On March 18 2009, Her Majesty the Queen will officially open the 60th anniversary edition of the international flower exhibition Keukenhof in Lisse. The theme for this anniversary year will be: ‘USA, New Amsterdam – New York, 400’.

During the opening period, Keukenhof will commemorate the fact that 400 years ago, in 1609, Henry Hudson discovered the island of Manhattan while in the service of the VOC and founded the settlement of New Amsterdam. That settlement later became New York; a city whose Dutch heritage is still visible today.

At Keukenhof visitors can find a spectacular flower mosaic depicting the Statue of Liberty, made up of over 25,000 flower bulbs, a surprising route with America as its theme and an American garden.