmus" originated in the Dutch Revolt, the nation's struggle to achieve independence from the Spanish Empire. Seven provinces were liberated in 1581, and the whole of The Netherlands finally gained independence from Spain in 1648 at the end of the 80 Years War.
The anthem's full name is 'Wilhelmus van Nassouwe' and it tells the story of the Revolt's leader William of Orange, who was a member of the House of Nassau, and his struggle to fight the Spanish and gain independence for his homeland. Today William is known as the Father of the Nation. The Wilhelmus was officially adopted as the national anthem in 1932. It has always been popular with parts of the Dutch population and resurfaced on several occasions in the course of Dutch history before gaining its present status.
8. Carrots are orange because of the Dutch
For centuries, almost all carrots were yellow, white or purple. But in the 17th century, most of those crunchy vegetables turned orange. It may have to do with Dutch politics. In the 17th century, Dutch growers cultivated orange carrots as a tribute to William of Orange, who is largely credited as the country's founding father. A thousand years of yellow, white and purple carrot history was wiped out in a generation. Even the Dutch national colour is orange, after the House of Orange.
In the late 1500s, the Dutch low countries were a Spanish colony, ruled as the Spanish Netherlands by Habsburg monarchs in Madrid. At that time William, Prince of Orange, who ruled territory, which is now in the south of France. He was also one of the main leaders during the Dutch Revolt, which began in 1566 and led to the formal recognition of a self-governing Dutch Republic more than 80 years later.
Though William was assassinated before independence from Spain was official. His descendants went on to occupy the Dutch throne when the republic was later abandoned in favor of a home-grown monarchy. They tried hard to establish orange as THE Dutch color, the farmers joined in the effort. According to the tale, Dutch farmers at the time began to develop and cultivate orange varieties of the carrot as a mark of respect for William's House of Orange. In the 17th century, the Dutch were the world’s biggest producer of carrots. By almost exclusively growing the orange kind, the orange became standard color of the vegetable.
9. The Netherlands is the world’s biggest flower exporter
The reason for ultimate popularity and beauty of Netherlands is the massive flower production there. Holland, the country of world’s beautiful flowers. The Netherlands is the largest flower producing country in the world with about 68% contribution of the annual flower production. Dutch growers breed and cultivate around 1,200 to 1,500 types flowers and plants. Wonderful blooms adds immense beauty to the Dutch nation.
For decades, the Netherlands has been the hub for global flower trading activities. The nation is one the world’s top exporters and importers of flowers. Cut Flowers was the 20th most exported product in Netherlands. In 2020, Netherlands exported $4.01B in Cut Flowers, making it the 1st largest exporter of Cut Flowers in the world. The main destination of Cut Flowers exports from Netherlands are Germany, United Kingdom, France, Russia, and Poland.
Holland is world famous for its wide fields of tulips with wonderful colors. Around 2 billion of these tulips are exported to many countries worldwide, with this number, the tulip is the most exported flower in the Netherlands. The Netherlands is also home to the world’s biggest flower auction FloraHolland. The company controls 90% of cut flower market in the Netherlands and its turnover is worth about $4 billion annually. The square of flower exchange is 75 of hectares. On flower auction, flowers are sold not only from the Netherlands, but also from Kenya, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium and several other countries too.
10. The Netherlands national flag is also the oldest tricolor flag dating back to 1572.
The flag of the Netherlands stands out from the rest of the world's flags as the oldest national tricolor that is still in use. The flag of the Netherlands is a horizontal tricolour of red, white, and blue. Its long history dates back to 1572, during the earliest days of the Dutch Revolt when a Netherlands flag became necessary to distinguish Dutch forces on the battlefield. It is one of the first tricolours and the oldest tricolour still in use today.
This particular flag was first waved by the Buccaneer Rebels known as the Geuzen who helped liberate the Netherlands from Spanish rule in the 16th century with a little help from a man named William of Orange. Although the orange, white, and blue is commonly considered the original Dutch flag. Under the annexation by France, flag was replaced by the Imperial French flag which has a colour scheme suspiciously similar to the Dutch. When the House of Orange resumed its rule of the Netherlands in 1913, the colours of the Dutch flag weren’t officially established. Both orange and red versions were flown, although government buildings tended to prefer the red, white, and blue flag. Since 1937, the flag has officially been the national flag of the Netherlands and of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
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