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Theme Week Netherlands – Gouda, historic town in the green heart of the Netherlands

Tuesday, 27 March 2012 - 11:24 am (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: European Union / Europäische Union
Category/Kategorie: General Reading Time:  3 minutes

🔊 Listen to this Post Gouda (population 71,000) is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. In the Middle Ages, a settlement was founded at the location of the current city by the Van der Goude family, who built a fortified castle alongside the banks of the Gouwe River, from which the family and the city took its name. The area, originally marshland, developed over the course of two centuries. By 1225, a canal was linked to the Gouwe and its estuary was transformed into a harbour. Gouda’s array of historic churches and other buildings makes it a very popular day trip destination.

Gouda is world famous for its Gouda cheese, which is still traded in its cheese market, held each Thursday. It is further well-known for the fabrication of candles, smoking pipes, and stroopwafels. Gouda used to have a considerable linen industry and a number of beer breweries. The world famous Gouda cheese is not made in the city itself but in the surrounding region. It derives its name from being traded in Gouda where the city council imposes stringent quality controls.

Attractions are, beside others: The Old City Hall at the market, built between 1448 and 1450, one of the oldest Gothic city halls in the Netherlands, and The Waag (weigh house), built in 1667 across from the Old City Hall, this building was used for weighing goods to levy taxes. It now is a national monument.

Here you can find the complete Overview of all Theme Weeks.

Read more on City of Gouda, holland.com – Gouda and Wikipedia Gouda. Learn more about the use of photos. To inform you about latest news most of the city, town or tourism websites offer a newsletter service and/or operate Facebook pages/Twitter accounts. In addition more and more destinations, tourist organizations and cultural institutions offer Apps for your Smart Phone or Tablet, to provide you with a mobile tourist guide (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Global Passport Power Rank - Travel Risk Map - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.

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