William the Silent (William I) leader and icon of the Dutch revolt

Het Wilhelmus (pronunciation (help· info)) (English translation: The William, viz. 'song') is the national anthem of the Netherlands and is the oldest national anthem in the world^[1] though the words of the Japanese national anthem (not the music) date back to the ninth century.^[2] Although it was not recognized as the official national anthem until 1932, it had remained popular with the Dutch people since its creation. Portrait of William of Orange by A.Th. ... Portrait of William of Orange by A.Th. ... William I (William the Silent). ... Combatants Dutch rebels Spanish Empire The Dutch Revolt, or Eighty Years War (1568[1]–1648), was the revolt of the Seventeen Provinces in the Netherlands against the Spanish (Habsburg) Empire. ... Image File history File links Nl-Het_Wilhelmus2. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Look up translate in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Viz is a method of introducing a list or a series. ... A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that is evoking and eulogising the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognised either by a countrys government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people. ... Score of Kimi ga Yo Kimi ga Yo ), often translated as May your reign last forever is Japans National Anthem, and is also one of the worlds shortest national anthems in current use. ... A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that is evoking and eulogising the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognised either by a countrys government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Dutch (Ethnonym: Nederlanders meaning Lowlanders) are the dominant ethnic group[1] of the Netherlands[2]. They are usually seen as a Germanic people. ...

It is also one of the very few anthems that does not focus on the history or military accomplishments of the people it represents, on the contrary, it tells of William of Orange, his life and why he is fighting for the Dutch. As a result, the anthem is written as if it were sung by William himself. The song is remarkably peaceful and has an introductionary sentence saying "Een nieuw christelijk lied" ("A new Christian song"). William I (William the Silent). ...

[edit] Oldest national anthem

There is some international confusion on the oldest anthem in the world. The Japanese anthem, Kimigayo, has the oldest (9th century) lyrics, but a melody was added in the late 19th century making it a poem rather than an anthem for most of its lifespan. Although the Wilhelmus was not officially recognised as the Dutch national anthem until 1932 (compare this to the British national anthem God save the Queen which has never been officially recognised as the national anthem^[3]) it is the oldest in the world.^[4] The anthem was written around 1574^[5] making it over 430 years old. Kimi Ga Yo(君が代) (May 1,000 Years of Happy Reign Be Yours) is Japans National Anthem. ... As a means of recording the passage of time the 9th century was the century that lasted from 801 to 900. ... A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that is evoking and eulogising the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognised either by a countrys government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people. ... Publication of an early version in The Gentlemans Magazine, 15 October 1745. ...

[edit] History

On 10 May 1932, it was decreed that on all official occasions requiring the performance of the national anthem, the Wilhelmus was to be played. The Wilhelmus thereby replaced Hendrik Tollens' Wien Nêerlands bloed door d'aderen vloeit which was the official Dutch anthem from 1815 till 1932. is the 130th day of the year (131st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Wien Neerlands bloed (To those in whom Dutch blood) was the national anthem of the Netherlands between 1815 and 1932. ... Wien Neerlands bloed (To those in whom Dutch blood) was the national anthem of the Netherlands between 1815 and 1932. ...

However before and during the period, the Wilhelmus had been sung on many official occasions and at many important events since 1568. Events such as the siege of Haarlem in 1573 and the ceremonial entry of the Prince of Orange into Brussels on 18 September 1578. Trumpets played the Wilhelmus when Prince Maurice visited Breda, and again when he was received in state in Amsterdam in May 1618. When William V arrived in Schoonhoven in 1787, after the authority of the stadholders had been restored, the church bells are said to have played the Wilhelmus continuously. In the Eighty Years War the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands was put under a bloody siege by a Spanish army that wanted to reclaim the revolted city for Philip II, the Spanish king. ... Prince of Orange is a title of nobility, originally associated with the principality of Orange in southern France. ... Nickname: Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Coordinates: , Country Belgium Region Brussels-Capital Region Founded 979 Founded (Region) June 18, 1989 Government  - Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans Area  - Region 162 km²  (62. ... is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 31 - Battle of Gemblours - Spanish forces under Don John of Austria and Alexander Farnese defeat the Dutch. ... The trumpet is the highest brass instrument in register, above the French horn, trombone, baritone, euphonium, and tuba. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Prince Maurice von Simmern. ... Grote Kerk (main church) or Onze Lieve Vrouwe Kerk (Church of Our Lady). ... Nickname: Motto: Heldhaftig, Vastberaden, Barmhartig (Valiant, Determined, Compassionate) Location of Amsterdam Coordinates: , Country Province Government  - Mayor Job Cohen (PvdA)  - Aldermen Lodewijk Asscher Hennah Buyne Carolien Gehrels Tjeerd Herrema Maarten van Poelgeest Marijke Vos  - Secretary Erik Gerritsen Area [1][2]  - City 219 km²  (84. ... Schoonhoven (population: 12,303 in 2004) is a city in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. ...

After the Batavian Revolution, inspired by the French revolution, it had come to be called the "Princes' March" as it was banned during the rule of the Patriot party, who did not support the House of Orange-Nassau. But, at the foundation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1813, the Wilhelmus had fallen out of favour and was hence replaced by Hendrik Tollens' song. The term Batavian revolution refers to the political, social and cultural turmoil that marked the end of the Dutch Republic at the end of the 18th century. ... There have been several groups called the Patriot Party, the Patriotic Party, or similar: Aruba — Patriot Party Canada — Patriot Party of Canada, British Columbia Patriot Party Ghana — New Patriotic Party Honduras — Patriotic Renovation Party Liberia — National Patriotic Party New Zealand — Patriot Party Poland — Patriotic Party United States — Patriot Party (a... The House of Orange-Nassau (in Dutch: Huis van Oranje-Nassau), a branch of the German House of Nassau, has played a central role in the political life of the Netherlands - and at times in Europe - since William I of Orange (also known as William the Silent and Father of...

[edit] Origins of the melody

The tune of the Wilhelmus is based on a French soldiers' song: "Autre chanson de la ville de Chartres assiégée par le prince de Condé" (English: "Another song about the city of Chartres under siege by the Prince de Condé"), which was popular around 1569 during the siege of Chartres. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Chartres is a town and commune of France, préfecture (capital) of the Eure-et-Loir département. ... Louis I was the first Prince of Condé. Louis I de Bourbon, Prince de Condé (May 7, 1530 – March 13, 1569) was a Huguenot leader and general. ... Chartres is a town and commune of France, préfecture (capital) of the Eure-et-Loir département. ...

Ironically, during this siege (which took place at the time of the French Wars of Religion, essentially a civil war between France's Protestant and Catholic inhabitants) the Protestant besiegers of the pro-Catholic city of Chartres had to break up their siege. The French Wars of Religion were a series of conflicts fought between Catholics and Huguenots (Protestants) from the middle of the sixteenth century to the Edict of Nantes in 1598, including civil infighting as well as military operations. ... A civil war is a war in which parties within the same culture, society or nationality fight against each other for the control of political power. ...

However during the siege, a song had been quite popular with the Catholics of Chartres, and the Protestants started to sing the song as well and spread it to the Low Countries. Therefore the melody of Het Wilhelmus is older than the lyrics. The melody was further developed by a famous Dutch composer Adriaen Valerius (approx. 1575-1625) who made the melody's pace much slower, most likely to allow it to be sung in churches. The current official version is the arrangement by Walther Boer, dating from 1932. Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

[edit] Origins of the lyrics

The origins of the lyrics are less clear than those of the anthem's melody, till this day no one knows who exactly wrote the Dutch anthem. Soon after the anthem was finished it was said that either Philips of Marnix, a famous writer and statesman, former mayor of the city of Antwerp, or Dirk Coornhert, a politician and theologian, wrote the anthem. However, this is disputed as both Marnix and Coornhert never mentioned they created the lyrics, which is strange given the fact that the song was immensely popular in their times. The Wilhelmus also has some odd rhymes in it. In some cases the vowels of certain words were altered to allow them to rhyme with other words. Some see this as evidence that neither Marnix or Coornhert wrote the anthem as they were both experienced poets at the time that the Wilhelmus was written and they would not take these small liberties. Hence some believe the lyrics of the Dutch national anthem were the creation of someone who just wrote one poem for the occasion then disappeared from history. Look up origin in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Portret by Jacques de Gheyn II Philips van Marnix, lord of St Aldegonde (1538 - December 15, 1598), was a Dutch writer and statesman, and the probable author of the text of the Dutch national anthem, the Wilhelmus. ... Dirck Volckertszoon Coornhert (born in Amsterdam, 1522-died October 29, 1590 in Gouda) was a Dutch politician and theologian, the youngest son of Volckert Coornhert, cloth merchant. ... A rhyme is a repetition of identical or similar terminal sounds in two or more different words (i. ... The poor poet A poet is a person who writes poetry. ... Liberty is generally considered a concept of political philosophy and identifies the condition in which an individual has immunity from the arbitrary exercise of authority. ... The title page to The Historians History of the World. ...

[edit] Performance

Het Wilhelmus is played only once at a ceremony or whatever other event and, if possible, it is to be the last piece of music to be played. When receiving a foreign head of state or emissary the Dutch anthem is not allowed to be played if there is no member of the Dutch Royal House present, this is virtually unique in the world as most countries play their own anthem and then play the anthem of the foreign relation.^[6] Part of the ceremony of the Changing of the Guard in Whitehall, London. ... Look up event in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Head of state or Chief of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchic or republican nation-state, federation, commonwealth or any other political state. ... In the Netherlands, a distinction is made between members of the royal family and members of the Royal House. ...

During international sport events, such as the World Cup, European Championship, and the Olympics the Wilhelmus is also played. In nearly every case the 1st and 6th stanza, or the 1st stanza alone, are sung/played rather than the entire song, which would result in about 15 minutes of music.^[7] Which led Mart Smeets, a popular Dutch sports commentary, to say, after a Dutch contestant had won a gold medal: "My god, they're not going to play it entirely are they?" when, during the 1998 Winter Olympics, the Japanese military band played a third stanza. There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, were celebrated in 1998 in Nagano, Japan. ...

[edit] Structure and melody

The complete text comprises fifteen stanzas. The anthem is an acrostic: the first letters of the fifteen stanzas formed the name 'Willem van Nassov' (Nassov was a contemporary orthographic variant of Nassau). In the current Dutch spelling the first words of the twelfth and thirteenth stanzas begin with Z instead of S. Image File history File links Wilhelmus. ... In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. ... An acrostic (from the late Greek akróstichon, from ákros, extreme, and stíchos, verse) is a poem or other writing in an alphabetic script, in which the first letter, syllable or word of each verse, paragraph or other recurring feature in the text spells out another message. ... Dutch orthography uses the Latin alphabet according to a system which has evolved to suit the needs of the Dutch language. ...

The text is also thematically symmetrical, in that verses one and 15 resemble on another in meaning, as do verses two and 14, three and 13, etc., until they converge in the eighth verse, the heart of the song: "Oh David, thou soughtest shelter/From King Saul's tyranny". This article is about the Biblical king of Israel. ... Saul (שאול המלך) (or Shaul) (Hebrew: , Standard  Tiberian  ; asked for or borrowed) is a figure identified in the Books of Samuel and the Quran as having been the first king of the ancient Kingdom of Israel. ...

[edit] Variations

There are two major variations on the Wilhelmus, namely the royal anthem of Luxemburg (called "De Wilhelmus") and the Nazi SS song "Das Treuelied", German for "the song of loyalty". The Royal Anthem of Luxemburg, in official use since 1919, has a shared origin with the Dutch anthem. The melody was first used in Luxembourg (at the time part of the Netherlands) on the occasion of the visit of the Dutch King William III in 1883. Later, the anthem was played for Grand Duke Adolph of Luxembourg along with the national anthem. The melody is very similar, but not identical to that of Het Wilhelmus. The second major variation is the SS song "Wenn alle untreu werden" (German: "When everyone becomes unfaithful") better know as "Das Treuelied", which was written by the poet Max von Schenkendorf (1783-1817) and used the exact same melody as Het Wilhelmus. After the First World War this was extremely popular among groups positioned in the German political right. It became one of the most popular songs of the SS, together with the Horst Wessel song.^[8] A royal anthem is a patriotic song, much like a national anthem that recognizes the nations monarch. ... Luxembourg - a small country in west Europe Luxembourg (city) - the capital city of the country Luxembourg (district) - a district in the country Luxembourg, province of Belgium Luxemburg, Iowa - a city in the USA Luxemburg, Wisconsin - a village in the USA Luxembourg Garden, Paris, France Luxemburg Township, Minnesota - a township in... Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg, Adolph Wilhelm August Karl Friedrich of Nassau-Weilburg (July 24, 1817 – November 17, 1905) was the last Duke of Nassau, and the fourth Grand Duke of Luxembourg. ... Ons Hémécht is the national anthem of Luxembourg. ... 1783 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1817 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... SS or ss or Ss may be: The Schutzstaffel, a Nazi paramilitary force Steamship (SS) (ship prefix) The United States Secret Service A submarine not powered by nuclear energy (SS) (United States Navy designator), see SSN A Soviet/Russian surface-to-surface missile, as listed by NATO reporting name Shortstop... The Horst Wessel Lied, also known as Die Fahne Hoch (The flag on high) (from its opening line) was the anthem of the Nazi Party of Germany, chosen to glorify Horst Wessel as a Nazi martyr. ...

[edit] The Anthem

Dutch Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Het Wilhelmus

Danish Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Het Wilhelmus

English Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Het Wilhelmus

Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ... Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ... Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ...

[edit] Introductionary text of Het Wilhelmus

Het Wilhelmus was first printed in a "geuzenliedboek" (lit.: "song book of the Gueux") in 1581. It used the following text as an introduction to the Wilhelmus: Look up Literal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Literal can mean: Literal and figurative language, taken in a non-figurative sense Literal translation, the close adherence to the forms of a source language text Terminal symbol in regular expressions and in descriptions of formal grammars any notation for representing a... Les Gueux, or The Beggars, a name assumed by the confederacy of nobles and other malcontents, who in 1566 opposed Spanish tyranny in the Netherlands. ...

"Een nieuw Christelick Liedt gemaect ter eeren des Doorluchtichsten Heeren, Heere Wilhelm Prince van Oraengien, Grave van Nassou, Patris Patria, mijnen Genaedigen Forsten ende Heeren. Waer van deerste Capitael letteren van elck veers syner Genaedigen Forstens name metbrengen. Na de wijse van Chartres."

"A new Christian song made in the honour of the most noble lord, lord William Prince of Orange, count of Nassau, Patris Patria (Father of the Fatherland) my merciful leader and lord. [A song] of which the first capital letter of each stanza will form the name of my merciful lord. To the melody of Chartres."

[edit] Lyrics

[edit] Humorous adaptations

From the website dedicated to Het Wilhelmus, http://www.wilhelmus.nl/tulpen.html comes the following (one of several) entries from a competition set by a newspaper. Image File history File links Anthem-joke. ...

Some Dutch people say that Het Wilhelmus is too old and obsolete, this is often caused by the fact they do not completely understand the lyrics of the anthem. The lyrics are over 430 years old and were only adapted in spelling and are hence full of archaisms and this causes the song to be somewhat encrypted to contemporary Dutch-speakers. Recently the Dutch newspaper Het Utrechts Nieuwsblad issued a contest in which its readers were asked to come up with new lyrics for the anthem. One of the entries was "We hebben mooie tulpen" by G.H.D. den Engelsman-Geurtsen, shown on the right. Utrecht is the smallest province of the Netherlands, and is located in the center of the country. ...

[edit] Acrostic

The Wilhelmus is an acrostic: the first letters of each stanza together form the name WILLEM VAN NASSOV. The letters U and V were used interchangeably at the time. An acrostic (from the late Greek akróstichon, from ákros, extreme, and stíchos, verse) is a poem or other writing in an alphabetic script, in which the first letter, syllable or word of each verse, paragraph or other recurring feature in the text spells out another message. ...

[edit] Interpretation

[edit] Duytsch: German or Dutch?

There is an ongoing confusion and dispute as to what the author meant with "Duytschen bloedt" in the text, as the contemporary Dutch word "Duits" (being the modernised form of "Duytsch/Duijtsch") means "German".

Both could be correct as William of Nassau was born in Dillenburg in the county of Nassau (presently in Germany) and that it referred to William's German (rather than Dutch) descent. Others claim that it referred to the Dutch in the sense that he felt one of them rather than belonging to them ethnically. Yet another explanation is that "Duytsch" was at the time a variation of Dietsch meaning Dutch. William I (William the Silent) William I, Prince of Orange, Count of Nassau (April 24, 1533 – July 10, 1584) was the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish that set off the Eighty Years War and resulted in the formal independence of the United Provinces in 1648. ... Dillenburg (population ca 25,000) is a city and a castle in the German district of Lahn-Dill, in the federal state of Hessen. ... For other uses, see Nassau (disambiguation). ... Dietsch (Diets in modern Dutch) is a colloquial word for the Middle Dutch language. ...

"Duits" is often replaced by "Diets", a cognate of "Duits", "Dutch", "Deutsch" and "Deitsch" but meaning "Dutch" rather than German. This is done mostly, or even exclusively, due to anti-German sentiment. This resentment of Germans has been present in the Low Countries since the 16th century, but today’s resentment of Germans mostly comes from the Dutch experiences in the Second World War. Hence many Dutch people after the war sung that William was of "Dutch" blood, rather than of German blood as they did not like the notion of their Father of the Fatherland being of the same heritage as the people they hated so much during the 5 year occupation. Although the exact meaning is still, and will probably remain, unclear the official version of the Dutch national anthem uses "Duits". Dietsch (Diets in modern Dutch) is a colloquial word for the Middle Dutch language. ... Deutsch is: the German word for german a misspelling of the word Dutch, see Dutch (disambiguation) one of the three cognates of medieval Dietsch // A German family name Diana Deutsch, British-born, American cognitive psychologist Felix Deutsch, Helene Deutsch, Austrian-born American psychologist, Morton Deutsch Alexander Nikolaevich Deutsch, Russian astronomer... The Pennsylvania Dutch (perhaps more strictly Pennsylvania Deitsch or Pennsylvanian German) are the descendants of German (not Dutch) immigrants who came to Pennsylvania prior to 1800. ... Anti-German sentiment should not be confused with Anti-German (ideology),also called Anti-German. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... ... This article is about the Germans as an ethnic group (unlike Ethnic German, which is the article on the German diaspora). ...

[edit] No quarrel with the king?

The last two lines of the first stanza indicate that the leader of the Dutch civil war against Spanish Empire of which they were part, had no specific quarrel with the king, but rather with his emissaries in the Low Countries, like Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba. This may have been because at the time (late 16th century) it was uncommon to publicly doubt the 'God-given rights' of kings. It strikes the modern Dutch ear as an obsolete formula. For some of the resistance fighters of the day, the stanza may have resonated with irony or knowing sarcasm. Capital Toledo (until 1561) Madrid (after 1561) Language(s) Spanish Religion Roman Catholic Government Monarchy Monarch  - 1516-1556 Charles I  - 1886-1898 Alfonso XIII¹ Regent  - 1886-1898 Maria Christina History  - Discovery of America 1402  - Conquest of the Aztec Empire 1519-1521  - Conquest of the Inca Empire 1532–1537  - Spanish-American... It has been suggested that Regents: Low Countries be merged into this article or section. ... Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ...

[edit] "Netherlands" and "Dutch"

The anthem refers to the "Dutch" and "the Netherlands" a couple of times. It should be noted that these words ought to be seen in context. With "Dutch people" the author meant which would today be described as "all people who speak Dutch". In William's time this included the Dutch-speakers of present-day Northern France and Belgium as well. In more or less the same way, "Netherlands" referred to the "Low Countries". It has been suggested that Regents: Low Countries be merged into this article or section. ...

[edit] Media (recordings)

• High quality recording of the Dutch national anthem, on the site of the Dutch royal family.
• US Navy Band Recording of 'Het Wilhelmus', note that it is played slightly too fast.
• Het Wilhelmus (MIDI)

Image File history File links Wilhelmus_van_Nassouwe. ... Software development stages In computer programming, development stage terminology expresses how the development of a piece of software has progressed and how much further development it may require. ... Musical Instrument Digital Interface, or MIDI, is a system designed to transmit information between electronic musical instruments. ...

[edit] Regional Dutch anthems

In the Netherlands nearly every province, and even some regions and towns, have their own anthems.

• Drenthe: Mijn Drenthe
• Flevoland: Waar wij steden doen verrijzen...
• Friesland: De âlde Friezen
• Gelderland: Ons Gelderland
• Groningen: Grönnens Laid
• Limburg: Limburg mijn Vaderland
• North Brabant: Lied van Hertog Jan (unofficial)
  • Bergen op Zoom: Merk toch hoe sterk
  • Breda: Temidden van de paarse heide
• North Holland: Ik houd van het groen in je wei
  • West-Friesland: Dut is 't land
• Overijssel: Aan de rand van Hollands gouwen
  • Twente: Twents Volkslied
• South Holland: Zuid-Hollands volkslied
• Utrecht: Langs de Vecht en d'oude Rijnstroom
• Zeeland: Geen dierder plek voor ons op aard
  • Zeeuws-Vlaanderen: Waar eens 't gekrijs der meeuwen

For the Dutch footballer, see Royston Drenthe. ... Flevoland is a province of the Netherlands. ... Capital Leeuwarden Queens Commissioner drs. ... De âlde Friezen (The Old Frisians) is the anthem of the Friesland province of the Netherlands and of western Frisia as a whole (an area which includes Groningen province and parts of North Holland). ... Capital Arnhem Queens Commissioner Clemens Cornielje Religion (1999) Protestant 31% Catholic 29% Area  â€¢ Land  â€¢ Water   4,975 km² (1st) 161 km² Population (2005)  â€¢ Total  â€¢ Density 1,970,865 (4th) 393/km² (6th) Inclusion {{{inclusion}}} Anthem Ons Gelderland ISO NL-GE Official website www. ... The flag of Groningen Groningen is the northeast province of the Netherlands with a typical dialect (Gronings) with regional nuances. ... The Grunnens Laid (Song of Groningen) is the anthem of the Groningen province of the Netherlands. ... Capital Maastricht Queens Commissioner L.J.P.M. (Leon) Frissen Religion (1999) Roman Catholic 80% Protestant 3% Area  â€¢ Land  â€¢ Water   2,153 km² (9th) 56 km² Population (2006)  â€¢ Total  â€¢ Density 1,131,938 (6th) 526/km² (4th) Inclusion 1839 Anthem In t Bronsgroen Eikenhout ISO NL-LI Official website... North Brabant (Dutch: Noord-Brabant) is a province of the Netherlands, located in the south of the country, bordered by Belgium in the south, the Meuse River (Maas) in the north, Limburg in the east and Zeeland in the west. ... Bergen op Zoom is a municipality and a city in the southern Netherlands. ... Grote Kerk (main church) or Onze Lieve Vrouwe Kerk (Church of Our Lady). ... Capital Haarlem Queens Commissioner Mr. ... West Friesland (also West Frisia; Dutch: West-Friesland; West Frisian: West-Fryslân) is a contemporary region in the northwestern Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. ... Flag of Overijssel Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. ... Twente (or Twenthe) is a non-administrative region in the eastern Netherlands, containing the most urbanised and easterly part of the province of Overijssel. ... South Holland (Dutch Zuid-Holland) is a province of the Netherlands, located in the west of the country on the North Sea coast. ... Utrecht is the smallest province of the Netherlands, and is located in the center of the country. ... Capital Middelburg Largest city Terneuzen Queens Commissioner Karla Peijs Religion (1999) Protestant 35% Catholic 23% Area  â€¢ Land  â€¢ Water   1,788 km² (10th) 1,146 km² Population (2006)  â€¢ Total  â€¢ Density 380,186 (11th) 213/km² (10th) Anthem Zeeuws volkslied ISO NL-ZE Official website www. ... Satellite image of the Scheldt delta Zeeuws-Vlaanderen is the part of the Netherlands on the left shore of the Scheldt river (here called Westerschelde), nr. ...

[edit] External links

• The text and music of the Wilhelmus, and more on its history (in Dutch)
• Himnuszok - The "Himnuszok" website has a vocal version of the first and sixth verses of the anthem.

[edit] Notes and references