Visit Holland - The Netherlands

Glossary

Term Definition
Basilica of Our Lady - Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe Kerk

The Basilica of Our Lady (Dutch: Basiliek van Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe Kerk is a Romanesque church in the historic center of Maastricht, the Netherlands. The church is dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption (Dutch: Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Tenhemelopneming) and is a Roman catholic parish church in the Diocese of Roermond. The church is often referred to as the Star of the Sea (Dutch: Sterre der Zee), after the church's main devotion, Our Lady, Star of the Sea.

Basilica of Our Lady in Maastricht

Basilica of Our Lady in Maastricht - Limburg, Maastricht. Impressive, unusual Romanesque basilica with blocks from Roman buildings. Constructed in early 11th - 12th century. Beautiful, sophisticated sculptures.

Basilica of Saint Servatius - Limburg, Maastricht

Basilica of Saint Servatius - Limburg, Maastricht. One of the best examples of Romanesque architecture in Netherlands. Built in 11th - 12th century, although church is standing here since 4th century AD. Contains grave of Saint Servatius (310 - 384) - Armenian saint, first bishop of Maastricht.

Beekse Bergen - Safaripark

Safaripark Beekse Bergen is the largest wildlife zoo of the Benelux region and provides a home to approximately 1,250 animals from over 150 species, varying from small mammals to large birds. It is located between the cities of Tilburg and Hilvarenbeek in the south of the Netherlands, in province of North-Brabant. The visitors can for instance watch zebras and giraffes on the spacious savannahs. Safaripark Beekse Bergen offers te possibility to explore the park on numerous safaris: walksafari, carsafari, bussafari and boatsafari. The park is owned by the company Libéma Exploitatie BV, which is one of the largest leisure-related companies in the Netherlands.

Beemster

Beemster  is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Also, the Beemster is the first so-called polder in the Netherlands that was reclaimed from a lake, the water being extracted out of the lake by windmills. The Beemster Polder was dried during the period 1609 through 1612. It has preserved intact its well-ordered landscape of fields, roads, canals, dykes and settlements, laid out in accordance with classical and Renaissance planning principles. A grid of canals parallels the grid of roads in the Beemster. The grids are offset: the larger feeder canals are offset by approximately one kilometer from the larger roads:
*Criterion (i): The Beemster Polder is a masterpiece of creative planning, in which the ideals of antiquity and the Renaissance were applied to the design of a reclaimed landscape.
*Criterion (ii): The innovative and intellectually imaginative landscape of the Beemster Polder had a profound and lasting impact on reclamation projects in Europe and beyond.
*Criterion (iv): The creation of the Beemster Polder marks a major step forward in the interrelationship between humankind and water at a crucial period of social and economic expansion.

Begijnhof

The Begijnhof is one of the oldest inner courts in the city of Amsterdam. A group of historic buildings, mostly private dwellings, centre on it. As the name suggests, it was originally a Béguinage. Today it is also the site of the English Reformed Church.

Benelux

Benelux is a union of states comprising three neighbouring countries in northwestern Europe: Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The union's name is formed from joining the first two or three letters of each country's name – Belgium Netherlands Luxembourg – and was first used to name the customs agreement that initiated the union (signed in 1944). It is now used in a more general way to refer to the geographic, economic and cultural grouping of the three countries.

Beurs van Berlage

The Beurs van Berlage is a building on the Damrak, in the center of Amsterdam. It was designed as a commodity exchange by architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage and constructed between 1896 and 1903. It influenced many modernist architects, in particular functionalists and the Amsterdam School. It is now used as a venue for concerts, exhibitions and conferences. The building is constructed of red brick, with an iron and glass roof and stone piers, lintels and corbels. Its entrance is under a 40m high clock tower, while inside lie three large multi-story halls formerly used as trading floors, with offices and communal facilities grouped around them.

Biesbosch

De Biesbosch ('forest of sedges' or 'rushwoods'), is one of the largest national parks of the Netherlands and one of the last freshwater tide areas in Europe. The Biesbosch consists of a rather large network of rivers and smaller and larger creeks with islands. The vegetation is mostly willow forests, although wet grasslands and fields of reed are common as well. The Biesbosch is an important wetland area for waterfowl and has a rich flora and fauna. It is especially important for migrating geese.

Bijenkorf

De Bijenkorf (literally, "the beehive" is a chain of high-end department stores in the Netherlands with its flagship store on Dam Square, Amsterdam. It was founded by Simon Philip Goudsmit (1845–1889). De Bijenkorf was owned by Maxeda (formerly known as VendexKBB), but at the end of 2010 was sold to the Weston family that also owns Britain's Selfridges, Canada's Holt Renfrew and Ireland's Brown Thomas. The Weston family also owns 54.5% of Associated British Foods which in turn is the parent company of Primark.

Bijlmerbajes

The Bijlmerbajes is a prison complex in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, near the Amsterdam Amstel railway station. The official name is Penitentiaire Inrichting Over-Amstel, although it is also known as Penitentiaire Inrichting De Stadspoort or Penitentiaire Inrichtingen Amsterdam. Bijlmerbajes is part of the Custodial Institutions Agency (Dienst Justitiële Inrichtingen, DJI) of the Dutch Ministry of Justice within the Dutch criminal justice system.

Bimhuis

The Bimhuis is a concert hall for jazz and improvised music in Amsterdam. With an average of 150 performances a year the Bimhuis is the main stage for these musical genres in the Netherlands. The Bimhuis was founded in 1973. Until the summer of 2004 it was located at Oude Schans 73-77 in the centre of the city. Since January 2005 it is housed in a new building at the Piet Heinkade 3, next to the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ, on the southern bank of the IJ river.

Binnenhof

The Binnenhof (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈbɪnənɦɔf], inner court), is a complex of buildings in The Hague. It has been the location of meetings of the Staten-Generaal, the Dutch parliament, since 1446, and has been the centre of Dutch politics for many centuries. The grounds on which the Binnenhof now stands were purchased by Count Floris IV of Holland in 1229, where he built his mansion, next to the little lake that has been called Hofvijver or 'Court Pond' since the 13th century. More buildings were constructed around the court, several of which are well known in their own right, such as the Ridderzaal (Great hall; literally Knight's Hall), where the queen holds her annual speech at Prinsjesdag. One of the towers, simply known as het Torentje ('the Little Tower'; directly next to the Mauritshuis museum) has been the office of the Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 1982.

Blauwbrug

The Blauwbrug (literally, "blue bridge") is an historic bridge in Amsterdam. It connects the Rembrandtplein area with the Waterlooplein area. Blauwbrug The bridge owes its name to a wooden "blue bridge" that was there from around 1600 but no longer exists and which was painted the characteristic blue of the Dutch flag. It kept the name after 1883 when it was replaced by the spans of a new bridge which is inspired by the architecture of several of the bridges over the Seine in Paris.

Bloemenmarkt

The Bloemenmarkt is the world's only floating flower market. Founded in 1862, it is sited in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on Singel between Muntplein and Koningsplein in the city's southern canal belt. It includes 15 florists and garden shops as well as a range of souvenir gifts. The market is one of the main suppliers of flowers to central Amsterdam