Holland and the Netherlands: not the same thing — 2 years ago
Athough this is a wide-spread misconception among tourists, Holland is not the same as the Netherlands although historically it’s always played an important role, politically as well as economically.
Holland, formed originally of numerous counties owned by the counts of Holland, was one of the 17 provinces in the 16th and 17th centuries. It wasn’t until 1840 that the province was split into Noord Holland and Zuid Holland:
In the 16th and 17th century, Holland was one of the Seventeen Provinces. Through the Eighty Year War (1568-1648), it teared itself of Spain, like the other Northern Low Countries, and became the most important region of the Seven United Netherlands. Its counsellors had much power, even in the other provinces. Its merchant cities, in particular Amsterdam, were the supporting beams for the aristocratic Party of the Patriots, that fought the command of the House of Orange. From 1806 until 1810, Holland was a province of the Kingdom of Holland, became a part of France after the dismissal of Louis Napoleon, but in 1813, it again came under the ruling of the House of Orange. It formed the province of Holland, until it was split up into North- and South-Holland in 1840.
(source: The Low Countries)
Apart from the fact that Holland historically is one province, it is also still very much culturally a unit in the Netherlands – no doubt partially as a result of its historical influence in the Netherlands, as well as the strong influence of the dialect of Holland on what became the official Dutch language.
Unfortunately, many tourists coming to the Netherlands never venture outside of Holland (another reason they come to identify one with the other – incorrectly). There are a lot of interesting places in Holland, that is true, but it really is a shame to miss the rest of the country. You may also find that what you think of as “typically Dutch” is actually typically Hollands!
