The Dutch word for itself is Nederlands, which is similar to the English pronunciation of its native region, the Netherlands. Ironically, the English word Dutch is closer to the German word for the German language, Deutsch. Dutch is a West Germanic language, so its two closest spoken language (major) relatives are English and German. There…
Tag: netherlands
Fun Facts and Trivia About Johannes Vermeer
Johannes Vermeer was a 17th-century painter from the Netherlands and is considered one of the greatest artists of the Dutch Golden Age. Although he was not a prolific painter, Vermeer made most of his income as an art dealer. His financial situation, however, was not strong—his wife was in debt at the time of his…
Fun Facts and Trivia About Piet Mondrian
Piet Mondrian was a Dutch artist of the 20th century, considered one of the greatest painters in history. Mondrian’s first career choice was teaching, not painting. A significant turning point in his art came when he decided to fuse his artistic ideas with his theological pursuits. During World War I, he was visiting his home…
Fun Fact: Rene Descartes and the Netherlands
While René Descartes was French by birth and nationality, the philosopher spent a lot of time in the Dutch Republic. Despite being a servant in a Protestant state, he was technically Roman Catholic.
Fun Fact: Guyana’s Connection To The Netherlands
Before the British controlled Guyana, the Dutch colonized the region.