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What the Netherlands looked like at the turn of the 20th Century

The 1900s in the Netherlands was a period of significant change and transformation in the country, with major developments in politics, society, and culture. The Netherlands maintained a large colonial empire in the early 20th Century, with colonies in the East Indies (modern-day Indonesia) and Suriname in South America. This period was marked by significant colonial exploitation and oppression, and the Dutch colonial empire faced growing resistance and calls for independence from colonized peoples.

The early 20th Century saw the continued growth of industrialization in the Netherlands, with new industries such as textiles, food processing, and shipbuilding. This led to increased employment opportunities and rising living standards for many Dutch people. The 1900s also saw the emergence of a new focus on social welfare in the Netherlands, with the development of programs and policies to support workers, children, and the elderly. This included the creation of a national pension system, as well as efforts to improve healthcare and education.

The country’s strategic location and well-developed port infrastructure made it an essential hub for international commerce, with exports including agricultural products, textiles, and manufactured goods. Agriculture was also an essential sector of the Dutch economy at this time, with the country known for its advanced farming techniques and high-quality produce. Dutch farmers specialized in various crops, including potatoes, flowers, and dairy products, which were sold domestically and abroad. The Netherlands has a long history of banking and finance, with Amsterdam serving as a significant financial center at the turn of the 20th Century. Dutch banks played an important role in facilitating international trade and investment, and the country’s stable political and economic environment made it an attractive destination for foreign investors.

The 1900s was also the time of artistic and cultural flourishing in the Netherlands, with the emergence of new movements such as De Stijl, a Dutch artistic movement focused on abstract, geometric art and design. Dutch painters such as Vincent van Gogh and Piet Mondrian also gained international recognition during this time.

Here are some fascinating historical photos of the Netherland in the 1900s.

#1 View of the Breestraat in Leiden View of the Breestraat Leiden, 1900s

#2 The Kursaal, the hotels and the terrace, Scheveningen, Holland, 1900s

#3 Pier pavilion with the Walking Head Wilhelmina, seen from the beach, Scheveningen, Netherlans, 1900

#5 The St. Nicholas Church on the Prins Hendrikkade, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1900

#6 The Fish market and bourse (weighing house), Amsterdam, 1900

#13 A group of white-clothed “Ehrenjungfrauen” (Ladies of Honour) are awaiting the visit of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, 1900

#15 People standing outside of a building on Langestraat in Alkmaar Netherlands, 1900

#18 The Hotel Rauch, at Scheveningen; Netherlands, 1900

#19 The Bourse and Bourse Station, Rotterdam, Holland, 1900

#20 The great market, Nymegen (i.e. Nijmegen), Holland, 1900

#22 De Nachtegaalstraat street in Utrecht, Netherlands, 1900

#23 Museums, The Netherlands. Exterior of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam around 1900.

#25 Binnen Amstel (inner Amstel), canal in Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1900

#26 Canal Scene, Oude Schans, Amsterdam, Holland, 1900

#27 Nieuwmarkt (Dutch for ‘New Market’ or ‘Newmarket’) a square in the centre of Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1900

#31 View of Catharine Bridge and windmill in Haarlem, Holland, 1900

#32 Amsterdam Main Post Office, currently a shopping mall known as Magna Plaza, at Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 182, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

#33 Young women at table in a forest or park, Pierre Weijnen (mentioned on object), Netherlands, 1900

#34 Montelbaanstoren tower on bank of the canal Oudeschans in Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1900

#35 The Gevangenpoort (Prisoner’s Gate), in The Hague, Netherlands, 1900s

#38 The Sheepfold Landscape with sheep, cows, farmer and sheep farm, Netherlands, 1900

#45 View of Dordrecht and the Merwede, The Netherlands, 1900

#47 St. Anthony Waag on the Nieuwmarkt, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1900

#49 The Bourse and Bourse Station, Rotterdam, Holland, 1900

#51 The Montelbaanstoren on the Oude Schans, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1900

#53 View Willemsbrug in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 1900

#54 The Kurhaus, seen from the beach, Scheveningen, Netherlands, 1901

#57 The Amstel, given the Groenburgwal and Zuiderkerk, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1900

#59 A terraced houses, located on the waterfront, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1900

#60 Singel with the Munttoren at Muntplein seen from the Flower Market, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1900

#61 Peat Market and Great Church, Haarlem, Holland, 1900

#62 View of a villa View of a villa building type, 1900

#63 View of a wide ditch with a road along it, and a church on the background, Netherlands, 1900

#64 View along the Keizergracht (Emperor’s Canal), Amsterdam, 1900s

#65 O.Z. Voorlurgral et St. Nicolas, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1900s

#66 Rotterdam Canals, Netherlands, Cliche Abrahamson, 1900s

#67 A canal with a windmill in Wormer, north of Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1908

#68 Holidaymakers at the seaside in Scheveningen near The Hague, Netherlands, 1908

#69 Swedish painter Ivar Kamke painting en plein air, watched by children in Volendam, Netherlands, 1908

#70 School group of little girls with their teacher in Sliedrecht, Netherlands, 1907

#71 Dutch fishermen with their baskets and implements in Slingerhaan, Netherlands, 1907

#72 Inauguration of a monument of Grand Duchess Alexandrine in Schwerin with Dutch Royalty, Germany, Vintage property of ullstein bild, 1904

#73 Knights’ Hall, a Gothic building in The Hague, Netherlands, 1907

#74 Town parade celebrating the birthday of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands in Kinderdijk, 1906

#75 Vintage postcard of anchovy fishermen mending their nets at Enkhuizen, Netherlands, 1905

#76 Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and Prince Heinrich in North Brabant, Netherlands, 1904

#78 Rijksmuseum (Reichsmuseum) with a repro painting from 1673, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1900

#79 Boer generals at the international pro-boer-art-exhibition in Scheveningen, Netherlands, 1902

#80 Hunger artist Papus presenting after eight days of fasting as a public attraction in Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1902

#81 Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and Duke Heinrich zu Mecklenburg-Schwerin on their wedding day in Den Haag, Netherlands, 1901

#83 Commercial Street, Curacao, Netherlands Antilles, 1900s

#84 An elderly Dutch woman pulling a barge down a canal, Netherlands, 1900

#85 Pair of Dutch women carrying baskets crossing a town square, Netherlands, 1900

#86 Women shopping in a Dutch town, Netherlands, 1900.

#87 Passers-by stop to listen to a barrel organ, in a town in Holland, 1900

#88 A barge moored alongside a canal in the Dutch city of Amsterdam, 1900

#90 City tour of Queen Wilhelmina of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1900

#91 Amstel Amstel Hotel in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1900

#92 Rotterdam, Railway Bridge, The Netherlands, 1900s

#93 Residents of a wooden house in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1900s

#94 Two boys on a jetty for a houseboat in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1900s

#95 Group portrait of unknown young men on a sloop near a pavilion, 1900s

#96 Three policemen on horseback on the street, Netherlands, 1905

#97 Former railroadstation Bredevoort, Aalten, Netherlands, 1900

#98 View of a windmill and farms on a river, Netherlands, 1900

#99 Beach scene with walkers on planks past stalls, 1900s

#100 Street scene with brass band in coastal town, 1900s

#101 Group portrait of six young ladies in front of the Hooglaren fence, anonymous, Netherlands, 1900

#102 Group of women and children by a stream, anonymous, Netherlands, 1900

#105 Street scene in front of the Hotel Spaander in Volendam.

#106 Fishing boats at the docks. The registration number on the sail suggests the port is Volendam.

#110 Two girls dressed in traditional Marken costume in a typical Marken fisherman’s cottage. Marken was an island, now joined to the mainland, just Northwest of Amsterdam.

#111 Marken girls, Marken, Netherlands. Marken is (was) an island in the Zuiderzee. Because of its relative isolation, Marken evolved its own distinctive costume and architecture.

#112 Canal and cheese market in Alkmaar. Alkmaar is noted for its open-air cheese market, barely visible on the plaza ahead.

#120 This is a no longer existing windmill called “De Maagd” in Dordrecht.

#144 Street scene in front of the Hotel Spaander in Volendam

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Written by Aung Budhh

Husband + Father + librarian + Poet + Traveler + Proud Buddhist. I love you with the breath, the smiles and the tears of all my life.

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