Life in the Netherlands. About immigration and life in the Netherlands, personal experience

Holland occupies a significant place among European countries. This is not only a comfortable country to live in, but also a special mentality of citizens who are tolerant of visiting tourists and migrants. Life in Holland is at the same time calm and measured in small settlements, but on the other hand, quite stormy - in major cities.

Facts about the country

A state with a population of more than 17 million, per 1 sq. km of territory there are an average of 404 people. Essentially it is the main component of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The capital is Amsterdam, but the main executive and legislative institutions are located in The Hague.

High population density has a strong impact on the environmental situation, but the government is still addressing this problem. For example, the abandonment of personal vehicles in favor of bicycles is actively encouraged; this method of transportation is very popular.

Living in the Netherlands, of course, has its pros and cons.

Nature and climate

The climate is temperate, winters are usually mild, summer days (compared to other countries) are quite cool. The average annual temperature ranges from +3 to +17 degrees. It rains often.

Mentality and lifestyle of the local population

People who have spent a long time in Holland note the friendliness of the residents towards visitors. The most important thing is compliance with the laws of the country. Everything else is of secondary importance.

It should also be noted that the Dutch are kind to their family members and relatives. But at the same time, they are very prudent; for example, they rarely host noisy, expensive feasts and save on heating.

Sports are very popular, especially football and field hockey.

How do people treat alcohol and soft drugs in the country?

In Holland, free circulation of cannabis is allowed, it is believed that this prevents the desire to use more difficult ones - such as heroin. It is worth noting that (according to statistics) only 5% of the population have tried marijuana.

Alcohol is more popular. On average, a Dutch citizen drinks more than 7 liters per year (in terms of pure alcohol). This is mainly beer, but local juniper vodka is also popular.

Russian immigrants in Holland

According to experts, just over 65 thousand people from Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union permanently reside in the Netherlands. A significant part came as refugees. At the moment, it is almost impossible to obtain this status.

Life in Holland for Russians is complicated by the fact that the difference in mentality is too great. Problems also arise due to poor knowledge of languages.

Quite often, Russian-speaking women marry Dutchmen and move to the country for permanent residence.

There is an opportunity (with good knowledge of the language) to find a job or enter a higher education institution.

How do visitors live and where do they work?

As a rule, migrants are not able to purchase their own apartments, so they live in rented apartments. Among the vacancies for employment, the most common ones can be listed:

• Bartenders, cooks, waiters, guides.
• Designers, IT workers.
• Drivers, builders (various specialties), technical staff.
• Qualified engineers (especially electronics engineers).

Specialists with experience and good knowledge of languages ​​are highly valued.

Due to the fact that you will have to take care of obtaining a visa.

It is important to take into account: if official employment is planned, the employer will need to prove the fact that there are no applicants for this vacancy from among the citizens of the country.

Pensioners from Russia

Persons arriving from other countries can claim full social security in Holland only if they have lived in its territory for more than 50 years. If this period is shorter, the benefit will be paid only partially. But it is possible to compensate for the lack of years by paying a certain amount to the state treasury, which is calculated individually.

The retirement age in Holland is 66 years old from 2019, and is expected to increase to 67 from 2021.

It is also worth noting that Russian pensioners who moved to the Netherlands have the right to receive social security in the Russian Federation. Registration takes place according to the usual procedure in the Pension Fund at home.

Attitude of locals towards visitors

The native Dutch are quite relaxed about migrants. If new residents follow local laws, they will not feel any particular prejudice. Thousands of people from different countries live and work permanently in the Netherlands without any difficulties.

Prices for food and other goods

As an example, here is a small list of the main products that are most often purchased.

Shops in Holland are varied. Many shopping enthusiasts note the attentiveness of the owners of retail chains to each client; various promotions with gifts are often organized, and targeted mailings are carried out.

During sales periods, prices for non-food products drop significantly.

Considering that Holland is in 4th place in Europe in terms of wages, food prices in Amsterdam can be considered high. The overwhelming majority of citizens belong to the middle class; there is no strong stratification by income.

Thanks to fairly high taxes, the Dutch budget is steadily replenished and is never in deficit.

Work and wages

Anyone who has received a visa can find a job that interests them. The salary will depend on the direction and qualifications, usually calculated in €/year:

• In the field of IT and engineering – 45 thousand.
• Tourism business – up to 24 thousand.
• Low-skilled labor – an average of 12 thousand.

The standard of living in the Netherlands is one of the highest in the European Union. Citizens of the kingdom do not strive to take low-paid jobs, so it is easy to find vacancies in this sector, and for women - in the service sector (governess, nannies, etc.)

It will imply tax deductions, so when reviewing advertisements it is important to take this deduction into account; it is usually not indicated.

Tax system

While living in the country, it is important not to break the laws.

Both residents and migrant workers pay taxes in the Netherlands. The subjects of the country account for global income, and other workers only for the funds they received within the kingdom.

1. Employment, home ownership.

• 1-20 thousand euros – 5.85%;
• 20-34 thousand – 10.85%;
• 24-56 thousand – 42%;
• over 56 thousand – 52%.

1. Participation in the capital of the company and making a profit if the share is more than 5%. 25% is deducted from the dividend amount.
2. When receiving income from savings and investments, 30% will be deducted, but only 4% of the value of the assets. If the amount is less than 21,129 euros, the tax is zero.

VAT for most goods and services is 21%, and the list of essentials is subject to a rate of 6%.

When organizing your own business in the kingdom, you should take into account that Russia has entered into an agreement to avoid double taxation with a number of countries, in particular with the Netherlands.

Real estate

Holland is a member of the European Union, so there are no strong differences from other countries, but there are some nuances.

Rent

Most visitors live in rented accommodation. The subtlety is that a significant part of the owners prefer to rent out the property officially under a contract. The rent depends on the age of the building (older is cheaper), the availability of furniture, and location. The safest option is to look for options on agency websites.

The cost of renting an apartment in Holland averages 800-1700 euros per month. Students can rent private rooms for 300-500 €/month.

Owned

The attractiveness of purchasing residential or commercial space lies in the fact that the state guarantees the inviolable right to private property.

Buying real estate is quite difficult; even during the peak periods of the crisis, the price drop was no more than 7% (in some cities there was an increase in sales).

The most inexpensive housing will cost about 200 thousand euros, we are talking about houses and apartments in small towns.

Elite apartments with an area of ​​100 sq. m. will cost from 500 thousand €.

And the best purchases are considered to be small houses in the suburbs of Holland, for about 100 square meters. m. you will need to pay 200-220 thousand.

Public utilities

You should also add the cost of housing and communal services to the rental amount, this is 200-450 € per year. Often the owner asks to pay a significant amount in advance, as a deposit, so as not to have problems with utility services.

Fare

The easiest and cheapest option for getting around the city is bicycles. Everyone rides them, even the king and queen. There are plenty of bike racks for storage. On the roads, a motorist will be found guilty if he collides with a two-wheeler. However, driving while intoxicated is still prohibited.

Buying a car

You can purchase a car either secondhand or at a car dealership. In the first case, it is a risky business; as a rule, a vehicle with a “twisted” speedometer will be sold, sometimes a vehicle restored after an accident.

You can haggle at a car dealership; if a car costs 7,000 euros, it is quite possible to “throw off” 300 euros, especially since this amount is already included in the price tag.

The purchase price will be slightly higher than in Belgium or Germany.

Insurance can be of three types: one is mandatory, the rest are optional. The first (main) type will cost 10-200 euros, depending on your driving experience and the car itself.

Other types can cover damage in the event of theft, natural disaster, and fully compensate for expenses in any situation (analogous to CASCO).

Rent a Car

It only makes sense to rent a car if you travel frequently outside the city. It should be taken into account that the average speed in megacities is less than 50 km/h.

The rental price will be, if you take a small economical model in Amsterdam, approximately 5-5.5 thousand rubles for three days.

You can order a car right near the airport.

Gasoline cost

Fuel prices are relatively low by European standards. These are mainly products from the local manufacturer Shell.

Fuel type and cost in euros:

• 95 – 1,6;
• 98 – 1,7;
• DT – 1.3;
• Gas – 0.8.

All varieties are of good quality.

Payment for public transport

Most often they use buses and trains. In the first type, it is better to go to small towns, no further than 10 km, but you should clarify the route in advance: some of them are not direct, and a wide coverage of neighboring settlements is possible. Costs vary greatly; cities have day and night routes.

Trains in the country run quite frequently, up to 12 times per hour on some routes, but delays are common – by 5-10 minutes. The ticket purchasing system is quite confusing, for example, in some cases there is a discount (40%), but you need a special discount card. Students and government employees also receive privileges, but only on weekdays, during some holidays and in the summer months.

The cost of passes depends on the mileage.

Social payments

State benefits are provided to the poor, the unemployed, and pensioners. Even in Holland, they pay the most generous “sick leave” compensation – 70% of the salary, for up to 104 weeks.

Calculation of pensions

Since the main social benefit in the Netherlands is given based on the length of work experience and one’s own savings, its size can vary from 1000 (for singles) to 1400 (for married couples). And if the employee saved additional funds, then an increase in the total amount is provided.

Unemployment benefits in 2019

After dismissal, an employee can claim up to 164 weeks of benefits. In the first 9 years he is compensated 75% of his average earnings, and then 70%.

Education in the country

There are 2 types of universities in the Netherlands.

1. Universities involve an emphasis on scientific work.
2. Applied - most often they train engineers for production and business.

To be admitted, you just need to meet the following requirements:

• Age from 17 years (for universities - from 18);
• Russian School Certificate;
• Knowledge of English.

The duration of stay is 3-4 years, often students work even before graduation.

It is distinguished by its emphasis on the following principles:

1. Teamwork training.
2. Specific Problem Solving (PBL).
3. Respect for other people's opinions.

Since every 10 student is a foreigner, teachers try to maintain an internationally competitive learning environment.

Medical services

Services are provided by doctors, both with compulsory insurance and with additional insurance.

The cost of a basic policy is 100 euros per month. Part of the services under the main insurance is covered by the patient himself. If it turns out that a person has been in Holland for more than 4 months without a policy, he will face a fine (about 370 euros).

To see a general practitioner, you need to make an appointment, after which you often have to wait several days. The native Dutch do not really like to go to doctors and in most cases use telephone consultations.

If there is a threat to life, it is necessary to call emergency assistance; it works the same as in other countries - 24 hours a day.

Results

Living in the Kingdom of the Netherlands is quite expensive, but some people come here and stay for various reasons.

It should be noted the high degree of loyalty of local authorities to businessmen, a minimum of checks and the ease of opening a business (even by residents of other countries).

In the first half of the 16th century, Protestant teachings began to spread in the Netherlands, which had been part of the Holy Roman Empire since 1512 and the hereditary possession of the House of Habsburg since 1549. This circumstance, as well as the socio-economic policy of Spain, led to the emergence of an anti-Spanish movement in the country, in response to which Spain sent troops to the Netherlands. A guerrilla war began in the country. In 1579, the country split into southern provinces loyal to the Spanish king and rebellious northern provinces, which soon declared themselves an independent republic. Until 1648, the Republic of the United Provinces, while remaining de jure Spanish territory, was de facto independent. Fighting between Holland and the Spanish-controlled southern provinces continued (with a break of 12 years from 1609 to 1621) until the signing of the Treaty of Munster between Spain and the Netherlands in 1648. This treaty was part of the European Peace of Westphalia, which ended the Thirty Years' War of 1618-1648. The Dutch Republic was recognized as an independent state and retained control over the territories conquered in the later stages of the war.

The Dutch Revolution and the formation of the Republic of the United Provinces

The Dutch Revolution is the name given to the liberation war of the Netherlands against Spanish rule in the second half of the 16th - early 17th centuries. (1566-1609).

As a result of this war, the Netherlands was divided into the independent Republic of the United Provinces (Holland) and the Spanish Southern Netherlands (modern Belgium).

Background

In the first half of the 16th century. The Netherlands were the richest part of the empire of Charles V (see). It has spread widely in the country. Charles of Habsburg and his son Philip II fought hard against Protestantism. Tax oppression and trade bans of the Habsburgs in relation to the Netherlands also played a big role.

The War of Liberation was both a struggle for church reform and against the Spanish crown.

Events

1525- Charles V creates an Inquisition court in the Netherlands, which executes many thousands of people.

Philip II, who became king in 1559, increases taxes in the Netherlands and also prohibits the purchase of English wool necessary for the production of cloth.

1566- a delegation of Dutch nobles demanded that Margaret of Parma close the inquisitorial courts and convene the Estates General.

1566- Iconoclastic uprising (in the southern provinces). An uprising of townspeople, peasants and nobles. Rebellious Calvinists destroy icons and statues of saints.

1567- The army of the Duke of Alba entered the Netherlands. Alba establishes a Council for Rebellion, thousands become victims of Catholic terror. A Gueuze insurgency is unfolding in the country, receiving the support of English and German Protestants.

1572- the sea gueuzes captured the city of Brielle. Beginning of the uprising in the northern provinces.

Participants

In the first half of the 16th century. Protestant faiths began to penetrate into the country. Charles V issued special laws against supporters of the Reformation and established a tribunal of the Inquisition. Discontent with taxes and religious persecution increased, but under Charles V it did not develop into open disobedience: as part of the empire, the Netherlands had ample opportunities for trade in all parts of the world. Philip II's policy in the Netherlands was determined solely by the interests of Spain. The Netherlands lost trade benefits in Spain's colonies, and the Anglo-Spanish conflict paralyzed the development of trade between the Netherlands and England. Under Philip II, the position of the Catholic Church and the Inquisition strengthened. Among the dissatisfied were many nobles, including the aristocrats Prince William of Orange, the counts of Egmont and Horn.

Rice. 2. William of Orange ()

The delegation of nobles presented their appeal to the viceroy Margaret of Parma. Their modest clothing gave rise to one of the nobles to contemptuously call them gyozas, that is, beggars. Soon they began to call all patriots and opponents of the Spanish regime. The liberation movement began in the summer of 1566 with a mass uprising of iconoclasts. By the spring of 1567, the uprising was suppressed. To pacify the rebellious Netherlands, a punitive army led by the Duke of Alba was hastily sent. The Spaniards took over everything most important cities and began to crack down on the rebels. The first to lay down their heads on the block were the aristocrats - the Counts of Egmont and Horn. This was followed by the execution of ordinary participants in the uprising. A special council in the case of the riots, nicknamed the “bloody council,” condemned 8 thousand people to death. The Inquisition hunted down the Calvinists and incited them to denounce them, promising the informers the property of the convicted as a reward. The Duke of Alba demanded huge taxes from the Netherlands. Alba's cruelty, however, convinced many that it was futile to hope for mercy from the Spaniards, and therefore it was necessary to continue the fight against them. Terror did not bring the Netherlands to its knees. A guerrilla war began in the country. Peasants and artisans went into the forests, where detachments of “forest guerrillas” were formed. Fishermen, sailors, traders and shipowners became “sea gueuzes”. They attacked Spanish ships and coastal fortresses, and then took refuge in the ports of Protestant England, which secretly supported them.

Rice. 3. Capture of Brill with “sea gueuzes” ()

The opposition nobility and cities were led by Prince William of Orange, a cautious politician nicknamed the Silent. At first, Silent did not approve of the partisans' actions, hoping to achieve success with the help of German landsknechts and English Protestant volunteers. However, most of his enterprises were unsuccessful, while the Guez inflicted painful blows on the Spaniards. Therefore, William of Orange was forced to enter into an alliance with the Guez and plan joint actions with them.

All northern provinces rebelled, cities one after another expelled the Spanish garrisons. Freed from foreign masters, the richest provinces - Holland and Zeeland - called on William of Orange and proclaimed him their ruler - the Stadthouder. The Spaniards, who managed to keep the Southern Netherlands under their rule, attacked the rebellious North with all their might, but local population was determined not to return to the Spanish yoke. When towns and villages could not withstand siege, the Dutch opened the floodgates and flooded their lands to prevent them from falling to the Spaniards.

In 1579, the Northern Netherlands, as well as the central provinces of Flanders and Brabant, signed a treaty of alliance in the city of Utrecht - a union that consolidated a common goal - war with Spain until complete independence was achieved. In 1581 they declared Philip II deposed. But among the townspeople there were also many who were indecisive or in favor of peace with the enemy, for example, merchants who traded with Spain, and clothiers who supplied their products there. The local nobility, alarmed by the scale of the guerrilla war, were also ready to recognize the authority of Philip II in exchange for some liberties and permission to practice the Calvinist faith. Such sentiments caused discord in the camp of the rebels, which ultimately led to the fall of the main city of this region - Antwerp - and the defeat of the liberation movement in the central provinces.

The northern provinces acted more decisively, determined to achieve independence. This was explained by the fact that their trade interests were not limited to Spain, but were focused on England, Northern Germany, and Scandinavia.

Despite the fact that the liberation movement in the Netherlands was led by representatives of the bourgeoisie, large merchants and entrepreneurs, for many years they looked for a monarch among the princes of the blood in all neighboring powers. The throne was offered to the English Queen Elizabeth I and the French Prince of Anjou. These negotiations were conducted by William of Orange, who intended to remain only the viceroy of the future king. But Elizabeth I rejected the offer, the Prince of Anjou died, and in 1584 the Silent fell at the hands of an assassin sent by the Jesuits. Only after it became clear that there would be no new claimants to the throne did the United Provinces declare themselves a republic. Spain did not recognize the independence of the new state, but in fact was forced to come to terms with it. The Catholic power did not have the former power to re-conquer its former subjects.

Liberation from Spanish rule caused rapid economic growth in the United Provinces and, chief among them, Holland. At the beginning of the 17th century. Along with England, it became a leader among European countries in the field of production and trade. Thanks to high quality Dutch cloth enjoyed success throughout Europe - from Russia to Italy. One after another, manufactories grew here, new shipyards, banks, and insurance companies opened. The merchant fleet of the United Provinces consisted of 4.5 thousand ships and was the largest in Europe. The Dutch port of Amsterdam became the largest center of international trade and banking, while the volume of trade in Seville, Lisbon and Antwerp, controlled by the Spaniards, was declining.

The Dutch quickly made up for lost time during the Age of Discovery. They became involved in the struggle for colonies and the division of spheres of influence in the world. At the beginning of the 17th century. Dutch merchants penetrated Africa and launched a widespread trade in slaves with America. Competing with the British, they founded the East India Company to trade with India, the Spice Islands, and China, which brought great profits. In 1642-1644. Dutchman Abel Janson Tasman was the first European to explore the coasts of Australia, New Zealand, as well as many islands in the Pacific and Indian oceans, one of which was named Tasmania in his honor.

Rice. 4. Colonial possessions of Spain ()

Bibliography

1. Bulychev K. Secrets of the New Time. - M., 2005

2. Vedyushkin V. A., Burin S. N. General history. History of modern times. 7th grade. - M., 2010

3. Koenigsberger G. Early Modern Europe. 1500-1789 - M., 2006

4. Soloviev S. Course New history. - M., 2003

3. History of Ukraine and world history ()

Homework

1. Why did the Netherlands rebel against Spanish rule?

2. What segments of the population of the Netherlands participated in the fight against Spain?

3. What are the reasons for the rapid development of Holland?

A tough tax system, features of finding housing and moving, and remarkable facts about the Dutch.

The founder of the tinyBuild game studio, Alex Nichiporchik, wrote a column for the DTF publication about creating a company in the Netherlands, living conditions and taxation of the country.

The Unite conference is currently taking place in the beautiful city of Amsterdam. In my Facebook feed I see a bunch of acquaintances admiring the city and the country as a whole. I lived there from 2010 to 2017 - exactly seven years.

I moved there in 2010 to work at Spil Games. There I met a lot of flash developers who eventually switched to developing PC games. At the end of 2011, I started a side project, which you know today as tinyBuild. We still have a studio in Holland dedicated to porting and co-development of games.

Now I am building a studio in the USA, the developments of which will be known early next year. In this article I want to talk about the experience of seven years of living in Holland.

Why Amsterdam doesn't represent the Netherlands

It is important to understand that Amsterdam is a tourist center and does not represent the country as a whole. Only 800 thousand people live in it, and in the whole country there are more than 16 million. By comparison, Latvia's territory is almost the same size, and its population is only 2 million people. Holland is very densely populated and it is difficult to find rural wilderness or nature. The forests are very sparse, each with carefully laid paths and maps. It's almost impossible to get lost.

If you're thinking about moving to Holland, I recommend the Te Gooi area. If you take Amsterdam, Utrecht and Amersfoort on the map, then you can point your finger at any point of the formed triangle and end up in a good area for living. Go to Utrecht and see it. Similar to Amsterdam, but cheaper and with fewer tourists. Amersfoort is a little further away, but it has a beautiful center in the form of a fenced castle with walls.

Main streets of Hilversum. Lots of cafes and shops

Hilversum: why I moved there and stayed

I initially moved to the city of Hilversum only because my employer company was based there. For €800 a month you could rent an apartment of 80 square meters, very close to the station, shops and work. Suddenly the need for a car completely disappeared.

I’ll talk about visa and legal issues separately. Now about the practical part.

Ordinary park. Every city has one

​When you move to Holland, suddenly there is a ton of bureaucracy. I'm talking about practical things like the Internet, registering with a water provider, electricity, and the like. Never skimp on a realtor. Rent an apartment through an agency. You will have to pay approximately three monthly fees: for the first and last month to the owner of the apartment and another month for the services of the realtor.

The realtor will register you everywhere and make sure that you have water and electricity. €300 per person per month must be immediately budgeted for mandatory expenses. This includes health insurance, utilities and city taxes. You will pay for the supply of water to your home, for its filtration and maintenance of the infrastructure - all to separate companies. Therefore, an apartment for €800 per month will cost you €1-€1.1 thousand in mandatory expenses.

This is all something to keep in mind when negotiating your salary. Life in old Europe is very expensive.

My courtyard in Hilversum

Hilversum is 30 minutes by train from the airport and has everything I needed: a beautiful center, a cinema, compactness and practicality. When I left Spil Games and started building tinyBuild, it turned out that HKU University is also located there, where they teach Unity and game design - very convenient. Amsterdam is 20 minutes by train. And this is the very center of the Te Gooi area, it is considered safe and beautiful. I got on my bike - and after 15 minutes you are in the forest, 20 minutes - and you are on the beach on the lake.

This is the stone monument in Hilversum

Many people consider Hilversum boring, and if you need a more party place, this is clearly not the place for you, it’s better to live in Utrecht. There are a lot of universities there and a big party scene, including the game development community. And if you want a bunch of drunk Brits in mankinis, go to Amsterdam.

Salaries, finances and benefits

Living in Holland is expensive both in terms of living costs and taxes. If you are an IT professional, the easiest way to move to Holland is with a highly skilled expat visa. It puts forward a number of requirements in the form of education or outstanding achievements in the field of high technology and gives a large tax discount.

When negotiating your salary, you should expect that at least 30% of it will go to taxes. “Gross” (income before taxes) is always specified. The salary requirement for this visa changes every year, but is generally less than €50k per year. Most often, this figure is enough to rent housing and live comfortably.

30% rolling

​Find out immediately whether you are subject to 30% rulling - this is when 30% of your salary is not subject to taxes. That is, from a salary of €50 thousand per year, €15 thousand are automatically given “for free”, without taxation. The same bonus can move you down a notch, since the tax system in the country is progressive. Let’s calculate with and without 30% “ruling” based on €50 thousand per year, using a calculator.

Without 30% "rolling"

It turns out to be €2.8 thousand “net” per month. Please note that the employer pays approximately 30% of his taxes on top. This applies to employees only. If you run your own business and consider yourself hired, add another 30% on top.

This means that if you ask for a salary of €4 thousand per month (approximately €50 thousand per year), you will take home €2.8 thousand without tax benefits.

With 30% rolling

The taxable salary turns out to be €37 thousand per year. There are reasons why this is not exactly “minus 30%”. It's complicated. You can calculate your own progressive taxes for 2017 along with non-taxable minimums.

As you can see, the difference is significant. In 2010, this discount was given for 10 years, today it is given for seven. Its task is to integrate international specialists into society. Without it, making money becomes very expensive. The highest level of income tax is 52%. This means that at one moment you realize that you have spent €1 on top of every €1 that you spend.

Write-off of real estate

Living room and home office. Here tinyBuild began, at one point there were eight people sitting here - until they rented an office. This ladder broke my toe. You can't go down it drunk

In Holland you can get a loan to buy a house. This is very difficult and you need to have a lot of money in your account, a good work history, a permanent work contract, and so on. But You can write off your home mortgage on your taxes.

Structure of labor contracts

Yes, in Holland everything is very expensive in terms of taxes. And if you are an employer, don’t bother there at all. In addition to the employer tax laws that I mentioned, there is also a catch with contracts.

For example, if I hire a person, I give him a contract for a year. If I suddenly decide to fire him after three months, I need to pay him for the whole year.

If I renew my contract, I can extend it for a year or two (everyone does it for one year). But the third contract must be permanent. It is almost impossible to fire people with a permanent contract - it is necessary to negotiate. By law, this is at least one salary for each year of work of the employee (if there are good reasons for dismissal). If they don’t exist, people are paid two years’ salary. I saw how employees with permanent contracts went off sick for a year and a half, and after the ninth month of sick leave they were still required to pay 70% of their salary.

The country is full of castles and ancient architecture. Holland was not touched at all during World War II

Holland is a paradise for workers and a hell for innovators and founders.

There are minimum salary requirements for company founders. This means that I, as the director of my company, cannot pay myself a salary of €0. There is a minimum set, and to get around it, you have to ask for an exception from the government.

Isn't it possible to just be a freelancer or sole proprietor?

I asked this question when we started the studio. The short answer is no. There is a law that prevents freelancers from working for one client for more than six months a year. Many try to bypass it through company structures. We transferred employees between several paying companies, although in fact everyone was working on the same project. It works, but not for long.

The only thing you can do as an employer is to pay another 30% on top of all taxes and work through a recruitment agency. They are licensed to issue hourly contracts without restrictions.

For all these reasons, game development is very weak in Holland. There is no one there besides Guerilla Games. All first-generation indies have died out, or are unable to expand due to restrictions due to the risks of hiring employees. It's honestly shameful. For the same reason I left there. But that's not what the article is about.

It's clean, everyone's smiling, and there's no lower or upper class

Yes, taxes are huge and this is all very sad in terms of creating a business. But if you are going to work for an established IT company, then Holland is paradise.

Everyone is smiling. Everywhere is clean. No homeless people. Almost all drugs have been decriminalized. Everyone is in the “middle” class. The last thing, I hope, is obvious - if there are huge taxes, then it is very difficult to be rich. And the poor are supported by a strong social system.

The Dutch have a well thought out assistance system. You can't fall so hard that you don't stay home. Most homeless people find themselves in such situations due to mental illness, but the country has solutions to these problems too. As I already said, I have seen people go on sick leave for a year. This is called “burnout” (when you are tired at work). It sounds like a joke, but there is something to it.

There is little sun in the country, bad weather, and people begin to get depressed. If you find yourself on the street and want to eat, you don’t go ask for help. You contact the local government, they give you a place to stay and food in exchange for going to a specialist and integrating you into society.

Game developer example

A developer comes to me for an interview. I studied Unity Developer at the university (bachelor's degree). He has been unemployed for a year. I ask what he has been doing this year. He says I’m collecting unemployment, it’s difficult, I’m already tired. Wants to work. I ask - where are the examples of work? Where is the experience? He says that he has no experience, because he is busy receiving unemployment benefits. It is clear that I will not keep such an unmotivated person in the office.

The next day the government calls me and starts haggling. “Well, give him a chance! We will pay his salary for four months! For six! And we’ll give tax breaks!”

The system has its comic moments, but it works.

The standard of living is actually very high on average. There are no poor people. No rich people. People are very happy and enjoy life. For example, if you want to buy a car - for example, a BMW 5 Series - you will pay 20% above the market value as tax, €200 per month and €150 for insurance. Big heavy cars are a luxury and very expensive.

Holland did not experience the financial crisis of the late 2000s. It is difficult to get loans here (even credit card), and therefore residents did not feel the consequences. People know how to enjoy what they have. Therefore, when I came to work in a healthy SUV (with Latvian license plates), I was judged and feared.

People are afraid to stand out, to be normal - it's quite crazy. They are very constrained and like to approach problems in a binary way. This is where the charm of small Dutch doll houses comes from. That's why no one dresses nicely. Dutch girls don't know the words "heels" and "cosmetics". Imagine what it’s like to come with a beautiful Ukrainian girl to a corporate party.

All these things help in business because people are afraid of conflict. For example, the head of the university from which we hired employees once tried to publicly put pressure on me - why we don’t hire everyone with the “correct” contracts. I went on a local talk show and openly challenged him and the entire Dutch government on this topic - they say, why are you strangling startups? As a result, I was offered to be a lecturer at this university.

One of tinyBuild's early corporate events. We sailed on a boat on the lake and drank beer. IN good weather It’s customary to rent a boat and sail to one of the islands with restaurants and burgers

How to stuff 10 Dutchmen into a Mini Cooper

There is a Belgian joke. The Dutch are typically tall. Mini Cooper is a small car. How to cram 10 Dutch people into it? Throw a coin there.

When Yulia, our PR director, worked as a showcase director at Casual Connect, a funny situation happened at their Amsterdam show. We rented a hostel for indie developers. The total amount is over six thousand euros. While transferring money, €10 was lost somewhere on the counter. Because of these unfortunate €10, the hostel called and threatened to cancel the reservation. I had to ask my friends to run to this hotel and pay the difference.

It is very difficult to work with the Dutch. They are very, very picky and greedy in terms of money. Not a single Dutchman will say: “Okay, then you’ll return it.” This is also due to the tax situation described above.

“Let's have a beer today?” - “No, I can do it in 14 weeks”

The Dutch also love to plan. I have never seen anyone who could easily get up and drink beer after work. Usually it was a group of foreigners. A true Dutchman has already planned everything six months in advance.

At first this really annoyed me. Then I realized that this was necessary because of the general structure of the work: if you want to see a doctor, you need to make an appointment four weeks in advance. You can’t just come somewhere and say “I want to do this,” for example, go go-karting or play paintball. There are so many people in the country that initiatives need to be planned in advance and schedules quickly fill up.

This is also complicated by the fact that many people travel 100-150 kilometers each way every day. The train system is very developed and many people spend 2–3 hours on them on a working day. There is almost no time left for spontaneity.

I have learned to find a balance in this, but honestly, in my personal life I get more done in one week in the USA than in a month in Holland.

Drugs

Yes, almost everything in the country has been decriminalized. You can buy marijuana or mushrooms. No one will go to jail for hard drugs. Many people ask me how bad it is and how often do you “meet drug addicts”. The answer is very simple - I have never seen a fight between “smoked” people. Everyone sits in coffee shops and plays chess or other board games. These are very friendly people. And the British use hard drugs in Amsterdam (nobody likes them).

In Holland there is a culture of tolerance for this. If you want to do something, do it, the main thing is not to disturb others around you. Therefore, there are no problems with drugs as such. And with such social assistance, people always have someone to talk to.

“Not my job” culture

Another reason why Holland is bad at game development and very good at any stable industry is the approach to work. They love specialization. My job is to make a picture. Yours - embed it on the site. We do this well and efficiently. If suddenly I need to both make and insert this picture, the system collapses. The culture cannot handle multitasking.

Therefore, they can successfully take existing technologies and optimize them. Build effective processes that can be scaled. But this doesn’t work in the gaming industry, since processes change every year and a half. And if you can't fire people you no longer need, the business collapses. But if you can build a process in a stable industry and hire people who take a very responsible approach to their single task, you can succeed.

Some interesting facts

Common Phenomenon: Dutch Housewife

• Bicycle is life. There are paths everywhere, the country is flat. I love cycling along it.
• The last Monday of January is called “Blue Monday” - this is when no one has seen the sun for several months. The number of suicides is jumping, and the whole country feels it. The only way to kill yourself is to jump in front of a train, the country is “standing up” because the trains are not running.
• People love open windows. You walk around and see who is doing what. The culture of openness is shocking at first.
• The correct pronunciation of the letter "g" is like having shards of glass stuck in your throat.
• The Dutch are tall and ride bicycles. This means they have huge lungs, and in the evenings when they gather at the bar it gets crazy loud. Seriously, you can go deaf.
• In the same bars (and not only) they love to crowd. 150 people will stand at 50 meters and feel comfortable.

I am drinking beer. I buy four at once, 0.3 each, so as not to have to go shopping for more

Beer is drunk from very small glasses - 0.3 each. The theory is that the beer then doesn't become warm and stale. I began to agree with this in the third year, when I drank 27 such glasses in the evening.

It's hard to find a person who doesn't know anything about Holland. Tulips, coffee shops with the free sale of soft drugs and the famous Amsterdam canals - all this has long been business card countries. But thousands of migrants from all over the world, including many Russians, do not come here for this. They are attracted by the high standard of living, social security and tolerant attitude of the Dutch towards various minorities. Of course, not all immigrants are happy with their new lives. Many of them face significant difficulties after moving to this country. So what awaits Russian immigrants in Holland?

General information about Holland

First of all, it is worth noting that the correct name of this state is the Netherlands. North and South Holland are the two most developed provinces and the ones most frequently visited by foreigners. Their name entered the languages ​​of many peoples as the name of the entire country.

Climate and ecology

The Dutch like to joke that God created the earth, and they added the Netherlands to it. To some extent this is true. A significant part of Holland is located on drained lowlands, protected from water by a system of dams. Thus, on the site of the Zuiderzee sea bay, which was filled up in 1986, the province of Flevoland is now located, which is inhabited by more than 390,000 people.

Holland is characterized by a temperate maritime climate with warm winters and cool summers. The average temperature in January is +2° C, and in July +17° C. Temperature sea ​​water in the summer months it rarely rises above 18° C. It rains very often in Holland, and the number of sunny days per year does not exceed 60.

The high population density could not but affect the environmental situation in the country. In terms of environmental pollution, the Netherlands consistently ranks first among Western European countries. But the Dutch authorities are successfully fighting this problem, and the population is actively helping them. Nowadays, constant monitoring of the quality of treatment facilities of enterprises has been established here and separate waste collection has been introduced everywhere, in addition, the replacement of personal vehicles with bicycles is strongly encouraged.

Standard of living

The Netherlands is a modern, highly developed country. It is here that the main offices of such industrial giants as Royal Philips Electronics (electronics), Unilever (food and household appliances), Royal Dutch/Shell (petrochemicals) are located. In addition to them, a large number of local companies operate in Holland, exporting their products to many countries around the world. It is not surprising that the unemployment rate in the Netherlands is significantly lower than the EU average and is only 7%.

In terms of population income, Holland ranks fourth among European countries. The average salary for workers over 23 years of age is 2,800 euros, and the minimum is 1,400 euros. Dutch people under 23 years of age receive slightly less; depending on age, their minimum wage ranges from 450 to 1,200 euros per month.

Thanks to progressive taxation, there is no particular stratification of society in the Netherlands. The vast majority of its residents are middle class and can afford their own housing and annual travel.

Table: cost of basic food products in Holland

Medicine and healthcare

All Dutch citizens have health insurance. Primary treatment is carried out by a general practitioner (huisarts). If necessary, he refers patients to specialized specialists. Many Russian-speaking migrants complain that most often the family doctor prescribes paracetamol and recommends taking more walks. Despite this approach to treatment, the average life expectancy of the Dutch is 81 years.

Monitoring the development of pregnancy here begins no earlier than the 13th week. Moreover, women expecting a child are prescribed a minimum of tests and ultrasound. If desired, additional research can be carried out in paid clinics. A woman has the right to choose where the birth will take place: at home or in a hospital.

Paid maternity leave does not exceed 16 weeks. Either parent can take additional leave at their own expense for a period of 6 months. It can be used gradually over the first 8 years of a child's life.

Features of the Dutch mentality

One of the main features of the Dutch national character is a tolerant attitude towards everything that does not violate the law. They easily find a common language with representatives of another culture and do not impose theirs on them. In their opinion, everyone has the right to live the way they want, as long as it does not interfere with others.

The Dutch are very kind to their family. They spend most of their free time with children and close relatives. In the Dutch language there is even a special term that denotes the joy of having all family members gathered at one table - Gezelligheid.

The people of the Netherlands are famous for their thriftiness. They carefully consider every purchase and will never spend extra money unless absolutely necessary. Only the Dutch have a special scraper for collecting milk cream remaining on the walls of the jar. It is not customary to organize lavish feasts here. The most common treat for friends invited to visit is several types of chips or ordered pizza.

Lifestyle in the Netherlands

The main purchase in the life of any Dutchman is his own home. The apartments here are usually occupied by young people who have not yet earned enough money to buy a separate home. Most typical for major cities country type of development - a row of several two-three-story cottages with common side walls, but with separate entrances. Each such house has a small front garden and a cozy backyard.

Utilities in Holland are not cheap, so its residents strive to save on their payments. In winter, their houses usually heat only those rooms in which there are people. For example, during the day the batteries work in the living room and kitchen, and at night they are turned on in the bedrooms.

The Dutch don't spend too much time in the kitchen. Their main food is various sandwiches. The only exception is dinner, which for almost all families in the country begins exactly at six o'clock in the evening. During it, full-fledged hot meals are served.

The Dutch cannot imagine their life without freshly brewed coffee. A special time has been allocated for its use. Usually there are two coffee breaks during the day: at eleven in the morning and at three in the afternoon. Moreover, nothing is served with coffee except sugar, concentrated milk and dry biscuits.

Sport plays a very important role in the life of the Dutch. Each district of the city has its own club that welcomes everyone, regardless of age and gender. Football and field hockey are especially popular. In addition, the Dutch ride bicycles, jog, and even swim in the sea during the short summer.

Video: typical Dutch life

The Dutch attitude towards soft drugs and alcohol

The Netherlands is one of the few countries in the world where the sale of marijuana is legal. Authorities believe that free access to soft drugs can prevent interest in harder psychotropic substances.

Despite the fact that there are about 700 coffee shops in Holland, there are very few drug addicts among its residents. According to statistics from the European Observatory, only 5.4% of Dutch people have tried smoking weed, which is lower than the EU average of 6.8%.

The main visitors to coffee shops are tourists who come to Holland specifically to have a good rest. The Dutch authorities have been discussing the introduction of a ban on the sale of drugs to foreign citizens for several years, but they are stopped by the significant losses that the country's tourism industry may incur.

Alcohol is in great demand among the population of the Netherlands. According to statistical studies, each Dutchman drinks a little more than 7 liters of pure alcohol per year. Beer is especially popular and accompanies almost all meals. The Dutch also respect local juniper vodka - Genever.

Russians in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, as in many other countries, local residents consider all immigrants from the former republics of the Soviet Union to be Russian. Today their total number is approximately 65,000, but only half of them come directly from Russia.

The main wave of resettlement of citizens of Russia and the CIS countries occurred in the period from 1995 to 2001. During this time, their number increased 7 times. Most of them arrived in the Netherlands as refugees. Thus, as of January 1, 2001, the Dutch authorities were considering about 9,000 applications from Russian-speaking immigrants for political asylum.

These days it is almost impossible to obtain refugee status in the Netherlands. Its authorities consider Russia a democratic state in which all basic human rights are respected. Therefore, other ways to obtain a Dutch residence permit have come to the fore:

• creating a family with a citizen of the Netherlands (for this it is not necessary to get married, it is enough to prove to the migration services the existence of a close relationship that lasts at least 3 years).
• employment;
• admission to higher education institutions.

The worst adapters to life in a new country are women married to Dutch citizens. The main reason for this is the difference in the mentalities of our peoples and limitations in communicating with people around us due to lack of knowledge of the language.

It is much easier for young ambitious people who come to Holland with the goal of getting a well-paid job or getting a quality education. As a rule, they easily integrate into a new society and do not experience any problems communicating with local residents.

The Dutch are known for their straightforwardness, so when coming here you need to be prepared for their questions about why you came to the country and when you will leave it. But this does not mean that they treat migrants badly. Representatives of 180 nationalities live in Holland, and none of them can complain of any kind of oppression.

Russian community

Today there is no Russian diaspora in Holland. The main reason for its absence is the relatively small number of our compatriots. Nevertheless, several public associations of Russian-speaking migrants work here. The most famous of them is the Dutch Council of Russian Compatriots, created with the assistance of the Embassy of the Russian Federation.

There are 16 Russian Sunday schools in Holland, where children study not only their native language, but also history, literature, geography, and music. In addition, there are many art studios in this country that introduce the Dutch to Russian culture. Thus, in the Matryoshka studio, Russians and Dutch learn to paint traditional dolls and sew folk costumes.

Russian-speaking residents of Holland even created their own KVN group, which successfully performs in the official AMIK league.

The following printed publications in Russian can be purchased at newsstands in the Netherlands:

• monthly infotainment magazine RUS;
• quarterly magazine of the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky in Rotterdam “Orthodox Interlocutor”;
• magazine for women's audience "Valentina";
• monthly newspaper "Benelux News";
• weekly newspaper "Arguments and Facts Europe".

In addition, there are many online forums where Russian-speaking residents of Holland meet their compatriots and share their problems with them.

Where do ordinary Russians live and work?

The bulk of Russian-speaking migrants settled in large cities in Holland. These include:

• Amsterdam;
• Hague;
• Rotterdam;
• Eindhoven.

It is quite easy to find a job there to suit every taste. But only migrants with a work visa can officially find employment. It is processed at the Dutch Embassy, ​​and the employer must provide documents proving that there are no applicants for this vacancy among the country’s citizens. Most often, Dutch enterprises invite highly qualified programmers and engineers. Their average salary is around 46,000 euros per year.

Russian-speaking job seekers are also in demand in the tourism sector. Quite often they find work as guides accompanying groups from Russia, or as souvenir sellers. Of course, their salary is much less than that of specialists. On average it is 1500–2000 euros per month.

Among those who want to earn money in Holland through physical labor, seasonal work in greenhouses is very popular. In such cases, a visa is issued for a strictly defined period, which cannot be extended. For a month of agricultural work you can get about 1,100 euros.

Video: work in greenhouses in Holland

There is no threat of unemployment for Russians permanently residing in Holland who have a blue-collar profession. This country is acutely experiencing a shortage of personnel in the following specialties:

• builders;
• drivers;
• painters;
• mechanics.

Women can always get a job as a nanny or governess. The wages for low-skilled labor are usually 6–9 euros per hour.

When applying for a job in Holland, you need to remember that all advertisements for vacancies indicate the salary excluding tax. Depending on the amount of income received, its rate ranges from 5.1% to 52%.

Russian pensioners

There are three main types of pensions in Holland:

• basic (AOW);
• professional (paid by the industry pension fund, which insures employees of a certain enterprise);
• individual pension savings.

Migrants can apply for a basic pension after reaching 65 years of age. The amount of payments depends on the time of residence in Holland: persons who have been in the state for more than 50 years receive payments in full, and those who moved later receive only a part of them. In order to receive the maximum pension, you can buy back lost years by making a one-time payment to a state fund account. Its size is calculated by the employees of this organization individually for each applicant.

The size of the basic pension depends on the minimum wage established by the state and the family composition of the recipient of the benefit:

• single pensioners receive 70% of the minimum wage or about 1,000 euros;
• single pensioners with minor children - 90% (1260 euros);
• family pensioners - 50% (700 euros).

Russian citizens who moved to Holland have every right to receive a pension in their homeland. To assign it, you need to contact the branch of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation at your last place of residence.

Russia and the Netherlands (comparative table)

Russian-speaking migrants about life in Holland (reviews)

In almost 5 years of living in Holland, I personally have never had to deal with a negative attitude towards Russians. No one showed any increased interest or morbid curiosity in my “Russianness.” Considering that 20% of the country's population is Alochton (non-Dutch), and that Amsterdam is home to more than 180 nationalities, it is not surprising that the Dutch have a calmly positive attitude towards representatives of other cultures. Sometimes they ask me about the weather (well, they can’t imagine how one can survive in minus 25), about my attitude towards the “regime” (during the pre-election period, lectures and presentations were held here, where the return of the totalitarian regime in Russia was widely discussed), about food (of course, you can’t do without the vodka cliche), that is, they ask the usual questions, as a representative of one of the many cultural layers inhabiting the country.

Catherine

http://www.hollandlife.ru/2013/02/03/

For just over three years now I have been living in the small town of Vlissingen - a port city with a population of just over forty-five thousand. Mills, maritime climate, characteristic of the Dutch flavor, gingerbread houses and sympathetic people influence me very beneficially. Probably it all depends on personal perception. Many people complain about the rainy Dutch weather, cold wind from the sea and high humidity.

http://blogs.elenasmodels.com/ru/zamuzh-v-niderlandy/

I can say that the first year was the hardest for me. It’s just me and my husband, no relatives, almost no friends or acquaintances, only one husband worked in the family, I sat at home and tried to learn the language. I was really looking forward to my first trip home to Ukraine. I arrived a year later and realized that I no longer felt at home in Ukraine, and I still didn’t feel at home in Holland. The feeling was terrible, lost and very lonely. It turned out that it is very important to feel at home somewhere. Everything changed for me when I found a job. It immediately made sense to get up in the morning, and I gained self-confidence.

http://bit.ua/2014/06/emigrants-diaries/

Yaroslav

The first thing I learned about the Dutch character is that it is fundamentally important for a Dutch person to be different from everyone else. If everyone is going left and I also need to go to the left, I will still turn right, simply so as not to be with everyone, not to be like everyone else. This is a sine qua non of Dutch “personal freedom.”

http://www.liveinternet.ru/users/galyshenka/post353768004/

Galyshenka

My friend was forced to go to Moscow for a diagnosis, because... Housearts told her that she was too young to be sick, and if she did not stop pestering him with her imaginary problems, he would refer her case to a psychiatrist. In Moscow they did tests, on the basis of which an operation was prescribed in Holland. The disease, however, had become chronic by that time, and the young girl would now take pills all her life. I myself replaced the next housearts after he, having listened to the symptoms I described, rummaged through Google for a long time, without being embarrassed, but did not find anything suitable.

http://www.hollandlife.ru/2013/07/02/

Catherine

Video: what shocks Russians in Holland?

Pros and cons of living in the Netherlands (summary table)

Holland is one of best countries for highly skilled migrants. But before you decide to move, you need to carefully weigh the pros and cons. Sometimes even a very high salary is not able to compensate for the difference in mentalities and the lack of hot sunny days.

In the 16th century, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V removed 17 provinces from the empire, making them a legacy of the Habsburg dynasty. The ruler of the territories was his son Philip ΙΙ, whose policies led to mass uprisings. We will briefly describe these events, called the Dutch Revolution, in our article.

The beginning of events

The unification of 17 provinces (the common unofficial name was "Netherlands") occurred in 1549. By modern standards, they occupied the Dutch, Belgian, Luxembourg, and partly northern French territories.

Philip II (1555), who became the Spanish king in 1556, received power over the Seventeen Provinces. A series of events that occurred after this gave impetus to the liberation movement in the Netherlands.

The main reasons for the start of the Dutch Revolution are considered to be:

• Constantly increasing taxes (amid crop failures) aimed at waging often unnecessary wars;
• Oppression of supporters of spreading Protestantism (direction of Christianity);
• Neglect of the rights of representatives of Dutch high society.

Rice. 1. Spanish King Philip II.

There are other names for the revolution in the Netherlands: the Eighty Years' War or the War of Independence. Soviet historians called it the Dutch bourgeois revolution.

Progress of the revolution

The extremely tense situation in the Netherlands was complicated by the Catholic Inquisition, which took the lives of thousands of inhabitants. In response to her actions, an anti-Catholic uprising broke out in Flanders (August 1566), called iconoclastic: Calvinists (a type of Protestantism) destroyed Catholic churches.

TOP 4 articleswho are reading along with this

Margaret of Parma, who ruled the Dutch lands, was forced to recognize Protestantism and abolish the Inquisition. The uprising stopped, but the situation as a whole was already out of control, splitting the nobility into supporters and opponents of Philip I.

Let us highlight the key moments of the revolution:

• In 1567, the Spanish king appointed the Duke of Alba (Fernando Alvarez de Toledo), who arrived with an army of 10,000, as viceroy. A “unrest council” is established, sending to death anyone involved in the uprisings;
• William of Orange and Prince Ludwig are hiding from trial in Germany; Having secured the support of England, France, and the Ottoman Empire, in 1568 they began military operations against Spain. They win the first battle of Geiligerley, but then the advantage is on Alba’s side;
• The Guezes (rebels) under the leadership of the Comte de la Marche captured the fortified northern port city of Brielle in 1572; support for the uprising increased, Prince William was proclaimed leader of the rebels and governor of several northern provinces;
• Spain declared itself bankrupt in 1575 without paying its soldiers; mercenaries rebelled, committing arson and robberies in Antwerp (1576);
• The northern Protestant provinces concluded with the Catholic southern provinces the Peace of Ghent (1576) on a lenient attitude towards the church faith and a joint fight against Spain;
• In 1579, part of the southern provinces refused the agreement, supporting Philip I (Union of Arras). The northern ones were more firmly united by the Union of Utrecht (1579). In 1581 they officially renounced the Spanish king;
• William of Orange was killed by a Spanish fanatic in 1584;
• In 1587, Moritz of Orange took command of the army of the Northern Netherlands, and successfully captured a number of large cities;
• The United Provinces began the liberation of the southern lands (1600), but lost the battle of Nieuwpoort. Spain was kept from further active actions by the presence of a powerful fleet in the Netherlands;
• Moritz died in 1625; the Spaniards captured the Dutch fortress of Breda;
• In 1629, Frederick of Orange took 's-Hertogenbosch, a major Spanish-held city. In 1632 there were several more important cities, but the centers of the southern provinces were not captured;
• In 1648, the confrontation ended. The Treaty of Munster was concluded.

Rice. 2. Prince William Ι of Orange.

During the Dutch Revolution, the parties declared a truce that lasted 12 years (1609-1621).

results

The consequences of the revolution were disappointing for Spain. The result of military clashes was:

• Remaining under Spanish rule only the southern territories of the Netherlands;
• Recognition of the independence of the seven northern Dutch provinces and, in fact, the birth of the free republic of Holland (one of the provinces of the Netherlands, the name is often identified with the entire country).

Rice. 3. Republic of the United Provinces of the Netherlands.

What have we learned?

Having considered the topic that is studied in 7th grade, we learned about the participants and the course of the revolution of 1566-1648 in 17 provinces that belonged to Spain; found out the significance of the events for the Netherlands.

Test on the topic

Evaluation of the report

Average rating: 4.6. Total ratings received: 568.