amsterdam rembrandt s nightwatch don t miss these amsterdam museums msterdam home to rembrandt s nightwatch and van gogh s sunflowers and with more museums per square meter than in any other country in the world the rijksmuseum is one place that cannot be missed presenting the finest delftware a wealth of silver icons of dutch history and of course the paintings by the great masters of the 17th century frans hals jan steen vermeer and rembrandt you will love the van gogh museum with the world s largest collection of works by vincent van gogh another classic is the rembrandt house museum which dates from 1606 and in which rembrandt lived between 1639 and 1658 the new hermitage amsterdam located in the amstelhof a 17th century building exhibits a part of the rich collection of the state hermitage museum in st petersburg for contemporary pieces a visit to the stedelijk museum of modern art will still all your art cravings the number one attraction in holland is the anne frank house a mo
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amsterdam canals old and new part from art amsterdam is also famous for its canals a canal cruise will give you some of the most breathtaking views of amsterdam but there is also business on the canals the floating flower market is one of the most colorful and fragrant places of interest of amsterdam in all four seasons it is unique in that the merchandise is displayed on floating barges this is a relic from the days when the flowers and plants sold at this market were shipped in from the horticultural areas around the city by barges a canal houses visit amsterdam s newest canals on java island since 1995 four narrow canals brantasgracht lamonggracht majanggracht and seranggracht crisscross this island the houses that were built along these canals are quite extraordinary nineteen young and promising architects were commissioned to create a unique concept for contemporary amsterdam canal houses the only thing their designs have in common is that each building is 4.5 meters wide and four
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amsterdam art and antiques cross the bridge from the rijksmuseum is one of amsterdam s nicest historical areas over one hundred specialized art and antique dealers display their unusual and often very beautiful objects these range from archeological finds to contemporary art the nearby spiegel quarter is also an absolute must for art lovers the museum quarter is one of amsterdam s most stylish districts the houses are beautiful and the inhabitants are classy the quarter also has great cultural facilities and places of interest the renowned concertgebouw is located in van baarlestraat a shopping between historical buildings antique shopping t he museum quarter also boasts some of holland s most upmarket shopping streets the most exclusive of all is p.c hooftstraat shop after shop offers the collections of internationally renowned fashion designers trendy leather goods home furnishings and jewelry then there are the nine little streets when in the golden age the old town area became too
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flowers gardens bulb field keukenhof gardens olland truly is the land of tulips daffodils hyacinths and many other flowers every year the keukenhof gardens showcase a huge flower exhibition from the end of march till late may hundreds of glorious outdoor and indoor gardens create a colorful atmosphere keukenhof has been an exciting destination for visitors from all over the world for over 55 years its magnificent display of color created by more than 7 million tulips and other bulbs in bloom gives you that springtime feeling and lifts your spirits it s an experience you will never forget keukenhof is for young and old gardening enthusiasts and people who just want a pleasant day out more and more people are looking for fun and a pleasant atmosphere in a magnificent park setting it is a place where you can take the most beautiful photos h keukenhof gardens flower parades a lthough the concept of a flower parade is certainly not limited to holland you can easily say that nowhere else in
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flowers gardens flower auction f you d like to see how 14 million flowers and 1 million potted plants are being sold daily come visit one of the two largest flower auctions in holland flower auction aalsmeer and flower auction holland aalsmeer is the `flower capital of holland and home to the largest flower auction on earth the complex covers some 250 acres the auction building alone takes up some 160 acres 3 billion flowers and 400 million plants are auctioned annually from some 8,000 nurseries the visitor s gallery allows you to witness the intriguing procedures and speculate firsthand don t miss the five auction halls where 13 auction clocks operate simultaneously holland flower auction is the second largest flower auction 80 of the cut flowers and plants sold here go abroad i flower auction visitors are welcome at most auctions but the two largest auctions are best equipped for guests flower auction aalsmeer is the easiest to reach from amsterdam and flower auction holland in the
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culture tradition cheese market indonesian rice table dutch cheese cycling and the traditional queen s day and princes day celebrations all of these can be called typically dutch and showcase an authentic piece of holland cheese after tulips and windmills cheese is the next thing that comes to mind when thinking of holland gouda edam and leiden cheeses are among the most prominent of all dutch cheeses the alkmaar cheese market is unique in the world and one of the best-known sights of holland the market is held every friday morning at 10 a.m from april to september in front of the historical weigh house in the pretty town center the market derives much of its appeal from the performance of the cheese porters the old cheese weigh house now houses the local tourist information office vvv a restaurant and the dutch cheese museum demonstrations of old crafts are given around the market square edam cheese indonesian rice table the relationship between indonesia and holland has infl
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culture tradition queen s day cycling holland has more bicycles than residents and it shows there are over 10,000 miles of biking routes with bicycle signs and bicycle stops not only will you feel better you will see more you can rent bicycles almost anywhere and they will take you everywhere and of course the flat countryside is ideal for cycling you will see the most beautiful spots in holland while biking around cycle past endless bulb fields and wide rivers and discover the magnificent dunes along the coast numerous bicycle routes have been mapped out through woods heath land and polders major cities such as amsterdam and rotterdam are also great fun to explore by bicycle queen s day and princes day as from 1980 queen s day is a national holiday in the netherlands unusually the 30th of april is not queen beatrix s birthday but her mother s princess juliana in 1980 it was decided by royal decree to make the day a national holiday in honor of princess juliana queen s day is a festi
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cities outside of amsterdam although amsterdam is the number one city to visit when in holland places like the hague delft maastricht and utrecht are certainly worth a visit the hague the hague is a great place for a vacation the traditional seat of holland s royal family and government the hague never fails to impress visitors with its relaxed and elegant atmosphere and on top of that there is the coast the seaside resorts of scheveningen and kijkduin and the north sea this stylish city houses many museums parks and avenues elegant palaces and parliament buildings and the historic town of delft is only minutes away for an overview of holland s highlights visit madurodam the largest miniature city in the world all holland is famous for is reduced to 1/25 of its actual size visitors can recognize different dutch townscapes and famous landmarks if you are interested in art visit the mauritshuis royal picture gallery housed in one of the most beautiful examples of dutch classical architec
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cities outside of amsterdam traditions and techniques the royal factory offers guided tours a visit to the museum and a showroom with wonderful products to admire and buy you can even paint your own delft blue tile during one of the workshops the churches in delft are filled with history and tombs the new church a late gothic cruciform basilica from the 14th century is the home of the ornamental tomb of william of orange count of holland and king of england 1689-1702 the old church a gothic church from 1200 with a leaning tower houses the tombs of johannes vermeer piet heyn maerten tromp and antoni van leeuwenhoek maastricht the southernmost and sunniest city in the netherlands maastricht is a splendid fortified city of roman origin set on the river maas the beautiful unspoiled hillsides that surround maastricht are home to famous vineyards and provide the opportunity for many relaxing and picturesque outings in maastricht lies the opportunity to enjoy the fine art of living to the fu
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heritage sites amsterdam by night history of amsterdam from fishing village to trading port amsterdam s history begins in the 12th century what is now a city was just a swampy area on the edge of the old zuider zee and the amstel river amsterdam developed around a dam in the amstel river the old name of `amstelledamme is first mentioned in 1275 when count floris v allowed the inhabitants to transport goods free of tolls on holland s waterways around 1300 amsterdam was granted a town charter in the course of the 14th and 15th centuries the town developed into an important trading center mainly due to trade between the north and baltic seas and southern europe the city gradually developed into a bonded goods market where products from different countries were stored sold and shipped as money flowed in class struggle intensified the reformation grew out of a fight for power between the emerging merchants and the catholic-sanctioned aristocrats the reformation and the early years of the
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heritage sites fishing in europe extending their horizons through the 17th century as dutch overseas interests were established wealthy businessmen provided the funds for the exploration of the seas this eventually led to the foundation of the east india company voc in 1602 and the west india company wic in 1621 during the golden age amsterdam developed into a powerful center of commerce the major urban expansion programs with their unique ring of canals and magnificent gabled houses started in 1613 another important factor in the development of amsterdam was the influx of many talented artists artisans and merchants fleeing the rigors of spanish rule in the south of the netherlands during the 17th century amsterdam was a magnet for the arts the number of painters in the northern-netherlands and the quality of their work increased noticeably economic changes amsterdam in the 18th century the republic of holland lost its dominant position in world economics only amsterdam was able to ma
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heritage sites windmills when exploring holland seeing a windmill up close is a must for five centuries windmills have helped in our struggle against water holland boasted more than 10,000 mills just over 150 years ago and only 1,000 remain today fortunately these living monuments are now protected and many of them are open to the public some of the most beautiful windmills can be see in the zaan region the zaanse schans is a fully inhabited open-air conservation area and museum located 9 miles north of amsterdam original buildings vividly depict dutch life in the 17th and 18th centuries the authentic houses the historic shipyard the clog-making demonstrations and above all the windmills attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year de zaan region is probably the world s first industrial site ever some 250 years ago well over 800 windmills were cramped into this relatively small area they performed a wide range of industrial duties of the five windmills three are open to visitors
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