I, for one, welcome our new Dutch overlords

[Jan H]

My resident Dutch expert but NON-CIV PLAYING (her loss), wife, says that they seemed a little inconsistent in the naming. Are they going with the original spellings or the modern day ones?

They are all in modern Dutch spelling, as far as I know.

I never heard of MEDEMBLIK though. A google search learns that it exists, but it isn't more than a small village... Or does it have some historical importance that I'm not aware of? (like Hoorn and some others on the list)

 

[sneaky]

I knew of Medemblik, I guess it's fairly important. The spelling, I agree, is a bit inconsistent, but overall the list is really good.

 

[anandus]

Medemblik was granted city-rights in 1289, which is quite a long time ago.
The first Dutch city to get sort of city-rights was Nijmegen (some 2000 years ago)

From 1000 AD onwards Dutch cities recieved city-rights from the local Lords. So I reckon Medemblik was fairly early in receiving city-rights and therefore an old Dutch city?
(Small note: The Hague never aqcuired city-rights, so it's technically, feudalistically speaking, a village)

 

[Rik Meleet]

Medemblik is more important than Civ3's Lauwersoog (a ferry-terminal of 46 inhabitants) and Holwerd (where noone has ever heard of). Medemblik used to be an important harbour/port; until they closed of the afsluitdijk.

 

[Lacaixa]

Here's a related historical titbit for everyone...

As a powerful Protestant monarch, Elizabeth was actually offered the crown of the Netherlands as it was struggling to gain independence from Catholic Spain. Elizabeth turned the offer down because she was trying to offer support to the Dutch without angering superpower Spain to the extent of prompting an invasion against England. This is exactly what happened in the end though, in the form of the Spanish Armada.

Now that would have created quite a formidable State. What was the population of the United Provinces at the time ?

 

[Dutch Canuck]

Medemblik is more important than Civ3's Lauwersoog (a ferry-terminal of 46 inhabitants) and Holwerd (where noone has ever heard of). Medemblik used to be an important harbour/port; until they closed off the afsluitdijk.

In 1976 when visiting Holland with my family we once took an old steam train ride from Hoorn to Medemblik. I remember that Medemblik was an important fishing harbour - I think there's a museum there about that. Isn't it true that the old cities are slightly above sea level because they existed before land reclamation and thus were initially ports of some kind? Zuider Zee became Issel Meer right? I bet there are old towns today that are land-locked compared to when they were initially founded? I've travelled the Afsluitdijk by bus in a more recent visit in 1994; Sneek to Alkmaar IIRC. My father's side of the family is mostly near Alkmaar, and my mother's side mostly near Groningen.

As a little boy I was madly in love with the Nederlands Spoorweg (the Dutch electrified national railway) and I always enjoyed taking the train there, Schiphol's connection to the service was a very smart idea - sneaky's city list brought back memories... I am a Canadian but my heart has a soft spot for the Netherlands since I was born and lived the first 3 years of my life there and in Zoest, Germany. Most of my extended family lives in the Netherlands today - they love to hear me speak Canadian English. Ik kan nog een beetje Nederlands praten - but no better than a 6 year-old exposed to old generation country dialect - really today. And I cannot speak a word of German; as a consequence I can tell how different German is from Dutch!

Oh yeah, I love cycling in Holland! Thank gawd the country's flat!

 

[GeoModder]

Now that would have created quite a formidable State. What was the population of the United Provinces at the time ?

This link might allow you to extrapolate. There's an estimation for 1600 and 1700 AD in it.

 

[garbage0707]

The Dutch leader is so pimp. I played him for the first time last night and I loved it. I was expanding culture and making money like no other! No Civ could keep up. The horse knights look sweet with the red/black combo. The boats are awesome too! Got myself a nice little navy going. And cmon...who here doesnt love Dikes

 

[sneaky]

The Dikes are great. They are visible on the coast as wall with big green field behind them. After I conquered Isabella's empire, I beelined to Steam Power and rushed Dikes in pretty all my cities. They are few cities in which Dikes can not be build. And once build production grows incredibly.

 

[Comrade Aart]

frikandel and balkenbrij. aren't they made of the same meat? (don't like frikandels, to greasy)
I'm part indonesian or a peanut as they call it here, so I agree with the dutch/indonesian food.

I have the idea that Balkenbrij can mean several things, because how I would explain it is not mentioned somewhere yet (incl. wikipedia).
Balkenbrij is the rest-meat of pigs together with flower ,which you stir while heating it (after adding nutmeg). When it is done you have to let it cool down in shapes of discs and then you can fry them. This is the way my grandfather used to make it. With other words: it is pig nerve and blood.
I loved it as a kid.

 

[Lacaixa]

Had to go back about 8 pages to find this thread. I think Willem is great in the game BUT his middle diplo music really sucks, not at all befitting his status. I propose this theme from the Van der Valk TV series. I'm assuming you got it in the Netherlands although it was a British series with Barry Foster as Van der Valk and I know it was back in the 70's/80's but this for me is Dutch music.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rmNTTJtlGFk&mode=related&search=

 

[Dutch Canuck]

Had to go back about 8 pages to find this thread. I think Willem is great in the game BUT his middle diplo music really sucks, not at all befitting his status. I propose this theme from the Van der Valk TV series. I'm assuming you got it in the Netherlands although it was a British series with Barry Foster as Van der Valk and I know it was back in the 70's/80's but this for me is Dutch music.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rmNTTJtlGFk&mode=related&search=

Oh my... that was soooo cheesy.
That music is very "retro" 70's television to me, although it may have fit the TV show - I never saw the show; I don't know what kind of show it was... I half expect some Monty Python absurdism to fall at the very end of that tune! Sorry! I think Willem needs something a little more, ah, edgy - like baroque/romantic music? Or how about something symphonic composed for naval battles and high adventure?

Oh! Oh! I think know where I heard that particular TV tune before: it's retro shopping mall elevator music! Of course now I cannot get that tune out of my head!!!

 

[Lacaixa]

I think Willems early music is fine , God only knows why they elected to put the Fairground music in later though. I make the Van der Valk suggestion tongue in cheek BTW.

 

[Locutus]

Very comprehensive. Pretty much every Dutch city you could think off and even every Dutch city you won't think off is included.

Thanks, of course considering it was made by a Dutchie (i.e. me) it pretty much had to be

it seems they spelled Gorinchem wrong too.

It's spelled Medieval style, I liked that better than the modern spelling, since it's been in use for much longer

My resident Dutch expert but NON-CIV PLAYING (her loss), wife, says that they seemed a little inconsistent in the naming. Are they going with the original spellings or the modern day ones?

Mostly modern ones, although some cities (such as Gorinchem/Gorkum and Den Bosch/'s-Hertogenbosch) are widely known by several names in which case I sometimes preferred a more old-fashioned variation. I feel that has more style and is more 'Civ-like'. Personal preference I suppose...

I never heard of MEDEMBLIK though. A google search learns that it exists, but it isn't more than a small village... Or does it have some historical importance that I'm not aware of? (like Hoorn and some others on the list)

Yes, Medemblik is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands and was a very important Zuiderzee port until the mid-19th century.

 

[Tavenier]

In 1976 when visiting Holland with my family we once took an old steam train ride from Hoorn to Medemblik. I remember that Medemblik was an important fishing harbour - I think there's a museum there about that. Isn't it true that the old cities are slightly above sea level because they existed before land reclamation and thus were initially ports of some kind? Zuider Zee became Issel Meer right? I bet there are old towns today that are land-locked compared to when they were initially founded? I've travelled the Afsluitdijk by bus in a more recent visit in 1994; Sneek to Alkmaar IIRC. My father's side of the family is mostly near Alkmaar, and my mother's side mostly near Groningen.

As a little boy I was madly in love with the Nederlands Spoorweg (the Dutch electrified national railway) and I always enjoyed taking the train there, Schiphol's connection to the service was a very smart idea - sneaky's city list brought back memories... I am a Canadian but my heart has a soft spot for the Netherlands since I was born and lived the first 3 years of my life there and in Zoest, Germany. Most of my extended family lives in the Netherlands today - they love to hear me speak Canadian English. Ik kan nog een beetje Nederlands praten - but no better than a 6 year-old exposed to old generation country dialect - really today. And I cannot speak a word of German; as a consequence I can tell how different German is from Dutch!

Oh yeah, I love cycling in Holland! Thank gawd the country's flat!

Yep, Zuiderzee is now IJsselmeer. The dike between Friesland and Noord Holland (afsluitdijk) is a marvelous feat. And also the place where most invading Germans were killed.

Medemblik is the oldest, still existing town in the province of Noord Holland. It was an important town until the Industrial Age, I think. But the importance of the town is overshadowed by the closeby town of Hoorn. Where Cape Horn is named after, J.P. Coen is from and which had a permanent seat in the Heeren 17 from the VOC (board). The two towns are only a 15 minutes drive away from eachother. I have been there many times, because my parents have a second house there.

A lot of cities/towns are slightly above sealevel because they were build as ports when the sea was further inland. But also because they were build on terps, which means something like living hill, or something. Not a hill that has a heartbeat ;-) but where people lived in fear of the water. Another word for it is weerd or woerd and that word is seen in many names of Dutch villages/cities. Leeuwarden, Woerden, Valkenswaard, Weert, Bolsweard, etc.

 

[Greeneyedzombie]

Gorinchem and 's-Hertogenbosch are the only official names in the netherlands and supposed to be written like this.
I now people use the name Den Bosch, thus far the only people I know who use it this way are hollanders. rare jongends die hollanders.
I used to live at those places, the reason I don't like it the spelled Gorinchem wrong.

 

[LordGek]

Gorinchem and 's-Hertogenbosch are the only official names in the netherlands and supposed to be written like this.
I now people use the name Den Bosch, thus far the only people I know who use it this way are hollanders. rare jongends die hollanders.
I used to live at those places, the reason I don't like it the spelled Gorinchem wrong.

Where in 's-Hertogenbosch? This is one my wife's old stomping grounds. She has family in kruiskamp, hambaken, de markt zaterdags, en s'woensdags.

 

[Tavenier]

Where in 's-Hertogenbosch? This is one my wife's old stomping grounds. She has family in kruiskamp, hambaken, de markt zaterdags, en s'woensdags.

The only official names? And Amsterdam is not an official name?

Those last two aren't places, Lordgek. It means market on saturdays, wednesdays.

And a few days in the year the official name for s'Hertogenbosch/Den Bosch is Oeteldonk! ;-)

 

[lionheart]

Probably a much better theme for Willem would be this:

(From one of the best Dutch movies, made when Paul Verhoeven was still working at home): http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_YnTnlNQGq0

Or, if that won't work, a variation on 'het Wilhelmus' (the national anthem): http://youtube.com/watch?v=uMHbAKvPJkU

I'm sure one of our many modders will be able to come up with something beautiful!

 

[Tavenier]

Probably a much better theme for Willem would be this:

(From one of the best Dutch movies, made when Paul Verhoeven was still working at home): http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_YnTnlNQGq0

Or, if that won't work, a variation on 'het Wilhelmus' (the national anthem): http://youtube.com/watch?v=uMHbAKvPJkU

I'm sure one of our many modders will be able to come up with something beautiful!

He is again working 'home'. Watch his latest movie "Zwartboek". (Blackbook). It is about a Jewish girl spying for the resistance in the German soldiery. A must see movie for everybody interested in Verhoeven-movies, WW2-movies or Dutch movies!