The Netherlands

Fülszöveg

T
^A_ he Netherlands is one huge plain, besieged by the waters of the rivers and sea, land of Canala, tulips, windmills and bicycles; but it is alsó the home of the most liberal democracy in the world, of great artísts, brilliant dike-builders and, above all else, a people of almost unequaled
hospitality and candor.
A
/ 1 n old proverb frequently heard in the Netherlands says that God created all the world except for Holland; it was created by the Dutch. Far from being the manifestation of arrogance, this saying merely states the historical truth. Holland was built over the centuries by man s toil and ability; with great effort he snatched a place to live in from the sea: a fertile land with broad horizons, fiat rows of only apparently monotonous neatly tilled fields and abounding with scenery of excruciating beauty. Always green, a riot of flowers in Spring, home of tulips, domain of canals, dikes and bridges, Netherlands is alsó a land of lovely cities, elegant reminders of... Tovább

Fülszöveg

T
^A_ he Netherlands is one huge plain, besieged by the waters of the rivers and sea, land of Canala, tulips, windmills and bicycles; but it is alsó the home of the most liberal democracy in the world, of great artísts, brilliant dike-builders and, above all else, a people of almost unequaled
hospitality and candor.
A
/ 1 n old proverb frequently heard in the Netherlands says that God created all the world except for Holland; it was created by the Dutch. Far from being the manifestation of arrogance, this saying merely states the historical truth. Holland was built over the centuries by man s toil and ability; with great effort he snatched a place to live in from the sea: a fertile land with broad horizons, fiat rows of only apparently monotonous neatly tilled fields and abounding with scenery of excruciating beauty. Always green, a riot of flowers in Spring, home of tulips, domain of canals, dikes and bridges, Netherlands is alsó a land of lovely cities, elegant reminders of its complex stratified history and a culture, sensitive to philosophy and art, that generated what is today one of the truest democracies in the world. This book takes a sweeping look at a far from ordinary nation, its inhabitants having succeeded in the difficult task of combining natural beauty, cultural charm and a high standard of living. Page by page, what is, in many ways, an unexpected and stimulating picture emerges: polders and windmills, Amsterdam and Delft, Rembrandt and Van Gogh, they are all there, but so are romantic castles in secluded countryside, spotless beaches stretching as far as the eye can see, flamboyant Gothic architecture and futuristic technological achievements: a nation just waiting to be explored.
Cover
Tulip fields on the plain with, in the background, the unmistakable silhouette of a windmill: a traditional even conventional image, perhaps, but Holland would not be Holland without the tulips and windmills. Photo by R. Schmici/Huber/SIE Archive
Back cover
Water is another characteristic feature of the Dutch countryside. The photograph shows Laké Kager, not far from Leiden. The marshy banks of this laké have, in time, been turnéd into fertile farming land. Photo by Aerophoto. Vissza