The European Union: European Sky Shield Initiative

12 September 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Editorial, European Union Reading Time:  6 minutes

Flag_of_Europe European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) is a project to build a ground-based integrated European air defense system which includes anti-ballistic missile capability. As of July 2023, nineteen European states participate in the initiative. ESSI is part of the Common Security and Defense Policy and as such is designed to complement and relieve the burden on NATO.   read more…

Utrecht University

9 August 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Universities, Colleges, Academies Reading Time:  5 minutes

Utrecht University Library © Moyogo

Utrecht University Library © Moyogo

Utrecht University (UU; Dutch: Universiteit Utrecht, formerly Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht) is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established 26 March 1636, it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2021, it had an enrollment of 36,390 students, and employed 8,276 faculty members and staff. More than 400 PhD degrees were awarded and 8,500 scientific articles were published. The 2021 budget of the university was €1.026 billion.   read more…

Rietveld Schröder House in Utrecht

29 June 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Architecture, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  10 minutes

© Mycosm93

© Mycosm93

The Rietveld Schröder House (Dutch: Rietveld Schröderhuis) (also known as the Schröder House) in Utrecht (Prins Hendriklaan 50) was built in 1924 by Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld for Mrs. Truus Schröder-Schräder and her three children.   read more…

Hook of Holland in Rotterdam

13 October 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  12 minutes

© Mark Ahsmann/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Mark Ahsmann/cc-by-sa-3.0

Hook of Holland (Dutch: Hoek van Holland) is a town in the southwestern corner of Holland, hence the name; hoek means “corner” and was the word in use before the word kaap – “cape”, from Portuguese cabo – became Dutch. The English translation using Hook is a false cognate of the Dutch Hoek, but has become commonplace (in official government records in English, the name tends not to get translated and Hoek van Holland is used). It is located at the mouth of the New Waterway shipping canal into the North Sea. The town is administered by the municipality of Rotterdam as a district of that city and is about 25 km from the city’s centre; Hook of Holland is closer to The Hague, at about 15 km distance. Its district covers an area of 16.7 km², of which 13.92 km² is land. On 1 January 1999 it had an estimated population of 9,400. Hook of Holland already had a ward council in 1947. Hook of Holland has been a borough since 1973. In 2014 it was replaced by an ‘area committee’.   read more…

Kralendijk on Bonaire

24 January 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  4 minutes

Fort Oranje Lighthouse in Kralendijk © flickr.com - Larry Syverson/cc-by-sa-2.0

Fort Oranje Lighthouse in Kralendijk © flickr.com – Larry Syverson/cc-by-sa-2.0

Kralendijk is the capital city and main port of the island of Bonaire in the Caribbean Netherlands. The language spoken in the town is Papiamentu, but Dutch and English are widely used. As of 2017, the town had a population of 10,620. In Papiamentu, the town is often called Playa or “beach”. Off the coast of Kralendijk lies the uninhabited island of Klein Bonaire, noted for diving and snorkeling activities. This small island can be reached by water taxi, or, for divers, by practically all of the local dive operators.   read more…

The HNLMS Buffel

1 October 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Museums, Exhibitions, Yacht of the Month Reading Time:  8 minutes

© S.J. de Waard/cc-by-sa-3.0

© S.J. de Waard/cc-by-sa-3.0

HNLMS Buffel is a 19th-century ironclad ram ship. She was one of the main attractions of the Maritime Museum Rotterdam, also known as the Prince Hendrik Museum, named after its founder, Prince Henry (Hendrik) “The Navigator”, who had a naval career and established the basis of the museum back in 1874. In October 2013 the ship moved to Hellevoetsluis and is again open for public.   read more…

Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam

14 October 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  < 1 minute

© A.A.W.J. Rietman/cc-by-sa-4.0

© A.A.W.J. Rietman/cc-by-sa-4.0

The Portuguese Synagogue<, also known as the Esnoga, or Snoge, is a late 17th-century Sephardic synagogue in Amsterdam, completed in 1675. Esnoga is the word for synagogue in Ladino, the traditional Judaeo-Spanish language of Sephardic Jews. The Amsterdam Sephardic community (History of the Jews in Spain, History of the Jews in Portugal, Alhambra Decree) was one of the largest and richest Jewish communities in Europe during the Dutch Golden Age, and their very large synagogue reflected this. The synagogue remains an active place of worship and is also a popular tourist attraction.   read more…

Amsterdam-Noord

13 January 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  10 minutes

© Elekes Andor/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Elekes Andor/cc-by-sa-4.0

Amsterdam-Noord is a borough of Amsterdam, Netherlands with a population of about 90,000. The IJ, the body of water which separates it from Amsterdam-Centrum and the rest of the city, is situated southwest of Amsterdam-Noord. The borough, which has an area of 49.01 km² (18.92 square miles), borders the municipalities of Zaanstad, Oostzaan, Landsmeer and Waterland to the north, all part of the province of North Holland like Amsterdam. It borders the Markermeer to the east.   read more…

Willemstad on Curaçao

27 December 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

Penha Building from 1708 © Evandria/cc-by-sa-4.0

Penha Building from 1708 © Evandria/cc-by-sa-4.0

Willemstad is the capital city of Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean Sea that forms a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Formerly the capital of the Netherlands Antilles prior to its dissolution in 2010, it has an estimated population of 150,000. The historic centre of the city consists of four quarters: the Punda and Otrobanda, which are separated by the Sint Anna Bay, an inlet that leads into the large natural harbour called the Schottegat, as well as the Scharloo and Pietermaai Smal quarters, which are across from each other on the smaller Waaigat harbour. The city centre, with its unique architecture and harbour entry, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.   read more…

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