Inside Dutch Culture

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In 1618, the Dutch Republic was split by a religious dispute inside the Reformed Church. Remonstrants followed the ideas...
10/09/2026

In 1618, the Dutch Republic was split by a religious dispute inside the Reformed Church. Remonstrants followed the ideas of Leiden theologian Jacobus Arminius, while Counter-Remonstrants followed Franciscus Gomarus. They disagreed over predestination—how God’s choice and human faith were connected—and over how much power the state should have in church affairs.

The dispute spread far beyond theology. Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, the leading statesman of Holland, supported the Remonstrants and a policy of tolerance. Prince Maurice of Orange, stadtholder and commander of the army, backed the Counter-Remonstrants. Pamphlets, rival church services and political decisions pulled cities and provinces into the conflict, and civil war threatened the Republic.

The struggle turned into a fight over political authority. On 31 July 1618, Maurice ordered city-paid troops called waardgelders to lay down their weapons in Utrecht. On 29 August, the States General, the central assembly of the seven provinces, arrested Oldenbarnevelt, Hugo Grotius and other allies. On 13 November, a national church synod opened in Dordrecht to settle the religious dispute.

The Synod of Dort rejected the Remonstrant position and set out the Counter-Remonstrant teaching in the Canons of Dort. Remonstrant ministers were removed from the Reformed Church, and the Remonstrant movement continued as its own community. The crisis also strengthened Maurice’s political position and showed how closely religion and government were linked in the young Republic. A church dispute became a national power struggle.

Ricardo and Priscilla live with their two children, Jaylano and Djesslynn. Their home and garden are simple and busy, wi...
10/09/2026

Ricardo and Priscilla live with their two children, Jaylano and Djesslynn. Their home and garden are simple and busy, with plastic chairs, toys, plants, parked cars and dogs outside. Family life is a big part of daily life.

Ricardo, 38, has short dark hair with lots of gel, tattoos and a strong build. He wears tight jeans, white shoes, a black cap, a gold chain and a large watch. He likes clothes with big prints and expensive-looking brands. Looking good and showing what he owns are important.

Priscilla, 36, has long blonde hair, make-up, big gold earrings and long nails. She wears leopard print, tight clothes, white shoes and carries a large handbag. Jaylano, 12, wears a tracksuit and sneakers and has gel in his hair. Djesslynn, 8, wears bright clothes, leopard print, a large hair bow and shiny shoes.

The family has a small Chihuahua and a strong bull terrier. Cars, dogs, clothes and the home are all part of their daily life. They like nice clothes, jewelry, phones and cars, even when the home itself is simple. Their style is loud and easy to spot, with a strong focus on family, looks and showing status.

In 1918, the Netherlands approved a huge plan to close part of the Zuiderzee and create new land. Engineer and politicia...
09/09/2026

In 1918, the Netherlands approved a huge plan to close part of the Zuiderzee and create new land. Engineer and politician Cornelis Lely had designed the main plan in 1891. The project became the biggest land-reclamation operation in Dutch history.

Support grew after food shortages during World War I and a destructive flood in 1916. The Dutch government wanted safer coasts and more farmland. Fishing communities protested because closing the Zuiderzee would destroy an important source of work, and many fishermen later received compensation.

The Wieringermeer became dry land in 1930, and the Afsluitdijk closed the Zuiderzee in 1932. The Noordoostpolder followed in 1942, Eastern Flevoland in 1957 and Southern Flevoland in 1968. Together, the Zuiderzee Works created 165,000 hectares of new land.

Farms, towns, roads and nature reserves were built where water had once covered the ground. In 1986, Flevoland became the Netherlands’ twelfth province, with Lelystad as its capital. The Dutch had turned a huge part of their former sea into a permanent piece of the country.

The father is Jeroen de Vries, 38. He works as an account manager or project coordinator for a medium-sized company, dri...
09/09/2026

The father is Jeroen de Vries, 38. He works as an account manager or project coordinator for a medium-sized company, drives to the office two or three days a week and works from home the rest. He likes cycling, Formula 1, barbecuing and occasionally doing DIY jobs around the house. He is careful with money but will happily spend extra on a good television, coffee machine or family holiday.

The mother is Sanne de Vries, 36. She works three or four days a week, perhaps in HR, education, healthcare administration or communications. She buys quite a lot from HEMA, Rituals, Zara and local boutiques, wears New Balance trainers, and has a very organised family calendar. She is the one who remembers school activities, birthdays, dentist appointments and what needs to be bought for the children.

Their daughter is Fleur, 8. She is confident, talkative and slightly bossy in an endearing way. She wears glasses and temporarily has an eye patch for vision correction. She does gymnastics or hockey, loves crafts, and already has very strong opinions about which clothes she wants to wear.

Their son is Daan, 11. He has the classic spiky blond haircut, plays football at the local club and spends too much time on YouTube, FIFA and Minecraft. He owns several football shirts and thinks trainers are much more important than his parents understand.

The Jack Russell is called Bikkel. He is six, extremely energetic and never quite cooperates when the family tries to take a nice photograph. Jeroen insists he is “actually very well trained,” while everyone else knows Bikkel mostly does whatever he wants.

They live in a relatively new terraced or semi-detached house in a commuter town somewhere in Brabant, Gelderland or Utrecht. The house was bought with a large mortgage, the kitchen is white or beige with black details, there is a trampoline or lounge set in the back garden, and the living room has a large corner sofa, wooden-look flooring and several carefully chosen houseplants.

Their dusty-pink compact car is mainly Sanne’s. Jeroen probably has a leased Volkswagen, Skoda or Kia for work. They take one summer holiday to France, Spain or Italy every year, plus an occasional weekend at Center Parcs or somewhere on the Dutch coast.

Financially, they are comfortable but still notice every major expense: mortgage, childcare, energy bills, sports clubs and holidays. They are the kind of family that looks very settled from the outside: two incomes, two children, dog, modern house, neat front garden and a carefully planned family life.

09/09/2026

Dutch people are always SO fed up with all the rain, UNTIL it's sunny & above 25 degrees C for more than 6 hours. 🤣🇳🇱

On 28 January 1256, Willem II, Count of Holland and King of the Romans, led an army into West Friesland, now part of Nor...
08/09/2026

On 28 January 1256, Willem II, Count of Holland and King of the Romans, led an army into West Friesland, now part of North Holland. Near Hoogwoud, his horse broke through the frozen Berkmeer. West Frisian fighters reached him and k***d him, then hid his body.

Willem's d*ath caused a major stir and was recorded in foreign chronicles. His son Floris V was still a small child, so adult guardians governed Holland in his name. The missing body also became a personal and political issue for the young count.

Floris grew up determined to defeat the West Frisians. His first campaign in 1272 failed, but in 1282 he returned with another army and reached Hoogwoud. Later accounts say an old local man revealed the secret burial place. Floris had his father's remains dug up and taken to Middelburg Abbey.

The recovery became part of Floris's long struggle to bring West Friesland under Holland's control.

Today, Dutch museums and historical institutions still preserve the story of Willem's death and the recovery of his body 26 years later. It shows how a ruler's remains carried political and family meaning in the Middle Ages. Even the dead remained part of the conflict.

In the Netherlands, children put a shoe near the fireplace, heater, or door when Sinterklaas is in the country. They sin...
08/09/2026

In the Netherlands, children put a shoe near the fireplace, heater, or door when Sinterklaas is in the country. They sing a Sinterklaas song before going to bed.

They put a carrot or some hay in the shoe for Sinterklaas’s horse. After that, they go to sleep and wait for Sinterklaas to come during the night.

Sinterklaas and/or his helper Pete, visits the house and fills the shoe with candy, chocolate, a small present, or a mandarin. In the morning, the child wakes up and finds the surprise he left behind.

This tradition is called je schoen zetten. That means “putting out your shoe.” It takes place before 5 December, when Sinterklaasavond is celebrated.

The tradition is simple but magical for children. There is a song, a shoe, and a visit from Sinterklaas during the night. For Dutch people, it is a classic childhood memory.

In 1491, farmers and poorer townspeople in Kennemerland and West Friesland, in the County of Holland, rose against heavy...
07/09/2026

In 1491, farmers and poorer townspeople in Kennemerland and West Friesland, in the County of Holland, rose against heavy taxes during an economic crisis. The County of Holland was then under the Habsburg dynasty. Maximilian of Austria governed for his young son, Philip the Handsome, while his government demanded a military tax called ruitergeld.

In April 1491, stadholder Jan van Egmond came with soldiers to force payment. Two farmers were k*lled in the clash, and protesters entered Alkmaar and attacked the home of tax official Claes Corff. Haarlem's government then tried to mediate, but a later meeting brought no tax reduction.

In 1492, the resistance grew into the revolt known as the Kaas- en Broodvolk, or Cheese and Bread People. Rebels carried cheese-and-bread symbols, entered Haarlem with help from supporters inside the city, and tax official Claes van Ruyven was k*lled. They then marched toward Leiden, where they were driven back.

On 15 May 1492, forces under Duke Albert of Saxony defeated the remaining rebels at Heemskerk. Towns faced heavy fines, and Alkmaar was ordered to tear down its walls and gates. The revolt ended, but it shows how taxes, war costs and food hardship can push ordinary people into open resistance against Habsburg authority.

In 1573, during the Dutch Revolt against King Philip II of Spain, a Spanish army under Don Fadrique besieged Alkmaar in ...
07/09/2026

In 1573, during the Dutch Revolt against King Philip II of Spain, a Spanish army under Don Fadrique besieged Alkmaar in North Holland. The siege began on 21 August and ended on 8 October.

Alkmaar had joined the side of William of Orange in 1572. After Spanish forces captured Naarden and Haarlem, the city strengthened its defenses, and residents, soldiers and civic guards prepared to defend Alkmaar and refused to surrender.

Spanish troops attacked the city on 18 September but failed to break through. The defenders sent messages asking for help, and Diederik Sonoy ordered sluices opened and dikes cut so water flooded the land outside Alkmaar. Rising water and resistance inside the city pushed the Spanish army to withdraw.

On 8 October, the siege ended and Alkmaar became the first city in the Netherlands to survive a Spanish siege successfully. The victory became a major symbol for the Dutch rebels and is still celebrated in Alkmaar each year. It showed that Spanish forces were not unbeatable.

Haring happen is one of those Dutch traditions that looks almost too strange to be real. A raw herring is held by the ta...
07/09/2026

Haring happen is one of those Dutch traditions that looks almost too strange to be real. A raw herring is held by the tail, lifted above the mouth and eaten in a few bites, often with chopped onions. Especially with Hollandse Nieuwe, the first young herring of the season, the ritual has become a small celebration of Dutch food culture.

What makes it special is that it is more than simply eating fish. For centuries, herring was enormously important to the Netherlands. Fishing, preserving and trading herring helped coastal towns grow rich and connected Dutch ports with markets across Europe. A simple fish became part of the story of Dutch seafaring and commerce.

The dramatic way of eating it — head tilted back, fish dangling from the fingers — has become one of the most recognisable images of Dutch cuisine. Not everyone in the Netherlands eats herring this way; in some places it is served in pieces, sometimes in bread. But the classic “haring happen” pose turns an ordinary snack into something almost ceremonial.

And every year, when the new herring season begins, that old ritual appears again at fish stalls, markets and celebrations. For a few seconds, people are doing almost exactly what generations before them did: standing by the water, holding a herring in the air, and tasting a tiny piece of Dutch history.

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