Did you know?

The Dutch are second happiest nation in the EU

The Dutch are second only to the Danes as the happiest nation in Europe, according to new European research quoted in Monday's Telegraaf.

Seven out of 10 Dutch people say they are happy with their lives, compared with 74% of the Danes.

Compared with other countries, the Dutch are also have few complaints about combining work and family responsibilities. Only 6% find it difficult, the survey showed.

And did you know that...

Huis Zypendaal Amsterdam Dutch supporters Van Gogh Afsluitdijk
 

  • Barack Obama had a Dutch nanny?

    The future 44th US president  Barack Obama had a Dutch nanny as a child, reports the AD newspaper. Ans Michels looked after four-year-old 'Barry' for eight months on the Hawaian island of Oahu in the 1960s, the paper says.

    The US president elect was 'a really nice boy' and 'a brave little lad', Michels, now 63, told the AD.

    Source: Dutchnews.nl

  • Holland has the highest concentration of museums in the world, with 42 in Amsterdam alone

  • During the Second World War Anne Frank hid with her family, from the Germans (1942-44), in the Achterhuis (rear house) of an old merchant house in Amsterdam

  • The 14th century Cathedral tower in Utrecht is the tallest church tower in the country

  • Once a year in September, the Queen of Holland rides through the Hague in a gold carriage

  • The favourite sweet of the Dutch is called 'drop' which is a salty liquorice sweet

  • If it wasn’t for the dykes, a third of Holland would be under water

  • Holland is the only country with a national dog, a pug

  • Vincent van Gogh left the world 860 paintings (which he painted in eight and a half years)

  • Amsterdam has 160 canals and over 1,200 bridges

  • Denise van Outen changed her name to be more Dutch

  • Riding a bike is a great way to travel around Holland, especially as there are rarely any hills and there are bike paths everywhere

  • The Dutch were the first Europeans to discover New Zealand in 1642

  • There are more bikes than people in Holland

  • Dutch people are the tallest in world

  • Tulips have 6 petals

  • There are almost 10,000 windmills in Holland

  • In 1634, tulip bulbs were a form of currency in Holland

 
Contact the editor

Nicola Lloyd
nlloyd@holland.com