Holland
Holland is a region in the central-western part of the
Netherlands. Holland is a former
county of the
Holy Roman Empire, ruled by the
Count of Holland, and later the leading member of the
Republic of the Seven United Provinces of the Netherlands (
Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden, 1581–1795).
 |
North Holland and South Holland lie along the western coast of the Netherlands. |
The area is today divided between two
provinces of the Netherlands:
North Holland (Noord-Holland) and
South Holland (Zuid-Holland) that were created in 1840, and make up roughly 13% of the area of the Netherlands. A few regions that were historically Hollandic became part of other provinces as a result of reforms during the French occupation (1795-1813):
Willemstad and surroundings,
Biesbosch and the
Land van Altena became part of
North Brabant. In 1940, after the
German occupation of the Netherlands, the
islands of
Vlieland and
Terschelling went to
Friesland. This was not changed back after
World War II. In 1950, the island of
Urk went to
Overijssel (in 1986 to
Flevoland). More recent territorial changes are the transfer of
Oudewater,
Woerden and
Vianen from South Holland to the
province of Utrecht, in 1970, 1989 and 2002 respectively.
Etymologically the word
Holland is derived
holt land ("wooded land"). A popular, but incorrect,
fake etymology holds that it is derived from
hol land ("hollow land"), inspired by the
low-lying geography of both the
Dutch and the English region (
Holland, Lincolnshire).
The province of Holland was the cultural, political and economic center of the United Provinces. The greatest cities of the provinces were located within the province of Holland such as
Amsterdam (the capital),
Rotterdam,
Leiden,
Alkmaar,
the Hague (the seat of government),
Delft and
Haarlem. Today, together with
Utrecht, this group of cities form what is called
Randstad Holland. From the great port cities of Holland, Dutch
merchants sailed to and from destinations all over
Europe, and merchants from all over Europe gathered to trade in the warehouses of Amsterdam and other trading cities of Holland. As a result, many Europeans heard of the United Provinces first as "Holland" rather than "Republic of the Seven United Provinces of the Netherlands". This tradition continues to this day.
Thus, even though it is officially incorrect, the word
Holland is often used by both Dutch and foreign people to denote the entire Netherlands, possibly because "The Netherlands" ("Nederland" in Dutch) is more cumbersome. People from the other provinces of the Netherlands (such as
Friesland,
Groningen,
North Brabant,
Zeeland, etc.) are often offended when referred to as "Hollanders".
However, from 1806-1810, there did exist the
Napoleonic Kingdom of Holland, which included much of the modern Netherlands.
County of Holland
Holland arose as a
county of the
Holy Roman Empire in the 9th century. The
counts of Holland were also counts of
Hainaut,
Flanders and
Zeeland for several periods in the 13th-15th century. In 1432, Holland became part of the
Burgundian Netherlands, and after 1477 of the
Habsburg Seventeen Provinces.
United Provinces
In the
Eighty Years' War (1568-1648), the northern Dutch provinces, including Holland, successfully broke away from Habsburg-
Spanish rule. Holland became the most prominent and prosperous part of the
United Provinces.
After 1795
The formation of the
Batavian Republic, inspired by the
French revolution, led to a more centralized government. The dominance of Holland was reduced by an administrative reform in 1798, in which its territory was divided over several departments:
Amstel,
Delf,
Texel, and (part of)
Schelde en Maas. During the French occupation (1810-1813), Holland was divided over the
départements Zuyderzée and
Bouches-de-la-Meuse. After 1813, Holland was restored as a province of the
Netherlands. It was divided into the present provinces
North Holland and
South Holland in 1840. It observed the destruction of most of Europe as a neutral nation during
World War I, however it was occupied by
Germany during
World War II and was host to heavy fighting in the southwestern/central region as the
Allies unsuccessfully attempted to push across the
Rhine and into
Germany during
Operation Market Garden in September, 1944.
*
Count of Holland*
Counts of Holland family tree*
List of pensionaries*
The Netherlands*
Dutch Empire*
Holland Society*
Holland - Keukenhof Flower Gardens*
Various photographs depicting the beauty of Holland*
Videos of Holland
