10 Familiar Holland Place Names
Ask someone from back home to name 10 places in Holland and they will likely be stumped beyond Amsterdam and Rotterdam. But if you were to mention the places below, they would probably be surprised to recognize all the names.
AMSTEL
Almost everyone has heard of Amstel beer. But the vast majority of them are unaware that it is named after the North Holland river upon which the Amsterdam brewery was built… Amstel
AMSTERDAM
This one is a no-brainer as most people could list Amsterdam as a place in Holland. After all, it has been around for 800 years, is one of the biggest cities in Europe and is renown for its iconic canal rings. And even though the British changed the name of New Amsterdam to New York when they won it from the Dutch in the 1600’s, there are many other American cities today named Amsterdam (in Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin).
DELFT
Many people outside the Netherlands are familiar with Delft Blue porcelain and/or the Royal Delft brand of tableware. But most are unlikely to know it was named for the city in Holland where most of the original factories were located… Delft
EDAM
Millions of people around the world have either eaten or at least heard of Edam cheese. But few would be able to tell you it is named after the village in Holland where the cheese originated… Edam
GOUDA
There are even more people around the world who eat Gouda cheese than Edam. But they are as likely to be aware that the cheese got its name from the town in South Holland where it was first introduced… Gouda
HAARLEM
Everyone has heard of New York City, one of the biggest cities in the world. And a good portion of them would have heard of a neighborhood in the city called Harlem. What most of those people don’t know is that the neighborhood was named after a city in the Netherlands … Haarlem.
LEERDAM
Lots of consumers abroad have heard of Royal Leerdam crystal. But the majority of those who recognize the name are unaware the brand is named after the city where its factory is located… Leerdam, Netherlands.
LIMBURG
Another well-known type of cheese is Limburger, which is sold around the world. But even those who love its pungent scent are likely to be surprised by its Dutch heritage. The cheese is named after the region of the Netherlands where it was first introduced… Limburg.
ROTTERDAM
As the second biggest Dutch city, awareness of Rotterdam is quite high internationally. It should be an obvious choice to list as a place in Holland. Yet there are many people in upstate New York who do not know their local Rotterdam got its name from its much older namesake.
THE HAGUE
Although lots of people outside Europe have heard of The Hague, many of them assume it is the name of the international court located in Holland rather than the name of a city. Perhaps they are thrown by the word ‘The’ which is typically used in conjunction with an object rather than as a city name. Even those cities named after The Hague in Holland have dropped ‘The’, such as Hague, New York and Hague, North Dakota.
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