The inhabitants of the Netherlands cannot complain about the lack of well-known people. Never else on Earth, than in Holland, there is such a big number of eminent art pieces in such a small area. Across many centuries the culture of this country has been shaped by well-known and adored by the whole world painters and brilliant philosophers. There are also some Dutchmen who became famous thanks to dramatic vicissitudes of their lives.

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was undoubtedly the greatest artist in the history of art. As no other he knew how to play with light and shadow. He was born in Leiden in 1606, as the son of a wealthy miller. At eighteen years of age he moved to Amsterdam, where he had soon his own studio. The Rembrandt's fame grew and he was financially succeeded. In 1632-1634 he became a popular portraitist. His best known work is "The Night Watch".

In the final years of his life Rembrandt was in dire straits. The painter had many debts and was forced to sell his house and possessions. He died as a poor man in 1669. Nowadays his works are priceless.

In Rijkmuseum in Amsterdam you can admire 21 of Rembrandt's masterpieces including "The Night Watch".

Vincent Van Gogh was born in a small village Groot-Zundert in the south of Holland in 1853. He was the oldest son of the vicary. The artist became famous after his death. During his life he was underestimated and his works did not bring him any riches.

Van Gogh spent a large part of his artistic life in France. He met the impressionists there. In France he painted a lot of his great paintings, e.g. "The Sunflowers". He was a master of light and colour. Van Gogh died in Auver in 1890. Two days earlier he tried to commit a suicide and shot himself fatally.

The Van Gogh Museum and The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam house an enormous collection of paintings and drawings by Van Gogh.

Erazm from Rotterdam was one of the leading humanist of the Renaissance Era, a propagator of an ancient culture. He was born in Rotterdam in 1466, as the illegitimate son of the Catholic priest. In his books he criticized social faults like bribery, hypocrisy and promiscuous manners. His most popular satire is "The Praise of Folly" in which he criticizes church and society and proclaims the superiority of folly over wisdom in order to emphasize his Christian-Humanist views. He died on 12th July 1536 in Basel, Switzerland. Nothing is difficult for him who has the will- said Erazm, and so think we.

Margaretha Zelle was born in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands. Her father was a local shopkeeper, her mother of Javanese descent. In 1905, she became famous as an exotic Oriental-style dancer. Mata Hari was said to be a double spy of France and Germany. In a court trial famous Mata Hari was found guilty of causing the deaths of thousands of soldiers and she was convicted to death by shooting. She was shot on 15 October 1917.
Mata Hari is still recognized as the most famous spy in the history of the world.

The legend of the Flying Dutchman is said to have started in 1641 when a Dutch ship commanded by the Dutch Captain Van der Decken sailed straight into a fierce storm. It happened during the voyage from Amsterdam to The Far East, near the Cape of the Good Hope. In spite of the dangerous the Captain derided and blasphemed. He screamed out the curse: "I will round this Cape even if I have to keeping sailing until Doomsday". Van der Decken and his crew were punished for the Captain's blasphemy. From then on they were to sailed until the end of the world and whoever sights the damned ship will die a terrible death.

Maybe it's only a legend. But there is no doubt that the Netherlands has been the sea power and Rotterdam is still the biggest harbour of the world.