On August 28, 2026, the popular King Harald of Norway passed away. Harald had been king since 1991 following the death of his father, King Olav V. The stamp below was issued on the 25th anniversary of this in 2016. Harald married in 1968...
475 Years of Willem & Anna is a two-day event on July 10 and 11, 2026, in which visitors return to the year 1551. On July 8, 1551, William of Orange married Anna of... in the St. Lambertus Church in Buren.
Years ago, I met a philatelist who collected stamps from Austria. Every year he went on vacation to Austria, and then he would try to take identical photos of images that appeared on his stamps. I wondered at the time whether multiple...
The 'birth' of Amsterdam is based on February 27, 1275, when the Count of Holland, Floris V, granted the toll privilege to the approximately thousand inhabitants of the agricultural and trading settlement at the mouth of the Amstel. Amsterdam already existed then...
Of course, I am proud of my wife, my two daughters, and three granddaughters. But which women would deserve to be depicted on a stamp? I leafed through the stamp catalog and came across quite a few. But...
Leiden is the Key City, the City of Discoveries, and the City with the oldest university in the Netherlands. It is therefore inevitable that many remarkable people have lived in Leiden. I will introduce you to 10 of them....
We discuss the King's second year in this blog. The King loves sports and is often present as a supporter during the Olympic Games and the World Cup with his wife. 2014 is the year with many highlights (Winter Games and the World Cup...
In 2023, it will be ten years since King Willem-Alexander succeeded his mother, Princess Beatrix, as King of the Netherlands. In addition to his formal duties, the King has a unifying, representative, and encouraging role. The ten years have flown by, just like a...
On April 27, 2023, our King celebrates 10 years of Kingship in 010. That promises to be a grand multicultural celebration, Rotterdam style. The theme is 'We are all Kings & Queens'. Because everyone is special. On every head fits...
The Constitution of 1848 turns exactly 175 years old in November 2023. This Constitution forms the basis of Dutch parliamentary democracy. This anniversary is being commemorated at various moments this year. Why was '200 years of the Constitution' commemorated in 2014 while...
Friends of mine visited the very beautiful exhibition 'The Century of Juliana' at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam from October 15, 2022, to April 10, 2023. The baby boomer generation (born in the period 1941 -...
The flag of the Netherlands symbolizes the Netherlands and the unity and independence of the entire Kingdom of the Netherlands. The red, white, and blue is used both on land and at sea as a civil flag, service flag, and war flag. Initially...
It is not that difficult to place a ship in a bottle. Rigging the masts, attach strings to them, lay them flat on the deck, and slide them into the bottle, ship and all. With the help of...
Have you used a pseudonym? A pseudonym is a self-chosen adopted name. Sometimes writers use them for various reasons. And then there are also aliases (like the stamp image on the left), stage names, and role names. What...
Catharina-Amalia Beatrix Carmen Victoria, or better known as Amalia, Princess of Orange, celebrates her birthday on December 7, 2021, and turns eighteen. At the same time, I am writing my 250th blog post. So, a double celebration on this day! At the end of this...
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