YiWei LI(Ellen): Research about Holland

Holland is a region in the western part of the Netherlands. The term Holland is also frequently used as a pars pro toto to refer to the whole of the Netherlands. This usage is generally accepted but disliked by part of the Dutch population, especially in the other parts of the Netherlands.^[1]

From the 10th to the 16th century, Holland proper was a unified political region, a county ruled by the Counts of Holland. By the 17th century, Holland had risen to become a maritime and economic power, dominating the other provinces of the Dutch Republic.

Today, the former County of Holland consists of the two Dutch provinces of North Holland and South Holland, which together include the Netherlands' three largest cities: the country capital Amsterdam; seat of government The Hague; and Rotterdam, home of Europe's largest port.

The proper name of the area in both Dutch and English is "Holland". "Holland" is a part of the Netherlands. "Holland" is informally used in English and other languages, including sometimes the Dutch language itself, to mean the whole of the modern country of the Netherlands.^[5] (This example of pars pro toto or synecdoche is similar to the tendency to refer to the United Kingdom as "England".)

The people of Holland are referred to as "Hollanders" in both Dutch and English. Today this refers specifically to people from the current provinces of North Holland and South Holland. Strictly speaking, the term "Hollanders" does not refer to people from the other provinces in the Netherlands, but colloquially "Hollanders" is sometimes mistakenly used in this wider sense.

In Dutch, the Dutch word "Hollands" is the adjectival form for "Holland". The Dutch word "Hollands" is also colloquially and occasionally used by some Dutch people in the sense of "Nederlands" (Dutch), but then often with the intention of contrasting with other types of Dutch people or language, for example Limburgish, the Belgian form of the Dutch language ("Flemish"), or even any southern variety of Dutch within the Netherlands itself.

However, in English there is no commonly used adjective for "Holland". "Dutch" refers to the Netherlands as a whole, not just the region of Holland. "Hollands" is ordinarily expressed in English in two ways:

a possessive construction (e.g. "Holland's economic power"); or
an "of Holland" or "from Holland" construction (e.g. "the Maid of Holland"; "a girl from Holland").

The following usages apply in certain limited situations but do not ordinarily serve as the English equivalent of the commonly used Dutch adjective "Hollands".

Occasionally, the noun "Holland" is used in apposition (e.g. "the Holland Society").
The adjective "Hollandic" is occasionally used by some historians and other academic writers as an adjective for Holland. Historians who use the word tend to reserve it to pre-Napoleonic Holland. Hollandic is also the name linguists give to the dialect spoken in Holland.
The adjective "Hollandish" is a word in English but is no longer in use.

Tulip Festival in Holland

Dutch tulips are found in several areas. There are tulips in the Westland, tulips in North Holland and also in the Noordoostpolder. But did you know that the Noordoostpolder has the most tulips of the whole country? The Tulip Festival was created to introduce you to the tulip fields in the Noordoostpolder.

Tulips to admire in the Noordoostpolder

Every year thousands of people come to see the tulip fields of the Noordoostpolder. The tulip bulbs that were planted a few months ago, have now transformed acres of land into a colorful spectacle.

The Tulip Festival offers a special route which takes you along the most beautiful and panoramic tulip fields in this polder. You can choose between hiking, biking, horse carriage rides and covered wagon tours. You can also combine your tulip tour with cultural attractions and culinary experiences. You can stay overnight at numerous campsites and farms.

Tulips in Spring

The Noordoostpolder organizes many special activities during the Tulip Festival. You can enjoy walks, cycling routes, tulip garden shows, mosaic pathways, photography competitions, blossom routes and many more fun activities. You can consult the event calendar and download tulip routes from the website of the Tulip Festival. In short, there is a lot to experience in the coming spring season at the Noordoostpolder.