Discover the Charm: 21 Unique and Entertaining Fun Facts About the Netherlands

1. Witch Weighing Museum

Witches be weighin': In the Netherlands, you can weigh yourself in a 16th-century weigh house called the Museum de Heksenwaag, which was endorsed by a Holy Roman Emperor for its impartiality, and used to prove folks weren't witches so they could escape execution.
Source => atlasobscura.com

2. Bike Kingdom

In the land of windmills and tulips, there's a secret world where bicycles reign supreme and even outnumber their human counterparts: In the Netherlands, an impressive 84% of people own bikes, averaging 1.3 bicycles each, totaling a whopping 22.5 million bicycles for a population of 17 million. The country boasts over 33,000 to 35,000 kilometres of cycling paths, possibly explaining the 12% increase in city cycling since 2005.
Source => bicycledutch.wordpress.com

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=> Fun Facts about Belgium

3. Gouda Town Confusion

In a wacky tale of mis-‘gouda’-n identity that rivals Shakespearean comedies, a certain Dutch cheese finds itself with a new name, despite not being native to the town it's famously associated with: The town of Gouda in The Netherlands holds a traditional cheese market dating back to the 12th century, where traders would bring various cheeses to sell, unknowingly leading to the coining of the iconic Gouda cheese. The market runs every Thursday from April to September, featuring horse-drawn carts, theatrical negotiations, and the Goudse Waag - a cheese weighing house turned museum - for a cheesy exploration of its history.
Source => itsjustbecks.com

4. Massive Seaside Masterpiece

In a time before Instagrammable panoramas and idyllic beach selfies, there was a group of artists led by a man with a serious obsession for capturing coastline life: Enter Hendrik Willem Mesdag and his merry band of brush wielding Renaissance men: Together, they created the massive, 14-meter high and 120-meter circumference painting of Scheveningen in 1881. This awe-inducing masterpiece, now a buzzing attraction in The Hague, was crafted using sketches, photographs, and presumably, enough paint to cover the entire Dutch shoreline!
Source => holland.com

5. Land of the Tall

Whoever said size doesn't matter clearly never visited the Netherlands, a land where people seem to be reaching for the skies: As the tallest folks on Earth, Dutch men born around 1980 clock in at an average height of 183.9 cm, while their female counterparts stretch to 170.7 cm, but their towering stature appears to be plateauing, with the latest generation born in 2001 standing only a centimeter shorter than their sky-scraping ancestors.
Source => longreads.cbs.nl

6. Mail Delivery by Boat

No need to check if the postman in Giethoorn sports a mermaid tail; it's boats, not fins, keeping the village afloat: In the Netherlands' charming canal-based community, the mail is delivered by a specialized electric motorboat called a punt, ensuring that the loudest sound in Giethoorn usually remains a duck's lively quack.
Source => cntraveler.com

7. Remixed National Anthem

You might say the Netherlands hit the "shuffle" button on their national anthem - remixing a French diss track into their own chart-topper: The Dutch national anthem, "Wilhelmus," actually evolved from a 16th-century French song meant to mock the Protestant Prince de Condé, making it the oldest Dutch national anthem still in use, but not quite the world's oldest.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

8. Land Below Sea Level

In the land of wooden shoes, windmills, and pancake-flat landscapes, the Dutch have a knack for keeping their chins above water, quite literally: only 26% of the Netherlands actually sits below sea level, thanks to epic land reclamation efforts dating back to the 14th century that transformed once-aquatic areas into fertile polders, showcasing their world-renowned water management skills.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

9. Windmill Power Station

Who says you can't teach an old windmill new tricks? Stepping into the future with a hidden talent, this Dutch masterpiece is making classic cocktails green and windy: The Noletmolen windmill in Schiedam, Netherlands is the world's tallest windmill and houses a secret wind power station within its 43-meter-tall tower, which was built by Nolet Distillery to power their Ketel One vodka production in 2005 and has been in operation since May 2006.
Source => atlasobscura.com

10. Danish Herring in Dutch Mouths

Whoever said "there are plenty of fish in the sea" clearly wasn't talking about the Dutch herring crisis: Once a staple of Dutch diets and key to their merchant navy's Golden Age success, these fatty little fish nearly went extinct from overfishing. Fear not, herring enthusiasts; global quotas have since come to the rescue, allowing them to make a comeback. Surprisingly though, most herring devoured in the Netherlands is now caught by Danish and Norwegian companies, then prepped in Dutch-owned factories in Denmark, before making their way back to the Dutch palate.
Source => dutchreview.com

11. Amsterdam: Bridge Capital

In the game of aquatic connect-the-dots, Amsterdam gives Venice a run for its money: Boasting a staggering 1,500 bridges, the Dutch capital reigns supreme in the world of bridge-laden cities, even outshining Venice's 409 bridges. Satisfy your inner bridge enthusiast by exploring www.bruggenvanamsterdam.nl with its nearly exhaustive list and map.
Source => heavenly-holland.com

12. Venice vs. Amsterdam

Step aside, Venice, there's a new Bridge Boss in town, and it's wearing wooden clogs: Amsterdam, with its impressive 1,500 bridges, surpasses Venice's meager 409, making it the true king of bridge-filled cities.
Source => dutchreview.com

13. Willy Wonka of Flowers

Budding floral aficionados, listen up: the Netherlands is like the Willy Wonka of flower factories, churning out petal-packed bouquets faster than you can say "tulip!" Seriously: The Netherlands is Europe's largest exporter of flowers, representing over 80% of all EU flower exports and raking in a blooming €3.4 billion in the first three quarters of 2022 alone. From tulips to roses, they've got it all – but those pretty petals won't be making their way into Russian vases anytime soon, thanks to EU sanctions that put a thorn in their coveted €9.4 million exports to Russia in 2021.
Source => euronews.com

14. Literal Father Names

Talk about daddy issues: the Dutch once took their father's names quite literally! Delving into the Netherlands' genealogy scene, our ancestors preferred patronymic names like Jan Dirksen – Jan, the son of Dirk – until the Napoleonic Wars forced the widespread adoption of fixed surnames in the early 19th century.
Source => blog.myheritage.com

15. Spacewalking Dutch

Houston, we have clog-tion: The Netherlands has sent three Dutch-born astronauts on stylish, out-of-this-world adventures! Lodewijk van den Berg, Wubbo Ockels, and André Kuipers each had their own space rendezvous, with Kuipers spending six months on the International Space Station in 2011 and 2012.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

16. Miffy Creator Hiding from Nazis

Miffy's mastermind was no fluffy bunny at hide-and-seek: During World War II, Dick Bruna, the creator of the iconic children's character Miffy, honed his artistic skills while hidden away with his family to avoid Nazi labor, all while drawing inspiration from his childhood spent in solitude due to being born with clubfoot.
Source => itsnicethat.com

17. Futuristic Flood Barrier

Ever heard of the Dutch version of Transformers? Meet Maeslantkering, a colossal robotic optimus-mile protective barrier that leaps into action when the seas get rough: This incredible structure boasts massive curved doors, each arm as long as the Eiffel Tower lying on its side and weighing twice as much, designed to block off the ocean and defend the southwestern part of the Netherlands from rising sea levels and stronger storms caused by climate change.
Source => wildernessclassroom.org

18. Secretly Orange Nation

If the Netherlands were a fruit, it would be an orange that's secretly a cherry, banana, and blueberry combined: Despite being globally known for their affinity for the color orange, the Netherlands' official flag sports the colors red, white, and blue, with the vibrant hue stemming from the House of Orange, the royal family that has been reigning since 1544.
Source => nbclosangeles.com

19. Bicycle Paradise Station

Who needs a Batcave when you've got the Dutchcave of cyclist wonders: The Utrecht Centraal railway station boasts the world's largest bicycle parking facility, capable of holding 29,232 bikes, with plans for expansion due to high demand. As a bonus, it's also the Netherlands' busiest railway hub with over 207,000 passengers and 1000 departures daily, making Batmobile envy a real possibility for those visiting!
Source => en.wikipedia.org

20. Epic Ice Skating Marathon

In the land of tall people, tulips, and windmills, ice-skating aficionados can't help but "Frisian" with excitement for the most epic game of "freeze-tag" on the planet: The Elfstedentocht is a whopping 200 kilometers (120 miles) long-distance ice skating tour held in Friesland, Netherlands. With 300 competitive speed skaters and 16,000 leisure skaters, it takes place only when the natural ice reaches a thickness of 15 centimeters (6 inches), having last occurred in 1997, and now facing the danger of extinction due to climate change.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

21. Animal Road Crossings

In the Netherlands, road-crossing animals don't have to play a life-or-death game of "Frogger" or hope for a merciful wingardium leviosa spell: The country boasts over 66 wildlife crossings, including the world's longest ecoduct-wildlife overpass, Natuurbrug Zanderij Crailoo, which stretches across a railway line, business park, roadway, and sports complex – allowing European badgers, wild boar, red deer, and roe deer to bypass traffic with ease and style.
Source => unusualplaces.org