More features:

• Wear a Helmet!

  
  In many countries wearing a bicycle helmet is compulsory, but for many years the liberal Dutch have avoided this practical piece of safety gear like the plague....

• Asylum Seekers & Bigots

  Since last year, asylum seekers in the Limburgish village of Tienray have received a fluorescent shirt to wear if they’re out in the streets at night....

• Beetle

  
  The Volkswagen Beetle is the most popular 'old timer' in the Netherlands. This German-produced car's popularity is probably due to the fact that for many Dutch it was their first private vehicle....

• Street Talk (1)

  
  Although everyone knows Amsterdam, 's-Hertogenbosch is still off the beaten path for most foreign tourists....

• Dutch society

  
  The obscure facts that follow were selected purely at random. They either give an impression of how Dutch society functions and what a small country can achieve or, perhaps, just the opposite....

• Sticks and stones

  
  In other countries, the mere mumbling of swear words like 'klootzakken', 'kankerlijers', 'losers' and 'sukkels' (which are all impossible to translate) to a police officer would be sufficient for at least a night in jail....

• Bossche Koek: A Well-kept Secret

  
  Already five centuries ago, painter Jeroen Bosch had access to a rich cake locally known as Bossche Koek....

• Bike Heaven

  
  For years Dutch employers have reimbursed the purchase of a bicycle for employers who cycle to work. Since the end of 2009, however, the following law was passed by former government parties: employees with an electric bicycle or scooter will receive a reimbursement of 19 euro cents per kilometre....

• New Windmill

  
  Den Bosch has set itself the target of being fully carbon neutral in 2050, which means all energy used in town must be generated by sustainable sources like water, wind or sun....

• Crisis. What crisis?

  
  Of the 12.6 million Dutch who went on holiday last year, almost half chose to spend time in their own country....

• The Dutch: Stingy or Just Practical?

  
  One of the rumours spread about the Dutch is that they're a stingy lot. Dutch people are indeed among the few Europeans who actually have their financial books in order....

• Street Talk (2)

  Although everyone knows Amsterdam, 's-Hertogenbosch is still off the beaten path for most foreign tourists....

• Oldest National Anthem

  
  The Dutch Wilhelmus is the oldest national anthem in the world. The first stanza is the part that is usually sung or played at official events....

• Bicycle Museum

  
  A number of prominent cycling enthusiasts are working hard behind the scenes to set up a bicycle museum in ’s-Hertogenbosch....