Vincent Holland Tours

a Van Gogh in bloom

Vincent Arends — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 11:44:03 +0000

In 1924, the National Gallery in London bought the painting Sunflowers by Van Gogh. Therefor, the Van Gogh National Park in the south of the Netherlands has declared 2024 as the year of the sunflower. Near Zundert, the village where Van Gogh was born in 1853, a field with sunflowers was planted as they are in a vase, as in that famous painting in London. Only in September, October 2024, one could see the painting in bloom.

If you missed that, then you can have a look at the video below.

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Holocaust museum now open

Vincent Arends — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 14:27:13 +0000

In March 2024, the Holocaust museum in Amsterdam opened its doors. It is the only Holocaust museum in the world on a site where the deportation of Jews took place.

The museum tells the visitor all about the Nazi persecution of the Jews in the Netherlands. Amsterdam needed this museum. The Netherlands suffered the largest number as a result of the persecution of the Jews, of the countries in Western Europe occupied by the Nazis, both in terms of percentages and in absolute numbers.

The museum is located in a former schoolbuilding in the district where many Jewish Amsterdammers lived before the Holocaust. The school was the neighbouring building of the Jewish Nursery School, which was transformed by the Nazis into an assembly point for Jewish children awaiting transportation. The director of the school was a member of the Dutch resistance and through the school they managed to prevent the deportation of more than 600 Jewish children. One of these children became mayor of Amsterdam in 1983. Accross the street is the former Jewish theatre, where the Nazi’s locked up the adults. Now these two buildings together form the Holocaust museum.

The Holocaust museum is located in a former schoolbuilding in the district where many Jewish Amsterdammers lived before the second world war.

Annette Rosen-Apotheker made a striped vase for each of her 200 murdered relatives

One of the first steps in the Holocaust was the administration of Jewish people in the Netherlands.

Nazi edicts limited the rights of Jews. From May 1942, Jews were required to wear a yellow star, so they were always identifiable.

This artwork in the garden of the Holocaust museum in Amsterdam, is an expression of gratitude to those who helped by offering a hiding place

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Frans Hals show open now

Vincent Arends — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 15:03:17 +0000

Until June 9 you will have the unique chance to see a selection of fifty key works from the Dutch Golden Age Master painter Frans Hals. With his distinctive, freewheeling style of painting, he became a hero and an example to the Impressionists influenced the impressionists. The exhibit includes works from Amsterdam, Haarlem, Paris, Toronto, the Wallace Collection in London, the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid and more works from private collections. Come and admire his finest works at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam now.

Frans Hals often used the arms-akimbo stance in his portraits, also known as the power-pose, or the ‘Renaissance Elbow’, to indicate authority.

Frans Hals painted not only rich people. He painted people from every layer of society, all ages, all backgrounds, rich or poor.

At the exhibit in Amsterdam, two civic guard group portraits can be seen from the Frans Hals museum in Haarlem.

Malle Babbe probably had a mental disability. A son of Frans Hals, suffered a similar disability and lived in the same workhouse in Haarlem

The motifs in the embroidery of this extravagantly dressed young man, painted by Frans Hals, indicate that he was an unmarried gentleman

Isaac Massa was a close friend of Hals and was portrayed by the artists at least three times. The sprig of holly in his hand, may be a symbol of their friendship.

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Red Light moves out

Vincent Arends — Sat, 17 Feb 2024 14:17:40 +0000

To reduce the nuissance caused by overtourism in a part of the medieval district, also called De Wallen, the council of Amsterdam wants to move a hundred brothel windows away from the area. The City of Amsterdam has proposed a location in the financial district in the south district as preferable location for a new erotic centre. The mayor wants to offer sex workers a safe workplace and reduce tourist disruptions caused by gawping and beer drinking crowds in the narrow streets and the influence of crime on prostitution.

Prostitution is a legal profession in the Netherlands since 1988. At the moment Amsterdam has three window prostitution zones. These are located in buildings along the Ruysdaelkade and Singel and in the area known as De Wallen, Amsterdam’s main red light district. Especially in spring and summer weekends, De Wallen area can get overcrowded and unmanageable.

Mornings and early afternoons are therefor the best moments for walk in the area. As this is a medieval area, it is probably the most beautiful area of Amsterdam where you can see seventeeth-century step gables, decorated neck gables, bell gables and 700 year old canals.

The main red light district has around 300 window brothels rented by prostitutes

Guided tours in Amsterdam are not permitted near prostitution windows

The main red light district in Amsterdam is concentrated around two canals

Each night erotic theatres present a varied programme with live shows.

In weekends the red ligt district can get extremely busy

The Old Church in Amsterdam is located in the heart of the famous red light district.

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Mike Tyson coffeeshop Amsterdam

Vincent Arends — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 15:55:49 +0000

In March 2023, Mike Tyson opened his own coffeeshop in Amsterdam, not far from Dam square. In the Netherlands recreational use of marijuana is legal since 1976 although, since May 2023 it is not allowed to use marijuana on the streets, in Amsterdam.

Today, Mike’s coffeeshop received an official warning from the Mayor of Amsterdam. When the coffeeshop opened, people could win a meet-and-greet with Tyson, if they would spend at least 95 euro. In the Netherlands it is forbidden to encourage people to buy drugs. If the coffeeshop breaks the law again within the next three years, Mike’s coffeeshop will be closed by the mayor for at least a week.

You want to know about the Marijuana laws in Amsterdam? Here the rules that keep you out of trouble:

Possession of drugs is punishable, but with a maximum of 5 grams of weed or hash the police will just take the drugs. You can give them up and you will not be prosecuted.
If you have more soft drugs than the quantity for personal use (5 grams) you will be fined and risk a prison sentence.
Minors are not allowed to have any drugs, the tolerance policy does not apply to them, so you must be 18 or over to buy drugs.
Growing weed at home is illegal, however 5 plants or less you can give them up and you will generally not be prosecuted.
Hard drugs are not allowed.
Import and export of drugs is illegal.
You cannot smoke in public. You can smoke weed only in Amsterdam coffeeshops.

A coffeeshop has a licence to sell marijuana or hash products containing active THC chemical.

A smart shop sells psychoactive substances, mostly natural psychedelics, literature and accessories.

You cannot smoke in public. You can smoke weed only in Amsterdam coffeeshops.

In the Netherlands recreational use of marijuana is legal.

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High water levels!

Vincent Arends — Tue, 02 Jan 2024 15:20:39 +0000

There are concerns over the high water levels in the Netherlands. Water levels in the big Dutch rivers are set to reach their highest level this week, following weeks of heavy rain plus severe weather in Germany. Today, the level in the river Rhine reached 14.52 metres above the normal water level in Amsterdam (NAP), which is slightly lower than sea level. High water levels in some rivers have led to localised flooding on roads and cycle paths. Waterboards have used additional pumps to stop homes flooding and sandbags are used to shore up flood defences in several areas.

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Two new Rembrandts

Vincent Arends — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 14:55:26 +0000

The Amsterdam Rijksmuseum has rediscovered two small portraits by Rembrandt. The 1635 portraits of Jan Willemsz van der Pluym and Jaapgen Caerlsdr. disappeared from view for almost two centuries, before resurfacing two years ago. After in-depth research, the Rijksmuseum has established the identities of the sitters and further substantiated their attribution to Rembrandt. The paintings are significant not only because they are the smallest formal portraits Rembrandt ever made, but also because Jan and Jaapgen were members of the artist’s family circle. The pair was purchased by the Holterman family earlier this year and are being given on long-term loan to the Rijksmuseum. They are exhibited from 13 December 2023.

The Nightwatch is probably the most famous painting by Rembrandt.

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Schermer polder windmill

Vincent Arends — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 08:02:53 +0000

watch our video here

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Crashed bomber WW2 tour

Vincent Arends — Sat, 10 Sep 2022 10:18:02 +0000

Today’s tour, with Dean Angott, who’s father Tom, was a waistgunner in a B-17 bomber, that crashed near Lisse on September 26, 1944 after a mision to Osnabruck Germany. He managed to abandon the aircraft in a parachute and landed in the Kaag lake. He was pulled out of the water by a small boat and brought to Kaag island. From there the resistance brought him to Warmond, tugged under the bow of a sailing boat, he heard German soldiers yelling and calling, searching for the American crew members. Tom Angott spent the remainder of the war fighting the Nazis on the ground instead of the air, as a Resistance Fighter in the Dutch underground in Leiden.

In this lake three crew members landed with their parachute

visit the Crash Museum near Aalsmeer

this is where three aircraft crew members landed in the lake

monument near the crash site of the bomber B-17 Jayhawk

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Haarlem walk

Vincent Arends — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 12:20:22 +0000

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Kennemerdunes NP

Vincent Arends — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 12:15:00 +0000

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Vincent van Gogh fishingboats

Vincent Arends — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 12:08:50 +0000

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Death penalty

Vincent Arends — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 11:29:13 +0000

This week, Virginia abolished the death penalty as first southern US state, exactly 69 years after the last execution in the Netherlands. The capital punishment was already abolished in 1870, but during WW2 reintroduced by the Nazis. After liberation, the Dutch government decided to neutralize that law, but to make an exception for a few high-ranking Nazi officers and some Dutch collaborators. The government was afraid the population would take the law into its own hands. In total, 39 persons were executed by firing squad after the war.

This was always done in remote areas, almost in silence, to avoid a brutalising effect on society. That was the exact opposite in the past. Death penalties always took place on crowded squares like Dam square in Amsterdam and the Grote Markt square in Haarlem, usually in front of the city hall, right beneath the statue of the lady of justice. The bigger the audience the better. After the executions, the bodies were hanged on a field (galgenveld) usually at the riverside, and became birdfood. It had to scare off new visitors entering the city; ‘this is what we will do to you if you don’t behave’.

Drawing by Anthonie van Borssom 1664 Galgenveld Volewijck, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam

Legal executions too place on Dam square, in front of the city hall.

From 1808, legal executions in Amsterdam took place in front of the Waag building at Newmarket. Drawing by Pieter van Loon (1801-1873), museum Van loon Collection.

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skating on canals

Vincent Arends — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 13:33:11 +0000

In the second week of February, the Netherlands has been hit by its first major snowstorm in a decade. Some parts of the country received 12 inches of snow. Train services were affected, road traffic disrupted and the Dutch government closed most coronavirus testing centres for several days.

It was the first time since 2013 that skating on the canals was possible. This always brings some good Kodak-moments…

The canals in Haarlem were frozen so that people could have fun on the ice.

The children in Holland do not see frozen rivers every year.

Because of all the snow, many people could not drive the car out of their garage.

Children in Holland are not used to this amount of snow.

Due to the frost, the children could explore small islands in the canals where they normally can not come.

For many young children this was the first time on ice.

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15 May 1940 suicide epidemic

Vincent Arends — Fri, 15 May 2020 07:59:30 +0000

On many Jewish cemeteries in Holland, one can often find gravestones with date of death 1940 May 15, or the days after. Hundreds of people, Jewish and non-Jewish people, tried to commit suicide when the main Dutch forces surrendered on May 15, five days after the German invasion. On average in The Netherlands, there were 60 suicides per month in in the 1930’s and 1940’s. In May 1940 the number was 388. Many of them have tried to flee to England but that was not an easy operation and many Dutch skippers asked astronomical prices. Many of the Dutch Jews had fled Germany and Austria in the 1930s. The Nazis engendered such fear, that its effect reached the Jewish people in The Netherlands even before the Nazis actually murdered three out of every four Dutch Jews. In some graves are complete families, with young children.

In the Netherlands are more than 240 Jewish cemeteries

This Jewish family Mayer committed suicide five days after the Nazi invasion.

Mister and miss Schoen killed themselves a few days after the Nazi invasion.

Another Jewish person who commited suicide on May 15 1940.

Hundreds of Jewish people commited suicide five days after the German invasion.

Anne Frank’s grandmother was burried on the Jewish cemetary near Hoofddorp January 1942. She did not committ suicide by the way.

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April: in full bloom!

Vincent Arends — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 11:20:54 +0000

The flowerfields are in bloom again. Usually the yellow and white narcissus and daffodils are the first, followed by the blue fields with hyacinths and then finally the tulps. The biggest fields can be found in the northern part of the province North Holland, and in the Flevopolder. Due to the mild winter we had, the flowers bloomed early this year. By the first of May, most of the fields will be gone. On our YouTube channel, you can watch some videos we took ourselves.

The fields with Narcissus are always the first in bloom.

The tulipfields in bloom can be seen in late April.

In the province Northern Holland you can see flowerfields and windmills at the same time.

The bulb farmers do not want visitors to go into the flowerfields.

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a new Van Gogh

Vincent Arends — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 11:54:35 +0000

A new self-portrait by Van Gogh has come to light officially. It has been in the Nasjonalmuseet museum in Oslo already for a century, but the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam authenticated the painting today, where it will be until spring 2021. Vincent started making self-portraits to practise with colour and brushstrokes. On almost all Rembrandt’s self-portraits, Rembrandt looks to his right. Vincent however, made self-portraits looking to his right and to his left. Rembrandt sold his self-portraits. Vincent’s portraits were all trial runs, not for the market. That is why many of his portraits have a painting on the backside as well, and why Van Gogh signed only one self-portrait out of the forty that are known. Watch some of our great videos about Vincent Van Gogh here.

Vincent made his self portraits by using a mirror, so it looks like he is left handed but in fact he was right handed.

Vincent van Gogh made most of his self portraits to practise emotions and with colors.

Vincent van Gogh tried to paint his emotions.

At Rembrandts paintings, the light usually comes from the left hand side.

Again, at Rembrandts portraits, the light usually comes from the left.

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October: plant the bulbs!

Vincent Arends — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 10:27:36 +0000

In October the bulb producers plant their new bulbs. This picture was taken by the miller of the windmill in the Schermer polder, that we visit during our countryside tours. Thanks to these farmers, our guides can show you the beautiful flower fields in spring. We never know exactly when the fields will be in bloom. A lot depends on temperatures in winter and spring. Normally the last two weeks of April and the first of May should be perfect to shoot your iconic Dutch picture.

April is the month to visit Holland if you want to see the flowerfields in bloom.

In the province Northern Holland you can see flowerfields and windmills at the same time.

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Two stolen Van Goghs back

Vincent Arends — Fri, 05 Jul 2019 13:57:38 +0000

Two paintings were stolen from the Van Gogh museum in 2002. Among them, this painting of the church were his father was the minister. Vincent made this in 1885 and gave it to his mother, who was not able to visit the church because she had a broken leg. A few months later, Vincent’s father died and Vincent changed the painting. He added a group of people in mourning clothes, and autumn leaves to the trees. This was the first painting that Vincent ever gave to his parents. Now the painting is back on view in the museum.

This is the church that Vincent painted, the church where his father was the minister.

Van Gogh museum Amsterdam. This painting, view of the sea at Scheveningen, was one of the stolen paintings.

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Corrie ten Boom House

Vincent Arends — Tue, 16 Apr 2019 11:08:07 +0000

Today in 1988, the Corrie ten Boom house was opened in Haarlem. Not many Dutch people were in the resistance during WW2. You would risk your own life and that of you family. A few people though, were very brave, and joined the resistance, or helped Jews with a hiding place. Corrie ten Boom hid Jews in her own house, behind a double wall. She was betrayed by a Nazi sympathizer and was sent to Ravensbruck. Come to Haarlem to hear her amazing story, her motivation and see the original hiding place.

During our tour in Haarlem, we will show you the Corrie ten Boom House with the hiding place and all other locations that were important for her. Please book early because the museum is often fully booked!

Through the closet in Corrie her bedroom, the refugees could get into the secret room and hide.

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Sun on grave Rembrandt’s wife

Vincent Arends — Tue, 05 Mar 2019 12:55:13 +0000

Every year March 9, exactly at 8.39 AM, a sunbeam illuminates the grave of Saskia, Rembrandts first wife, in the Old Church in Amsterdam. Saskia died in 1642, while Rembrandt was busy painting the Night Watch. The golden girl on the painting acts as a personification of the civic guard group, so she is not a real person. However, she does look like Saskia and she is in a brilliant shaft of light as well. Now just hope the clouds will not ruin our little party this Saturday morning.

In 1662 Rembrandt sold Saskia’s grave. Probably he needed the money, since he went bankrupt a few years earlier.

The Old Church in Amsterdam is located in the heart of the famous red light district.

The different colors of the bricks, show that the Old Church in Amsterdam has been expanded several times over the centuries.

The Nightwatch is probably the most famous painting by Rembrandt.

Rijksmuseum Collection. Rembrandt painted his deceased wife on the Nightwatch in 1642

Rijksmuseum Collection: Rembrandt made a portrait of his wife Saskia in 1633

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Resistance hero passed away

Vincent Arends — Sat, 16 Feb 2019 11:49:21 +0000

The Dutch resistance fighter Sieny Cohen Kattenburg passed away February 8, at the age of 94. During World War II, she was working in Amsterdam as a nurse in the crèche, across the Jewish Theater, where the Jews were collected before they were deported. Children were separated from their parents and stayed in the crèche until they were put on the train together with their parents. With her colleagues, Sieny smuggled away children from this creche in garbage bags, laundry-baskets, empty milk-cans or by walking out the front door with a baby in their backpack, greeting the Nazi soldiers guarding the Theatre. The stories of these nurses are amazing. It is estimated that more than 600 Jewish children were saved by this resistance group. Decades later, one of these children became the major of Amsterdam. Nowadays the Theatre and the crèche can be visited as part of the Holocaust museum.

Sieny and her husband, who were both in the resistance and saved many Jewish children from deportation.

The theatre in the Jewish district in Amsterdam, was used as a deportation center for Jews to the Nazi concentration camps. The crèche was on the other side of the road and can be visited.

Jewish people wrote their name and date of birth on their suitcase before boarding the deportation train.

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Sunflowers stay in Amsterdam

Vincent Arends — Thu, 24 Jan 2019 14:33:34 +0000

The Vincent van Gogh museum decided that the painting of the sunflowers will be loaned out to other museums no more, because of its vulnerable condition. The good news for Vincents’ fans who can’t make it to Amsterdam, is that Vincent painted several versions of the flowers, as these flowers were his favorite stillife. He painted them with 12 flowers, with 15 flowers, in bloom and almost faded. Only four are in public collections. Maybe the most interesting one, is the one in Tokyo, painted on jute. In 1888 on the market in Arles, Vincent and Paul Gaugin bought some jute. Vincent painted sunflowers on his piece. Gaugin painted Vincent on it, painting sunflowers. Vincent was not happy with that portret and it was one of the reasons for the big clash with Gaugin, that eventually made Vincent cutting his ear off.

The museum in Amsterdam has 18 self portraits by Vincent in its collection.

Vincent van Gogh made most of his self portraits to practise emotions and with colors.

The Van Gogh museum was opened in 1973 by the son of Vincent’s brother Theo.

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Van Gogh and Frans Hals

Vincent Arends — Tue, 08 Jan 2019 14:13:33 +0000

Vincent van Gogh admired Frans Hals. Vincent was impressed by his assured brushstrokes, his swiftly and loosely painted portraits. In a letter to his brother Theo he wrote : ‘paint in one go. As far as possible in one go. What a joy it is see a Frans Hals like that, how very different it is from the paintings where everything has been carefully smoothed out in the same way’.
The exhibition ‘Frans Hals and the moderns’ in The Frans Hals museum in Haarlem, shows Frans Hals’s immense impact on the modern painters. Until February 24 we can see this masterpiece by Vincent, the postman Joseph Roulin. One of the very few friends he had during his stay in Arles.

Frans Hals made many portraits of smiling people

Frans Hals is famous for his civic guard group portraits

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Train compensates Jews

Vincent Arends — Wed, 28 Nov 2018 12:35:55 +0000

More than 70 years after WW2, the Dutch Passenger Railway Operator agreed on paying individual reparations for transporting Jews mainly from Amsterdam to the transitcamp Westerbork. From Westerbork the Jews were deported to concentrationcamps, mainly Auswitsch and Sobibor. The Railway company was paid for these services by the Nazis, who paid these invoices with money that came available from confiscating Jewish belongings. In the coming months, a special committee will investigate how this can be realised.

The stars were produced by a Jewish family owned company in The Netherlands. During the war these companies were managed by German administrators or Dutch Nazi sympathizers

The theatre in the Jewish district in Amsterdam, was used as a deportation center for Jews to the Nazi concentration camps.

Jewish people wrote their name and date of birth on their suitcase before boarding the deportation train.

The Jews had to wear the star from May 3 1942 on and had to pay for them. They would get arrested if they were caught on the streets without them.

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Dutch resistance memorial

Vincent Arends — Sun, 25 Nov 2018 11:43:08 +0000

The annual memorial for Hannie Schaft, a Dutch resistance fighter during WW2, was held Sunday 25th November . Also known as ‘the girl with the red hair’, she was a member of the armed resistance, which was exceptional for women. At the age of 24 she was executed by the Nazis, in the Kennemerdunes near Haarlem, in April 1945, just a few weeks before the end of the war. In The Netherlands nowadays many schools, streets and squares are named after her. After the war, 422 bodies of resistance members were found in these dunes and were reburied at cemeteries or the Honorary Cemetary in the dunes. Here are 347 graves now, 346 men and 1 girl, Hannie. The War memorial cemetary is visited during the tours in Haarlem and the Kennemerdunes.

The girl with the red hair, Hannie Schaft, was burried at the Dutch Honorary Cemetery Bloemendaal.

There is a monument on all locations in the dunes where the Nazi’s executed resistance members.

The sign tells you about the Nazi’s using the area to practise dropping bombs.

The Nazi’s used the dunes to practise dropping bombs and they can still be found.

The grandson of Vincent van Gogh’s brother Theo, was a member of the Dutch resistance during ww2.

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