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Showing posts with the label Amsterdam

8 May 1946: Winston Churchill visited the Netherlands

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On 8 May 1946, Winston Churchill flew to The Netherlands. In Amsterdam he was received by Queen Wilhelmina of The Netherlands. Together they  marked the first anniversary of VE-Day.  The Dutch Royal family also received Winston Churchill on Soestdijk Palace where he was invited to a dinner. Princess Beatrix (later Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands) knew the former British Prime Minister very well from his famous speeches. Apperently, her mother, Queen Juliana (then Princess) once caught her performing a Churchill radio speech, while using a curtain cord as micro.  Winston Churchill - book Cover On 9 May 1946, Winston Churchill spoke to the Dutch parliament in  The Hague on 12.30. On 10 May 1946 he was in Leiden University for the presentation of his degree. Churchill received an honorary doctorate of law. Source picture: Wikipedia On Saturday 11 May 1946, Churchill received in Amsterdam a Gold Medal. He also took a cruise on the city's canal.  On May 13th. Chuchill visited Rotterdam

2-02-2002: Royal Wedding Willem-Alexander & Máxima

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On 2 February 2002 a real royal wedding took place at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. How did they meet each other? Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, eldest son and heir of Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus, met Argentine-born Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti at the Seville Fair in April 1999. Two weeks later, they met again in New York, where Máxima was working as a banker for Kleinwort Benson. She did not meet his parents, Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus, for some time. The proposal As speed skating is one of the most popular sports, Willem-Alexander proposed to Máxima on the ice on skates. A week earlier, Willem-Alexander already told his mother and Prime Minister Kok that he would propose to Máxima soon. Keeping it secret? The intention was that the intended marriage remained a secret, so as not to get in the way of Willem-Alexander's brother Constantijn and Laurentien Brinkhorst, who would marry in May. Ultimately, it was too difficult to keep secret, so on 30 March 200

Royal destination Hermitage in Amsterdam

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Old painting of the Amstel Hof - Source: Wikipedia One of the most beautiful museums of Amsterdam surely is the Hermitage, located on the banks of the Amstel river. The museum is housed in the former Amstelhof, a building erected in a typical clasical style. It was built in 1681. Hermitage Amsterdam  Some history In  1682, the Amstelhof opened as a retirement home for elderly women. From 1817, the facility housed both elderly men and women. One of the rooms was the largest in Amsterdam. Many members of the Dutch Royal Family and even Sir Winston Churchill visited it. In the 1990's the facility was dertermined as inadequate to meet the modern needs. Its residents sought to build a new sturcture elsewhere. Afterwards the Amstelhof became a museum. It was opened by then Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands and the President of Russia: Dmitry Medvedev. openings board of the Hermitage in Amsterdam Museum The Hermitage museum shows pieces of art from

Royal Palace of Amsterdam in The Netherlands

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Town Hall of Amsterdam  Source picture: Wikipedia On 3 February 2018, Princess Beatrix of The Netherlands hosted a B-day party at the Royal Palace on the Dam in Amsterdam. This event marked the significance of this magnificent Royal Building. picture: flower Market of Amsterdam with the  Royal Palace on the background Source: Wikipedia Location The Royal Palace of Amsterdam is located at the Dam Square in Amsterdam, capital of The Netherlands. This square really is the city's heart. There are a few other important sites of interests on the Dam: - Monument in honour of Dutch victims of War; - Nieuwe Kerk (New Church), ... own picture of the Palace of Amsterdam taken in 2017 scale model of the Royal Palace of Amsterdam - own picture taken in 2017 Some building history The Royal Palace of Amsterdam has a remarkable history. It first was built as the Town Hall of the City of Amsterdam. This was opened on 29 July 1655 by Cornelis