Dutch Landscape

The Dutch coast is protected from the North Sea by an almost 300-kilometre-long stretch of dunes and dikes. The Netherlands’ scenic coastline has its own characteristic flora and fauna.

The rolling countryside of Limburg is a popular destination for holidaymakers and hikers. The winding country roads and hedgerows lend a quaint touch to this largely man-made landscape.

A number of polders along the country’s major rivers have been designated water storage areas. Since some of these areas are no longer drained, what were once fields are now ponds and marshland.

In the 17th century, a number of lakes in the province of North Holland were drained using windmills. Most of the dikes around these tracts of reclaimed land still exist. The province of North Holland is home to many of them.

The Dutch climate, with its cold nights and chilly winters, is ideal for cultivating tulips. Tulips are the best known bulbous plant, but in the spring this field in North Holland is also dotted with narcissuses, lilies and other flowers.

The polders reclaimed from the IJsselmeer that make up Flevoland form the flattest landscape in the country. On 1 January 1985, Flevoland became the twelfth province of the Netherlands.

Picturesque Dutch landscapes like this one are a rare sight in the more densely populated areas of the country. Thankfully, the Dutch are starting to recognise the historical and cultural value of traditional landscapes.

The Netherlands is famous for its windmills. The village of Kinderdijk is home to no fewer than 19 of them. They were built around 1740 and grace the marshy polders outside Dordrecht.

Just look at the skies, do they look familiar? During the Golden Age [17th century] they were painted by Johannes Vermeer, Gillis Claesz. de Hondecoeter and his son Gijsbert, Jan van Goyen, Paulus Potter among others.

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[Photos: Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs]