The cultural life of the Netherlands is varied and lively. Dutch painting and crafts are world renowned, and Dutch painters are among the greatest the world has ever known. The Dutch themselves take great pride in their cultural heritage, and the government is heavily involved in subsidizing the arts, while abjuring direct artistic control of cultural enterprises. Indeed, the long-enduring tradition of Dutch freedom of expression has undoubtedly played a significant role in the flowering of Dutch culture through the ages.
Daily life and social customs
The symbols of Dutchness—wooden shoes, lace caps, tulips, and windmills—are known throughout the world, but they tell only a small part of the story of contemporary life in the Netherlands. Except in places such as Vollendam and Marken and on occasions of national celebration, traditional dress long ago gave way to a style of dress in line with that of the rest of northern Europe. Flowering bulbs and tubers, including tulips, remain an important export commodity, and various festivals celebrate them. They are also displayed in the annual spring flower exhibition at Keukenhof Gardens and in venues such as the Aalsmeer flower market.
Dutch cuisine is notable for many individual dishes, including filled pancakes (pannekoeken); pastries such as banket (an almond paste-filled treat), oliebollen (a deep-fried pastry dusted with powdered sugar), and speculaas (spice cookies); and a great variety of hard cheeses, including Edam and Gouda, the world-renowned varieties that originated in the towns for which they are named. Jenever, the Dutch ancestor of gin, is a malted barley-based spirit produced in two basic types, jonge (“young”) and oude (“old,” which contains a higher percentage of malt wine and thus is stronger and often yellowish as a result of the aging of the malt wine). Both types contain a variety of botanicals, notably juniper (genever), for flavoring. Dutch licorice, which is exceptionally salty, is a popular candy. Indonesian rijsttafel (“rice table”)—which developed as a method by which Dutch plantation owners could sample many Indonesian foods in the colonies—was imported to the Netherlands and has become a staple cuisine in larger Dutch cities. In addition to the holidays of Christian tradition (Easter, Christmas, Pentecost, and Ascension), the Dutch celebrate King’s Day (April 27), Remembrance Day (May 4), and Liberation Day (May 5), though the last is commemorated only at five-year intervals.
The arts Painting and sculpture
The history of Dutch painting offers such a deep, rich lode of names that only a few can be touched on here. Certainly among the most revered are those of Rembrandt van Rijn and Vincent van Gogh. Rembrandt, painting in the 17th century, became a master of light and shadow, a technique reflected in his landscapes as well as such portraits as his monumental group portrait now known as Night Watch. Van Gogh, born in the 19th century, was a powerful influence in the development of modern art.
Among other great painters of the Low Countries are Jan van Eyck, the founder of the Flemish school; allegorist Hiëronymus Bosch; portraitist Frans Hals; landscapists Albert Cuyp and Jacob van Ruisdael; still-life artists such as Johannes Vermeer, Willem Heda, and Willem Kalf; and the geometrically inclined Piet Mondrian. (For a broader discussion of Dutch painting, see painting, Western.) Highlights of Dutch architecture range from the Dutch Baroque works of Pieter Post to 21st-century practitioners such as Rem Koolhaas. The Schroeder House (1924), in Utrecht, designed by De Stijl architect Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000.
Literature and the performing arts
Dutch literature and theatre have always been handicapped by the smallness of the proportion of the human race that speaks Dutch. Perhaps the greatest name of Dutch letters was that of the Renaissance humanist Erasmus. Contemporary Dutch writers who are internationally known include Harry Mulisch and Cees Nooteboom. The country’s performing arts are widely encouraged and supported. The National Ballet at Amsterdam and the Netherlands Dance Theatre at The Hague are internationally renowned. Theatre companies are all private foundations, though the state and the municipalities provide financial assistance. The Dutch film industry is small. Among the most noteworthy recent directors are Johan van der Keuken, Marleen Gorris, and Paul Verhoeven. The International Film Festival Rotterdam is the country’s leading film festival, and the Nederlands Filmmuseum in Amsterdam is the national motion picture archive.
Music
The Netherlands has not produced composers of the stature of some of its neighboring countries, although it has built a fine reputation for performance. The Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra is world famous, and the Residentie Orchestra at The Hague and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra also have fine reputations. Various other towns have orchestras and choral groups, and there is a Dutch National Opera Company. Noted musical events include the World Music Festival at Kerkrade and the North Sea Jazz Festival at Rotterdam.
Cultural institutions
The Netherlands has a rich range of state-supported museums. The most famous is the Rijksmuseum at Amsterdam, noted for its collection of works by the great 17th-century Dutch masters (especially Rembrandt). Other major museums endowed by the state include the Mauritshuis in The Hague, Het Loo (the former royal palace) in Apeldoorn, and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, recognized for its collection of contemporary paintings. Two museums, the Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh in Amsterdam and the Rijksmuseum Kröller-Müller in Otterlo (Veluwe), are renowned for their collections of paintings by van Gogh. Often overlooked are a number of exceptional smaller museums such as the Huis Lambert van Meerten (Lambert van Meerten House) in Delft and the Nederlands Tegelmuseum (Netherlands Tile Museum) in Otterlo, both of which specialize in tiles. The most popular folk museums are the Openluchtmuseum (Open Air Museum) at Arnhem and the Zuiderzeemuseum at Enkhuizen.
Sports and recreation
Favorite regions for open-air recreation are the seacoasts with their wide sandy beaches and the many interior lakes in the western and northern parts of the country. They are frequented by both Dutch and foreign visitors. The Dutch also are attracted to hilly areas, such as the Veluwe, while foreign visitors go in droves to the old cities in the western part of the country, with Amsterdam ranking as the most popular destination. Favorite foreign vacation spots for the Dutch are the Mediterranean coasts during the summer holidays and the Alps during winter holidays.
Cycling is a popular activity—for commuting, recreation, and sport—involving at least half the population. Other favorite sports include tennis, field hockey, and ice skating. The Elfstedentocht is a popular ice-skating race that passes through 11 cities in the province of Friesland; it is held only during winters with heavy ice. The Dutch are also avid players and fans of football (soccer), and club teams such as the storied Ajax of Amsterdam and the Dutch national team have experienced much international success, not least in the 1970s, when the national team, led by Johan Cruyff and Johan Neeskens, pioneered the concept of “total football,” which calls for players with all-around skills to perform both defensive and attacking duties. The Netherlands made its Olympic debut in the 1900 Games in Paris, and the Summer Games were held in Amsterdam in 1928. Dutch Olympic athletes have won medals in cycling, speed skating, and swimming.
Media and publishing
The constitution guarantees freedom of the press but does not allow journalists to protect their sources. The Dutch press has a long-standing reputation for high-quality reporting, newspapers having been printed in Amsterdam as early as 1618. One of the oldest newspapers in Europe is the Oprechte Haerlemse Courant, now called the Haarlems Dagblad, which was founded in 1656. By far the greatest circulation is enjoyed by the right-of-center De Telegraaf, from Amsterdam. The most widely read newspapers in political and intellectual circles are the liberal NRC Handelsblad in Rotterdam and the left-leaning De Volkskrant in Amsterdam. Several free tabloids and Internet-based dailies have taken over some market share.
The majority of radio and broadcast television transmissions are produced by a small number of associations, all under private initiative. They were originally very much part of the pillarization system, and each represented a political or religious point of view, such as Roman Catholicism, various forms of Protestantism, Socialism, Humanism, and others. Most of these associations, however, have long since lost their ideological distinctiveness and illustrate how the shell of the pillarized system has remained in existence long after its contents have ebbed away. Nevertheless, religious organizations, political parties, and small factional groups are still guaranteed access to the airwaves by Netherlands Broadcasting Corporation, which is responsible for news and the programming of unreserved airtime. The government itself exerts no influence on the programming, and advertising is restricted and is controlled by a separate foundation. All public broadcasting is financed by a licensing fee and by the yield from television and radio advertising. Commercial broadcasting was introduced in the early 1990s, and there are now a host of terrestrial and satellite channels that can be received in most parts of the country, thanks to the extremely dense Dutch cable television network.