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So close and yet so unknown

Rheine

On the road in the Netherlands with the German and European Policy Education Center

Friends in Europe are not only to be found in our border town Borne, but also further away in the “heart” of the Netherlands. This is what the participants of the study seminar “So near and yet so unknown” learned last week. This political study of the country was offered by the German and European Political Education Association of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The first destination was the seat of government of the Netherlands, The Hague, under the direction of Dr. André Böing. The city, which is also home to the International Criminal Court, surprised the participants with its interesting combination of historical and modern urban architecture.

On Wednesday, Ukraine celebrated its Independence Day. The Dutch showed solidarity by raising Ukrainian flags in the city center.

In the Binnenhof and in the surrounding (modern) buildings, politics is made. Eerste Kamer (the Senate) and Tweede Kamer (the Parliament) are located here. In the Binnenhof is also the Knights’ Hall (Ridderzaal), where the King delivers the Speech from the Throne on the third Tuesday in September (Prinsjesdag) and opens the new parliamentary year.

Historical and modern buildings characterize the image around the Binnenhof.

The Binnenhof is located in the middle of the city, so it is hard to miss. The building dates back to the 13th century and was originally the hunting lodge of the Count of Holland. Over time, more and more buildings were added, and today the Dutch Prime Minister has his workplace in The Hague’s Binnenhof.

The tour group in front of the “Tweeden Kamer

Since the rooms of the “Tweeden Kammer” in the Binnenhof are closed for a few years for renovation, the parliament was moved out. Here Judith Tielen, member of the Tweede Kamer and the Contact Group Germany received the guests. In conversation with the politician, topics such as health and climate protection were discussed. The guests also had the opportunity to look into the large meeting room of the parliament, where a general debate was in progress.

Judith Tielen (r.) welcomed the guests in the foyer of the parliament.
Prime Minister Mark Lutte, the longest-serving head of government within the EU, was also present at the debate. He could not be heard, however, as a thick pane separated the hall from the visitors’ booth.
Judith Tielen explained the work of the Parliament on the spot.

The topics were explored in greater depth during a visit to the German Embassy, where Embassy Counselor Heinrich Rohlfing was on hand to answer questions.

The seminar participants learned how the port city of Rotterdam developed after destruction and reconstruction after 1949 during a historical-political city tour and a harbor tour.

In Rotterdam’s museum harbor
This is how horses used to be loaded onto ships.
Old ships, modern buildings.
The Erasmus Bridge( Erasmusbrug inDutch ) is a cable-stayed bridge in Rotterdam over the Nieuwe Maas, a main stream in the Rhine-Meuse Delta. Named after the philosopher Erasmus of Rotterdam, the road bridge, which is also crossed by line 20 of the Rotterdam streetcar, connects the center of Rotterdam with the Kop van Zuid, an urban development area.
The “Markthal” is a market hall completed in Rotterdam in 2014. It is located in the center of the city, not far from the City Hall on the Coolsingel and from the Hoogstraat. The latter is the place where the city of Rotterdam was born. It surprises visitors with a modern ceiling painting and artifacts from Rotterdam’s genesis.
The reason for building an art depository in the Dutch port city was the fact that the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum, inaugurated in 1935, was bursting at the seams. The depot, however, does not intend to be an exhibition extension of the brick main building, but a kind of open art space that makes visible the work on and with the archived objects.

Aldo Lodder provided information on the current state of German-Dutch economic relations during a visit to the German-Dutch Chamber of Commerce.

More topical than ever, climate change was explained during a visit to Deltapark Neeltje Jans. This is the site of the Delta Works, the largest storm surge barrier in the world.

The last day was spent in Delft. The birthplace of painter Jan Vermeer, master of light and creator of the painting “The Girl with the Pearl Earring,” Delft has a close relationship with the Dutch royal family.

In the Old Church and the New Church, as well as at the “Prinsenhof”, you will become aware of the strong relationship between Delft and the Dutch royal family. In the Nieuwe Kerk, or New Church of Delft, the bond between the Orangemen and the city of Delft is explained in a permanent exhibition. In the Prinsenhof, William of Orange was hit by fatal bullets in 1584. He was buried here. In the burial cellars lie the remains of a total of 46 members of the royal house.

Dreamy alleys characterize downtown Delft.
The Oude Kerk is the older of Delft’s two large, Gothic city churches. The younger and better known is the Nieuwe Kerk. The trademark of the Oude Kerk is the 75-meter-high west tower, which leans 1.96 meters off plumb in the soft ground.

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The whole city is crisscrossed by canals.
Our city guide Klaas Huizinga in front of a wonderful city relief made of Delft porcelain discs.
The magnificent Delft City Hall
Johannes (Jan) Vermeer was born in this house.

The tour group was accommodated in the Hotel Mercure Central, so in the middle of The Hague. Here one had short distances to the city center in the evening.

The shopping mall in the city center.
The Royal Palace Noordeinde in the center of The Hague serves as the official residence of the Dutch monarchy and is located not far from the Binnenhof, the seat of the Parliament of the Netherlands. Wikipedia

Background:

The DEPB is an independent civic education institution that has been in existence since 1977.Four full-time pedagogical staff members and two administrative staff members organize in cooperation with numerous partners from different political and social fields (local associations of political parties, trade unions, church groups, clubs, adult education centers, etc.) about 50 study seminars per year on the topics of German politics, European politics and general or international politics.Since the DEPB has an office in Tecklenburg without its own conference rooms, the study seminars, which last several days and usually involve four or five overnight stays, take place in about 25 different locations throughout Europe. Participants thus have the opportunity to learn about important political issues directly “on site” and at first hand; important institutions are visited and topics are communicated by competent speakers from political and social practice.

Contact:

DEPB

Germany and

European Policy Education Center

North Rhine-Westphalia

Brochterbecker Str. 28

49545 Tecklenburg

T: +49 (0) 5482 93 98-0

F: +49 (0) 5482 93 98-20

www.depb.de