N198 Utrecht - Woerden, NL
Provincial road N198 between Utrecht and Woerden in the Netherlands. This road runs parallel to the A12 motorway, but is certainly not a good alternative
Recorded: 16 February 2014
The Cheese Testers • Holland's Last Cheese Market • Woerden • The NETHERLANDS
Each year in Woerden, local farmers gather together. The meet up in a small farm house to taste cheese. 100 blocks of Gouda in different shapes and sizes. It's more than just a contest about cheese, however. It is about honoring a hard day's work. It is about encouraging your neighbor. It is about bringing together the community. Once, farmers gathered together all across the Netherlands. Now, the market in Woerden is the very last traditional market left.
A big thanks to:
the Janmaat family, who hosted the testing on 2004:
and to
Kitty Kusters at Woerden Marketing for the inside information and on-the-scene support (woerdenmarketing.nl).
Big THANKS to Sodacan for the Dutch Coat of Arms:
Alkmaar Cheese Market in The Netherlands
Alkmaar in the Netherlands has the world’s biggest, most-visited and best cheese market, There is no prettier or more characteristic Dutch sight than this cheese market, with these guys in white running around carrying these big loads of cheese back and forth. What is going on? You are about to find out.
For centuries the cheese market has been important for the city of Alkmaar and in recent years it has developed into one of the leading visitor attractions in the country. It's an easy day trip from Amsterdam, just about 40 minutes away by train or by guided tour on a bus.
Alkmaar is much more than just cheese. It's a typical small Dutch city which means it has many historic, well-preserved buildings and beautiful canals lots of shops, restaurants, cafés and pedestrian lanes to stroll on. We will see more of the town in a different segment but for now we are focusing attention on the wonderful cheese market.
Almost 700 years ago, Alkmaar was already a cheese town. In 1365 the city was granted weighing rights and got their first cheese scale -- in 1612 this number of scales increased to four.
Over time, the cheese market frequently needed more space. Markets were the economic engine in those days, so houses were sometimes demolished to increase market space. Over the course of two centuries, it was enlarged no fewer than eight times before reaching its current dimensions.
Alkmaar's status as the cheese capital has become increasingly famous over the years and the cheese market became ever more popular, and now it’s the biggest in the country.
In the past, most cheese was transported by boat or horse. And this centuries-old tradition has survived in part to this very day. During every market, cheese laden boats sail from the North Holland Canal to the square, just as they did in the past.
The market is on every Friday from the end of March through September and during July and August it also functions on Tuesday evenings.
The cheese workers are members of the cheese guild, like a union, and they’re divided up into teams as shown by their hat colors, blue, yellow, red and green.
The overall manager is called the Cheese Father and he wears an orange hat.
We had a chance to speak with an official of the group who helped describe the situation for us
My position, is I was the Cheese Father of this guild for many years and now I am the tourist guide.
We’ll hear more from Kees Koopman during the program.
Right before 10.00 AM everyone waits for the market to get under way as the lady speaker welcomes visitors in as many languages as possible. She tells the general public about what they’re about to see at the market.
In a few minutes the bell is ringing and the market is starting.
At 10 am the bell rings (bell sound). It’s the sign indicating the start of the cheese market. The ringing of the bell is often done by a visitor to the market, at the invitation of the council of Alkmaar. For example it might be a famous Dutch person from sports or TV, or a foreign ambassador.
As soon as the market opens, the samplers and traders go to work. Inspecting cheese is more than just looking at its exterior. Cheese is knocked on and a special cheese scoop is used to obtain a piece, which is then crumbled between the fingers and smelled. And, naturally, it is tasted to assess the relation between taste, and the percentages of fat and moisture.
Many lucky people in the audience get a free taste and some of them even get to push that coring tool into the cheese, it's something like an apple corer and pull out a sample for themselves
It will come as no surprise that everybody will have a chance to purchase as much cheese as they want from the vendors who are surrounding the cheese market area — you'll see more of that coming right up.
Cheese is transported on the wooden barrow hanging between two cheese carriers, holding about 8 Gouda cheeses, each of them weighing 13,5 kilos. Carrying a heavy barrow, with a total weight of about 130 kilos.
Walking with that heavy barrow or stretcher appears much easier than it seems. But there is a special technique. In order to facilitate the walking rhythm and to prevent the stretcher from hitting their legs, the men walk 'out of step' in the strange looking cheese bearers' trot. This keeps the stretcher movement to a minimum, ensuring the barrow hangs as still as possible.
[Music plays]
We work you see with four groups, you see four different colors. Each group is seven people. There are six carriers and the seventh works on the scale – that is a very important man because in the early days, he counts the money from the buyers, the ones who have trade, for each kilo that we carry.
We've got the two big factories here in the north of the Netherlands and they make millions of kilos of cheese each year, and it goes around the world.
The Gouda Cheese Market • Traditional Dutch Market • THE NETHERLANDS
Every summer, Gouda’s old town square goes retro. Monster hunks of cheese, wooden shoes and old-timey traders haggling over the price by slapping hands. It starts with cheese but you’ll also find your week supply of tulip bulbs, fresh fruit & vegetables, fashionable sweaters. (Please don’t forget to give the street organ a tip for playing Tuplen uit Amsterdam”.
If you want to stop by, just note that the Cheese market is only active on a few Thursdays in the summer months, although you can catch Gouda's regular market each Thursday regardless of the season.)
Big THANKS to Sodacan for the Dutch Coat of Arms:
The Netherlands from above - E7/10 - Why do we live where we live?
This series shows The Netherlands from a spectacular perspective. Through data visualizations, impressive aerial images and portraits of people on the ground, we show who we are and how time changes and has changed the country.
Over the past 100 years the population of Netherlands has increased by around 10 million. In order to provide accommodation for everyone, we have built millions of houses. We now live in centuries-old canal houses, in new housing estates, or on the water in house boats.
© VPRO January 2012
This channel offers some of the best travel series from the Dutch broadcaster VPRO. Our series explore cultures from all over the world. VPRO storytellers have lived abroad for years with an open mind and endless curiosity, allowing them to become one with their new country. Thanks to these qualities, they are the perfect guides to let you experience a place and culture through the eyes of a local. Uncovering the soul of a country, through an intrinsic and honest connection, is what VPRO and its presenters do best.
So subscribe to our channel and we will be delighted to share our adventures with you!
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vpro 3voor12 extra (music stories):
Director: Peter Blom and Robert Wiering
English, French and Spanish subtitles by Ericsson and co-funded by the European Union.
Trajectvideo Zaandam - Zaanse Schans - Uitgeest (Sprinter)
Sprinter (SGM) van Zaandam, via Koog aan de Zaan, Zaanse Schans Wormerveer en Krommenie-Assendelft naar Uitgeest. 2x versneld.
AHI Travel Holland and Belgium - Dutch Waterways Cruise from Amsterdam to Antwerp
Experience a captivating seven-night cruise through Holland and Belgium’s lovely waterways and canals. As you alight in waterfront towns, customize your cruise with a choice of excursions. In Amsterdam, delight in a vividly colorful tulip garden, pedal through the scenic countryside, or admire the Rijksmuseum’s masterpieces. Discover The Hague, the Dutch government’s cosmopolitan center, walk through Delft’s romantic old town, and select from museum tours featuring fine art or Delft porcelain. Stroll across Bruges’ tiny cobbled bridges, and then visit an art museum, family brewery or chocolatier’s shop. Other included excursions take you cruising down Amsterdam’s picturesque canals, floating through fairy-tale Giethoorn and walking through Antwerp’s medieval streets. Your Travel Director handles all the logistics, while local guides and lecturers enlighten you on the region’s history and culture. Enjoy the simplicity of unpacking once aboard a first-class ship, where your welcoming crew provides exceptional service and delicious meals, including wine and beer with lunch and dinner. For solo travelers, the single supplement is waived.
Please visit us at and book your trip today!
Gouda cheese market
Gouda city, The Netherlands has a special activity from April-August of every year. It is =called Kaasmarkt (cheese market). Thereare a lot of rounded cheese to be seen, Dutch participants are dressed in traditional costumes and are very accomodating to tourists in taking photos. See my blog of the city:
Radtour Gouda Delft Rotterdam Den Haag, www.touristguideholland.nl Guide Jan Vijftigschild
Bramscher Landfrauen auf Radfahrtour in Zuid Holland mit guide Jan Vijftigschild von touristguideholland.nl. In auftrag von Strier Reisen aus Ibbenburen. Den Haag, Rotterdam, Leiden, Scheveningen, Gouda sind besucht. touristguideholland.nl
Music bensound.com
Sfeerimpressie Groene Hart actief - Ontdek de natuur!
Beeldmateriaal: © EMS FILMS
Er zijn vier sfeerimpressies met diverse thema’s. De diverse sfeerimpressies over Het Groene Hart van Holland zijn gemaakt met beelden van de film ‘Holland, Natuur in de Delta’ . De sfeerimpressies kunnen worden ingezet voor positieve communicatie over het Groene Hart en voor versteviging van de beeldvorming en het merk van het Groene Hart.
De sfeerimpressies mogen gedeeld en gebruikt worden.
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De sfeerimpressies mogen uitsluitend worden gebruikt voor positieve communicatie over Het Groene Hart van Holland.
Het verlenen van toestemming voor het gebruik van de sfeerimpressies betekent niet dat Het Groene Hart van Holland de inhoud en/of activiteiten voor de aanvrager/gebruiker van de sfeerimpressies onderschrijft.
Toestemming gebruik sfeerimpressies
Toestemming voor het gebruik van de sfeerimpressies kan worden ingetrokken indien:
o Het gebruik van de sfeerimpressie(s) in strijd is met deze voorwaarden
o De sfeerimpressie(s) wordt gebruikt bij negatieve communicatie over Het Groene Hart van Holland.
o Het gebruik van de sfeerimpressie(s) strijdig is met de doelstellingen van Het Groene Hart van Holland.
Gebruik doorgeven a.u.b.
Wij stellen het op prijs als u voor publicatie aangeeft waar u de sfeerimpressies voor gebruikt, en op welke manier u het toepast.
info@groenehart.nl
De sfeerimpressie is ontwikkeld in samenwerking met Stichting Merk & Marketing.