Lelystad, Flevoland
Did you know that New York City was owned by Holland for nearly fifty years? Thanks to its shipbuilding industry and unprecedented business acumen, Holland was the most powerful country in the world for nearly a century. At the Bataviawerf shipyard you can discover the secret of wooden ships, spices and long trade missions to ‘The East’.

The VOC and the Golden Age
During the 17th century, Holland started the very first stock exchange in the world and, with painters like Rembrandt and Vermeer, had an excellent international reputation culturally. Thanks to the establishment of the trading company the Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (Dutch East India Company) in 1602, Holland profited for nearly two centuries from a trade monopoly with Asia and had one of the most powerful sea fleets in the world. At the end of the Golden Age, Amsterdam was the leading trade centre in the world, far surpassing London and Paris.

Step on board two ‘golden’ ships
At the Bataviawerf shipyard you will find two replicas of famous VOC ships, the ‘Batavia’ and the ‘Zeven Provinciën’ (Seven Provinces). Both ships are full-size and built using the same materials as the original. The ‘Batavia’ (1628) can accommodate 332 passengers, is 56 metres long, has a 55 metre-high mast and 24 cast iron cannons that are still fired regularly – during demonstrations of course.

More information
Website: www.bataviawerf.nl