The Netherlands, also known as Holland, is a small country located in Western Europe with a population of over 17 million people. Despite its relatively small size, the Netherlands has had an enormous impact on the world and is known for many things.
Tolerant and progressive society
The Dutch have a long history of being open-minded and tolerant. The Netherlands was the first country to legalize same-sex marriage in 2001. Dutch society is also very progressive in areas like drug policy, euthanasia, abortion rights, and gender equality.
Amsterdam, the capital city, is well-known for its liberal drug policies. It decriminalized cannabis use in the 1970s and has licensed coffeeshops where marijuana can be purchased and consumed legally. The Netherlands has also allowed physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients since 2002.
The Dutch were early adopters of women’s rights and gender equality. As early as the 1600s, Dutch women could inherit property and shares in companies. Today, women have access to excellent education and hold positions of power in business and government.
Bicycles
The Netherlands is often called the “cycling capital of the world.” There are more bicycles than residents, with over 22.5 million bikes in the country! Cycling is deeply embedded in Dutch culture and is the main mode of transportation for many Dutch people.
Almost everyone in the Netherlands, from young children to the elderly, rides bikes. Cities like Amsterdam and Utrecht have expansive bike lane networks that connect every part of the urban areas. There are also massive bicycle parking facilities at train stations to support bike commuting.
The Dutch government actively promotes cycling through infrastructure funding and public awareness campaigns. As a result, the Netherlands has one of the highest rates of bicycle usage in the world, with over a quarter of all trips made by bike.
Trade and commerce
For centuries, the Netherlands has been known as a trading nation. In the 1600s, the Dutch East India Company established trading posts and colonies throughout Asia to import spices, textiles, and other goods back to Europe.
Amsterdam became the financial center of Europe in the 17th century. The Amsterdam Stock Exchange, established in 1602, was the first of its kind. It allowed companies to issue stocks and bonds to raise capital.
Today, the Netherlands has a prosperous open economy. It is one of the world’s top agricultural exporters, with major food exports like cheese, meat, and vegetables. The Netherlands is also home to multinational companies like Shell, Philips, Heineken, and Unilever.
Rotterdam, the second largest city, is Europe’s biggest port. The city’s huge shipping port highlights the Dutch expertise in international trade and transportation logistics.
Flood protection and water management
With over a quarter of its land below sea level, the Netherlands has spent centuries battling against water. Dikes and levees were built as early as the Middle Ages to protect towns and reclaimed land from flooding.
In the 20th century, the Dutch developed an ingenious national system of dams, dikes, storm surge barriers, and pumps to hold back the sea and control flooding. This flood control infrastructure, known as the Delta Works, is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.
Dutch expertise in hydroengineering and water management is now exported around the globe. Dutch companies are helping build flood defense systems, ports, and artificial islands in many coastal regions worldwide.
Liberal social policies
The Netherlands has very liberal social policies compared to most countries. Dutch policies promote individual freedom, tolerance of diversity, and social progress.
Cannabis use and possession of small amounts is decriminalized, as well as the licensed sale of marijuana in coffeeshops. The Netherlands was also the first country to legalize same-sex marriage. Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are permitted under Dutch law for terminally ill patients.
The Dutch have very liberal views on issues like prostitution, abortion, pornography, and drug use compared to neighboring countries. These social policies are meant to protect human rights and regulate behaviors, rather than criminalize them.
Work-life balance
The Netherlands has a strong culture of work-life balance. Dutch workers average about 29 hours per week, less than most other developed nations. Many employees work part-time, especially women when raising families.
The Netherlands mandates a minimum of 20 vacation days per year for employees. Dutch companies also offer flexible work schedules so employees can maintain a healthy work-life balance. As a result, the Netherlands has one of the highest rates of part-time employment in the EU.
In many Dutch families, fathers are encouraged to take time off for parenting duties (known as vaderschapsverlof). Overall, Dutch corporate culture emphasizes productivity over time spent at the office.
Football (soccer)
Football is the most popular sport in the Netherlands. The Dutch national football team is one of the best teams globally, having been runners-up at the 2010 World Cup and finishing 3rd place in 2014.
Johan Cruyff, considered one of the greatest football players ever, is Dutch. Ajax Amsterdam is one of the most famous football clubs in the world. They have won many domestic and European titles over the decades.
The Netherlands is the home country of other legendary soccer players like Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben, and Memphis Depay.
Art
The Netherlands has an iconic art tradition that has impacted the world. Dutch Golden Age painters like Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Frans Hals revolutionized realist painting in the 17th century.
Rembrandt is considered one of the greatest visual artists ever. His masterpieces like The Night Watch and self-portraits showcase his technical skills and deep understanding of emotion and lighting.
Post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh was also Dutch. Although underappreciated in his life, van Gogh’s vivid color and dreamlike paintings like The Starry Night later greatly influenced expressionism.
Architecture
Dutch urban architecture is very distinct, especially the beautiful historic towns and cities. Narrow brick houses line charming canals in cities like Amsterdam, Leiden, and Utrecht.
Many Dutch buildings have tall, steep gables that were used to hoist furniture into the attic. Other iconic architectural features are stepped facades and decorative neck gables on building fronts.
In the 20th century, famous Dutch architects like Berlage, Oud, Rietveld, and Van Eyck helped establish the influential International Style of modernist architecture.
Cheese
The Dutch are renowned globally for their cheese, with over 350 varieties produced in the Netherlands! Gouda and Edam are the most famous Dutch cheeses.
Gouda is a yellow cow’s milk cheese named after the city it originally came from. It has a mild, nutty flavor that pairs well with wine and beer. Edam is a pale yellow cheese often wrapped in red paraffin wax. It is mild when young but gets a sharper taste with age.
World-famous Dutch cheese markets like Alkmaar attract millions of tourists. Dutch cheese production and exports remain very important to the country’s economy.
Liberal drug policies
The Netherlands is well-known for its tolerant drug policies. It decriminalized marijuana and hashish back in the 1970s under certain conditions. Cannabis can be purchased openly at licensed coffeeshops around the country.
This liberal approach intends to separate the markets for soft and hard drugs. The Dutch government also aims to avoid criminalizing young people for minor drug offenses. While public use is still illegal, there are no criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of cannabis for personal use.
However, trafficking of hard drugs like cocaine, heroin, and synthetic drugs remains illegal in the Netherlands and strictly enforced.
Windmills
Windmills are an iconic symbol of Holland and an ingenious Dutch creation. By the late Middle Ages, windmills were used to pump water out of the lowlands and reclaim land from the sea. This allowed the Dutch to expand their land and grow more crops.
At one time, there were over 10,000 windmills in Holland. While few working mills remain today, many picturesque windmills still dot the Dutch countryside, symbols of Dutch history and engineering prowess.
Windmill technology was crucial to draining lakes and marshes for agriculture and protecting land from flooding. The Dutch built wind-powered sawmills, textile mills, and other industrial mills as well.
Tulips
Tulips have become a major symbol of the Netherlands, associated worldwide with Dutch culture. Native to Central Asia, tulips were brought to Europe in the 16th century and extensively cultivated by the Dutch.
In the mid-1600s, rampant tulip speculation led to “Tulip Mania” – one of the first financial bubbles when tulip bulbs sold for outrageous prices before collapsing. Tulip cultivation remained an important part of the Dutch economy.
Today, the Netherlands supplies most of the world’s tulip bulbs while Dutch landscapes are covered in colorful tulip fields each spring. Holland also hosts the largest tulip exhibition in the world.
International business
The Netherlands is the home of many huge multinational companies despite its small size. It is one of the world’s top foreign investors with large Dutch corporate presence globally across many sectors.
Well-known Dutch companies include Shell, Unilever, Heineken, Philips, AkzoNobel, KLM, Elsevier, and ING Bank. 13 of the top 500 global corporations have headquarters located in the relatively small country of the Netherlands.
As a result, the Dutch corporate footprint is quite outsized globally. The Netherlands punches far above its weight in international business thanks to an open economy and business-friendly policies.
Liberal and progressive policies
The Dutch stand out for their socially liberal and progressive policies that emphasize tolerance, social justice, and human rights.
The Netherlands was the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage in 2001. Dutch society has liberal views on LGBTQ+ rights, abortion access, drug use, prostitution, euthanasia, and other social issues.
Dutch political culture promotes individual freedom, non-discrimination, and diversity acceptance. As a result, the Netherlands ranks extremely high on global quality of life and human development indices.
Maritime industry
As a historic seafaring nation, the Netherlands continues to have a strong maritime tradition and large shipping industry.
Dutch shipping companies offer transport services globally. The Port of Rotterdam is Europe’s largest seaport. Major Dutch dredging companies like Boskalis and Van Oord are leaders in offshore dredging, land reclamation, and offshore services worldwide.
The centuries-old Dutch fishing fleet remains active, especially for shellfish like mussels and oysters. The Netherlands is also a pioneer in sustainable offshore wind energy, with many wind farms in the North Sea.
Flowers
The Netherlands is the undisputed leader in the global flower trade and supplies almost two-thirds of the worldwide flowers sold. Dutch auctions like Aalsmeer flower auction are the epicenter of the international flower market.
Flower cultivation occurs year-round thanks to innovative greenhouse technologies perfected by the Dutch. The Netherlands exports billions of cut flowers, flower bulbs, and plants annually.
Dutch expertise covers all facets of floriculture, including breeding, cultivation, transportation logistics, and auctioning. Popular flowers grown include tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, lilies, and gerbera daisies.
Innovation
The Dutch have a long history of innovation across many fields that has shaped human society globally. Dutch inventors helped develop the microscope, telescope, mechanical clock, pendulum clock, electrocardiograph machine, and artificial kidney.
Philips pioneered innovation in medical technology, lighting, and electronics. Dutch engineers built some of the first submarines, a novel technology in the 17th century.
Today, the Netherlands excels in agricultural science, flood control, maritime technologies like dredging and offshore drilling, and creative solutions like bicycles as sustainable transport.
Electronic dance music
The Netherlands, especially Rotterdam and Amsterdam, birthed several pioneering electronic dance music genres that became popular worldwide.
In the 1980s and 90s, Dutch DJs developed cutting-edge styles like gabber, trance, hardstyle, and jumpstyle. The Dutch pioneered hardcore techno and gabber, an energetic form of electronic dance music.
Huge international DJs like Tiësto, Armin van Buuren, Martin Garrix, and Afrojack have emerged from the Netherlands’ vibrant electronic music scene.
Dance festivals like Sensation are also hosted in the Netherlands and attended by hundreds of thousands of ravers. Electronic music remains integral to Dutch music culture.
Geography
The Netherlands’ unique geography has shaped its history and national identity. Much of the land in the Netherlands lies below sea level, making it particularly prone to flooding.
Around 50% of the country’s land is below 1 meter above sea level. Another 26% sits between 1 to 2 meters above sea level. Only about 24% of the Netherlands is more than 2 meters above sea level.
Centuries of experience living with constant flood threats led the ingenious Dutch to pioneer advanced flood defenses like dikes, levees, canals, and pumping stations to push back and drain water.
Managing water levels continues to be a major preoccupation for the Dutch. This amphibious landscape also gives the Netherlands a distinctive appearance, with canals, reclaimed lands, and massive flood control structures.
Conclusion
While small in size, the Netherlands has played an outsized role globally across history, culture, science, technology, business, and economics. Dutch society is also renowned for its openness, tolerance, and emphasis on human rights.
From cultural exports like paintings, tulips, and electronic music to cross-Atlantic commerce, maritime technologies, and liberal social policies, the Dutch have shared many innovations and ideas with the world. Even the Dutch landscape itself, much of it reclaimed from the sea through human ingenuity, highlights the innovative character of the Netherlands.