AMSTERDAM | DELFT | GRONINGEN | THE HAGUE |
The Netherlands is a Benelux country and a founding member of the European Union. The Netherlands is bordering Germany to the east and Belgium to the south. To the west, the country faces the North Sea and the United Kingdom. The people, language, and culture of the Netherlands are referred to as "Dutch".
The country was part of the Holy Roman Empire until it was acquired piece by piece by the Burgundians. At the end of the Middle Ages, it became a Spanish possession (together with what is now Belgium). Little survives from this period, except a few historic city centers, and a few castles.
Following a revolt led by national hero Willem van Oranje (William of Orange), the Spanish were kicked out as part of the Thirty Years' War (known as the Eighty Years' War in the Netherlands: 1568-1648). The (first) split with Belgium came when the northern provinces (including Flanders) signed the Union of Utrecht in 1579.
It grew to become one of the major economic and seafaring powers in the world during the 17th century, which is known as the Gouden Eeuw, or Golden Age, in the Netherlands. During this period, many colonies were founded or conquered, including Indonesia ('Netherlands East Indies') and New York ('New Amsterdam'), which was later traded with the British for Suriname.
In 1805 it became a kingdom (its status being somewhat ambiguous before that), when Emperor Napoleon appointed his brother 'King of Holland'. And in 1815 it became its own Koninkrijk der Nederlanden (or 'Kingdom of the Netherlands') together with Belgium under Koning Willem I ('King William I'). In 1830 Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom. Luxemburg (or Luxembourg) received independence from the Netherlands in 1890, because the Salic Law prohibited a female ruler. In 1944 these three countries formed the union of the Benelux (or 'BeNeLux') as in which they economically (and sometimes politically) work together.
Avoiding the liberal revolutions of 1848 and new adopted Treaty, The Netherlands quietly became a constitutional monarchy and remained neutral in World War I but suffered a brutal invasion and occupation by Germany in World War II. A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural products. The country was a founding member of NATO in 1949 and the European Community (EC) in 1957, and participated in the introduction of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) in 1999.
HOW TO REACH
By plane - Schiphol Airport , near Amsterdam, is a European hub, and after London, Paris, and Frankfurt the largest of Europe. It is by far the biggest international airport in the country, and a point of interest in itself, being 4 metres below mean sea level (the name actually translates as Hollow of Ships). Travellers can easily fly in from most places of the world and then connect with The Netherlands' biggest airline KLM.
From Schiphol there are excellent railway connections: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht and most large cities have a direct train service. The train station at Schiphol is located underground, under the main airport hall. The train is the quickest and cheapest way to get around in the Netherlands. Taxis are expensive: legal taxis have blue number plates, others should be avoided. Some hotels in Amsterdam, and around the airport, have a shuttle bus service.
By bus - Eurolines are the main 'operator' for international buses to the Netherlands. (In fact the name Eurolines is a brand used by different operators). Services are limited: only a few main routes have a daily direct service. But this is the cheapest way to travel and you even get discount if your age is less than 25.
By car - The Netherlands can be reached from Belgium and Germany by road. Road access is very good in this country. The borders are open under the terms of the Schengen Agreement. Cars can be stopped behind the border for random checks, but this barely happens. There are car ferry services from the United Kingdom, see above. The UK is not part of the Schengen zone, and full border checks apply.
By boat - There are three ferry services from the UK
Stena Line between Harwich and Hoek van Holland (Hook of Holland)
DFDS Seaways between Newcastle upon Tyne and IJmuiden
P&O Ferries between Kingston Upon Hull and Rotterdam Europoort.
More information, timetables and ticket prices for the North Sea ferries is available at Ferries To Amsterdam. Dutchflyer is a combination ticket that includes the trainride from anywhere on the National Express East Anglia network (including London and Norwich) to Harwich, the ferry, and the trainride from Hook of Holland to anywhere on the NS (dutch railways) network. Rotterdam is also the second largest port in the world, and (in theory) a good place for Freighter travel.
STAY SAFE
The Netherlands is generally considered a safe country. However, be alert in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and other large cities that are plagued by pickpockets and bicycle theft (the latter almost being a national sport). In the larger cities, certain areas are unsafe at night. A small number are also unsafe in daylight.
Police, ambulance and fire brigade have one general emergency number 112. There is one police force, organised in 25 police regions. Mostly visitors will deal with the regional police. Some specialised forces, such as the railway police and the highway police on main roads, are run by a separate national force (highway police being the KLPD - Korps Landelijke Politie Diensten, and railway police being the spoorwegpolitie). When calling 112, if you can, advise on what emergency services you are in need of.
Border controls, and port and airport security, are handled by a separate police force, the Marechaussee (or abreviation 'KMar' - Koninklijke Marechaussee), a gendarmerie. They are an independent service of the Dutch armed forces (making them a military service, not a civil one), and have among their duties the mentioned security tasks.
In most cities, there are municipal services (stadswacht, Toezichthouder Openbare Ruimte (abreviation: TOR) or stadstoezicht) with some police tasks, e.g., issuing parking and litter fines. They often have police-style uniforms to confer some authority, but their powers are limited. For instance, only the police carry a gun.
RESPECT
The Dutch are among the most informal and easy-going people in Europe, and there are few social taboos to speak of. It is unlikely that Dutch people will be offended simply by your behaviour or appearance. In fact it is more likely that visitors themselves will be offended by overly direct conversation. Nevertheless, the standards for overt rudeness and hostility are similar to those in other western European countries. If you feel you are deliberately being treated offensively, then you probably are.
The Dutch people suffered a great deal under Nazi occupation during WWII (1940-1945). Some members of the older generations still hold a grudge against Germany and some of them might even delibertly give wrong directions to people who talk German (or maybe even with a German accent) or refuse to assist Germans until "they give my bicycle back" because of the seizure by the Germans of Dutch bicycles in the war. You should also avoid overt comparisons between Dutch and German culture, as they are likely to offend. A common faux-pas is to refer to the Dutch language as a "German dialect". Don't do it. It will not be appreciated by most Dutch people, and is incorrect anyway, as the two spoken languages are not mutually intelligible, as well as the (especially for Anglophonics, surprising) fact that the Dutch language is sometimes called more related to English, than to German. Mostly the younger generations have put the terrors of WWII behind and can get along with Germans very well. However the Dutch still have a friendly enmity towards Germans, which mostly comes from the football history they had together.
