“Van Gogh was obsessed not so much by Rembrandt but by Hals. His works opened Van Gogh’s eyes to colour and a new bravura method,” asserted Ann Demeester, the Director of the Frans Hals Museum, at the opening of the exhibition. She explained that in letters written by Vincent van Gogh to his brother Theo, the artist enthused about how Hals used colour to shape his paintings and featured more than twenty colours of black.
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The urban landmark stands by the River Spaarne. Even if you’re not into history and heritage taking a tour of the windmill is worthwhile for the elevated views. Its wooden platform, 12.7 metres above ground level, provides outstanding perspectives across the waterway and into the centre of Haarlem.
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“People have to pay a lot for a mud bath but our pigs can have it free,” jokes the man who has become known as Mister Livar. The pigs enjoy wallowing in mud as they are unable to sweat. They disperse body heat by breathing and contact with cool surfaces. This explains why they spend time in mud on warm days.
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At Spannum, a few kilometres south-west of Húns, you can find the Farm of the World studio. Students from around the globe compete for prestigious apprenticeships. The property has a compact garden and a medicinal-smelling workshop in which plants are dried and treated to create dyes. Wool is carded and brushed to straighten wool fibres that will be utilised in artworks. Coloured wool is strewn on tables in the workshop across the yard where works are painstakingly created. Hues and textures are central to Jongstra’s artworks.
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The site of De Vleermuis had long been utilised as a carpark. During the installation of the fountain, which recycles water, 50 human skeletons were unearthed. Archaeologists have dated them to the Middle Ages and have concluded the location was previously a cemetery. Further excavations of the site are planned.
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"The Awards represent excellence in writing and a passion and interest in Holland," commented Simone Sagi, PR Manager UK and Ireland for the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions.
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Stuart Forster interviews Theo de Haan, a resident of the city, for a local’s perspective and insider tips on Things to do in Groningen, the Netherlands. Disclosure: Some of the links and banners below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make
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“We keep the price low because we cut out the middle man. We go direct to the producer,” explains the 30-year-old restaurateur, who has formed close working relationships with farmers and fisherman from Groningen’s hinterland. Ten farms, for example, are now working together as part of a cooperative to deliver dairy products to the Brasserie Midi and other restaurants in Groningen.
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Scheveningen is one of the locations across the Netherlands that mark the onset of the new herring season, each June, with celebratory feasts. Known as flag day — Vlaggetjesdag in Dutch — it sees people donning traditional attire while the country’s red, white and blue horizontal tricolour flaps from flagpoles and pokes in miniature from wooden cocktail sticks stuck into succulent slices of herring.
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The café-bar’s history goes all the way back to 1838. “It started as a very small bar on the other side of the museum. During the 1950s all the houses were demolished. In this place there was a tailor. He stopped just at that moment, so the pub moved to this site,” explains Jos.
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