Zuid Holland and Utrecht

The province of Zuid Holland (South Holland) has an area of 2944 square kilometres and a population of close to 3.5 million, making it the province with the highest population density. Until the Netherlands became a united nation in 1795, South Holland was (with North Holland) part of the mighty county of Holland, which had dominated world trade in the 17th century and remained one of the wealthiest regions in the world. That heritage is apparent in the glorious architecture of cities like Leiden, Delft and Gouda. Leiden is the location of the country's first university, established by Willem de Zwijger (William the Silent) in 1574. Delft is not only the home of the famous Delft Blue porcelain, but also many members of the royal House of Orange (the Dutch Royal family) are buried in the town's 14th Century New Church..

Utrecht is, with only 1449 square kilometres, the smallest province of the Netherlands and situated in the centre of the country; it shares a border with Zuid Holland in the west and south west, Noord Holland in the north west, Gelderland in the east and south east, while the Rijn (Rhine) and Elk rivers form the southern boundary. It has a population of close to 1.2 million inhabitants, giving it a very high population density. It's capital is the old bishopric, also called Utrecht.

Both the province and its capital have a long history. The region has been inhabited for thousands of years and the Romans built a crossing over the Rhine, called Traiectum, where the city now stands and this name is the origin of "Utrecht". From the 7th to the 16th centuries it was the centre of a powerful bishopric and ruled by bishops who built no less than 10 churches clustered around the beautiful 14th century Dom cathedral. Its 112 m tower is the highest in the country and dominates the unique terraced canals that criss-cross the old city that housed one of the most important universities of the country.

	Old city, Leiden	Fortress, Leiden	Canal in Delft	Windmills near Rotterdam
	Houses near Rotterdam	Vlist river	Farm along the dike	View of Utrecht
	Oude Gracht, Utrecht	The Dom tower	Wedding in Utrecht	Old city, Utrecht

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