Breukelen
The village behind Brooklyn, on the river Vecht.
Route by public transport ↗
From Harlem to New Zealand.
Dutch sailors, merchants and mapmakers left Dutch names all over the world. Harlem, Brooklyn, New Zealand, Cape Horn: behind each name lies a place in the Netherlands and a story of discovery, trade and sometimes conquest.
Most of these names date from the 17th century, when the VOC and the WIC sent ships across the globe. Some places were trading posts, others became colonies, where local people and enslaved people paid a high price. Today those places tell their own stories, and Dutch museums increasingly tell them from both sides. The map shows where the names are. The map shows 28 places, from New York to Japan and Australia. Click a place to read where its name comes from and where in the Netherlands the story begins.
One day, four moments. How to get the most out of your visit.
Six places to complete your museum day.
Maps, globes and ship models from the age when Dutch mapmakers drew the world. Climb aboard the replica of the Amsterdam too.
In Middelburg's abbey, discover the province New Zealand is named after, and how the sea made Zeeland rich.
A small museum in Lutjegast, Abel Tasman's birthplace, about his voyages to Tasmania and New Zealand.
The museum of Terschelling, the island of Willem Barentsz and many sea captains. It is named after the hut where Barentsz spent the winter on Nova Zembla.
The village on the Vecht that gave Brooklyn its name. Cycle past the country estates along the river and find the old centre.
The town behind Cape Horn and home of Jan Pieterszoon Coen, with a harbour full of 17th-century facades and the Hoofdtoren.
Click a place to read where its name comes from.
Three Dutch places behind world-famous names.
The village behind Brooklyn, on the river Vecht.
Route by public transport ↗The town behind Cape Horn, with a Golden Age harbour.
Route by public transport ↗The capital of Zeeland, the province behind New Zealand.
Route by public transport ↗Travel times are indicative. Live times on 9292.nl ↗.
In the 17th century Amsterdam made the best maps and globes in the world. It makes a good base: Breukelen and Hoorn are close by, and Middelburg is a fine long day trip.