About Holland

04 Sep 2008

‘The rest of the world is a big place’, say the Dutch, well aware of how small their country is.

For centuries, Holland has had an attitude of openness towards the rest of the world. In business, but also in social life and culture.
 

Innovation and culture

Holland manages to combine history and traditional culture with innovation, modernity and an international orientation. The Dutch population has grown to have one of the highest percentages of Internet users in the world. With the same ease with which the Dutch have taken to the high tech world, they are equally happy taking a quiet stroll along the historic canals that run through town. This contrast is typical of Holland, and there is no contradiction between the two. The Dutch have an urban, cosmopolitan lifestyle, but they live in cities built on a human scale. The cities offer a nice mix of traditional and modern architecture.

 

Dutch Nobel Prize winners

  • 1999 Physics: Gerardus ‘t Hooft and Martinus Veltman
    “For elucidating the quantum structure of electroweak interactions in physics.”
  • 1995 Chemistry: Paul Crutzen – together with Mario Jose Molina (US) and Frank Sherwood Rowland (US)
    “For their work in atmospheric chemistry, particularly concerning the formation and decomposition of ozone.”
  • 1984 Physics: Simon van der Meer – together with Carlo Rubbia (ITA)
    “For their decisive contributions to the large project, which led to the discovery of the field particles W and Z, communicators of weak interaction.”
  • 1981 Physics: Nico Bloembergen – together with Arthur Leonard Schawlow (US)
    “For their contribution to the development of laser spectroscopy” and Kai Manne Börje Siegbahn (SWE)
    “For his contribution to the development of high-resolution electron spectroscopy.”
  • 1975 Economics: Tjalling Koopmans – together with Leonid Kantorovich (RU)
    “For his contributions to the theory of optimum allocation of resources.”

     (11 Nobel Prize winners before 1975)