The city of Dordrecht, located in the province of South Holland, is known as the most ancient city in Holland. There is some controversy concerning the etymology of its name, but it essentially means a “thoroughfare.” This is due to the fact that the city is actually on an island and was historically a significant …
Located in the west of the Netherlands, in the province of South Holland, is the town of Zoetermeer. The name of this city literally means “Sweet Lake.” However, if you visit Zoetermeer today, you will not find the body of water that gave this beautiful city its name. The lake was actually reclaimed in 1614, …
The city of Sittard is located in the Dutch province of Limburg, which is the southernmost province in the Netherlands. Sittard shares its eastern border with Germany, and is located about 45 meters above sea level at its city center. As a result of its close proximity to Germany, many of the residence speak not …
The city of Ede is located in the center of the Netherlands, directly between the larger cities of Utrecht and Arnhem in the province of Gelderland. The population is slightly more than 100,000 people. The Saxons founded this beautiful, picturesque city in the 8th century. A Picturesque City The city of Ede is a popular …
The Smokkelroute in Strijbeek (Close to Breda) is great for a beautiful walk of around 8km that crosses briefly into Belgium. The border area’s of the Netherlands and Belgium are known for a rich history of smuggling. Nowadays we enjoy the possibility of crossing the borders without checkpoints and the ability to easily transport goods, …
A recent study of world languages has described Dutch language as one of the easiest languages in the world for native English speakers to pick up, because of the language’s uncomplicated grammar structure. When it is written down or spoken slowly, a lot of the words are actually recognisable by English speakers too. Taking a …
‘t Zand in Alphen in the province of North Brabant is a great recreation area with a swimming pond located in a beautiful piece of nature. In Spring and Summer it is a great place to cool down with a swim and in Autumn and Winter you can go for a walk. You can access …
Apeldoorn is a city in the center of the Netherlands in the province of Gelderland with approximately 150,000 residents. It is a pretty new city although it has a long history going back to the 700’s as a small village. It was built at a crossroads, as were many villages at the time as this …
Many people traveling to the Netherlands wonder how close the country is to Belgium. Sometimes it is in the context of proximity and other times it has to do with the history between the two countries. Well, regardless of which one it is, we will answer both of them in this article. The first one …
The Netherlands, like most of Europe uses the euro as its form of currency. The euro became the official currency of the Netherlands in 2002, even though the currency itself was first used in 1999 by electronic means and traveler’s checks. Legal tender was first used three years later, beginning in the calendar year 2002. …