POSTCARD N.222 - NETHERLANDS

Postcrossing Postcard sent on the 6th April; received on the 15th April 2026

Postcard image: Vintage photo of Amsterdam Central Station in 1906

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The first thing a more inspective view over the nice vintage photo on the postcard I got from Sascha, in the Netherlands - Hartelijk dank, Sascha! - is that.... there are no bicycles on view....

In fact, the "second coming" of bikes in the Netherlands took place in the 70s of last century, after popular pressure over the government to promote safer urban transportation, due to the rise in urban accidents with cars, in the booming years after the second world war.

And I say "second coming" because it seems that between the wars, the bicycle was also quite a widespread means of displacement for the Dutch and quite justifiably so, given the flat nature of most of its territory.

Today, an image like the one on the postcard would be unthinkable and it suffices to do a Google search on images of the bike parking right on the side of the still beautiful Central Station of Amsterdam to understand why. 

The fact is that Dutch got it right, and the humble bicycle, which was once frowned upon as the means of transportation of those that could not afford a car, is now spreading all over the world as a rational, non-polluting and quite fuel efficient means of transportation.

Of course, this change of attitude came together with a dramatic increase in the options so that those that like to herald their economic might over the rest of us can still pay tonnes of money for features that do nothing more special than making your bike more expensive... but for some that's really what matters most, right?

Amsterdam's Central Train Station was conceived by Architect Pierre Cuypers, who was also responsible for the conception of the  Rijskmuseum, started to be built in 1881 and was inaugurated in 1889.

Having undergone refurbishing works in 1997 it is now under a new development plan that started in 2022 and will take some years to complete.

Stamps (left to right; top to bottom):

- 0,39 € stamp from a mini-sheet comprising 12 x 0,39 € stamps, issued on 30AUG2002each one with a se-tenant stamp and vignette,  dedicated to the Dutch Provinces. Each stamp carries an artistic graphic illustration of a provincial flag while the vignette features a photograph of a landmark, person, artefact, etc,  characteristic of the province. 

This particular stamp on the card is illustrated with the flag of the Province of Overijseel and carries a photograph of the 16th century walls of the city of Zwolle, the Province's capital.

- 0,34 € stamp from a mini-sheet comprising 12 x 0,34 € stamps issued on 18NOV2008 with stamps dedicated to the December festive Season.

- 0,39 € stamp from a mini-sheet comprising 12 x 0,39 € stamps issued on 04JAN2006, themed on endangered animals. The highlighted animal on this particular stamp is the pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis), native to the forests and swamps of West Africa, primarily in Liberia, with small populations in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Ivory Coast.

- 0,61 € self-adhesive stamp, issued on 02JAN2004, as part of a two stamp set (0,64 + 0,77 €) dedicated to Ancient Art. The stamp replicates the painting "Woman Reading Letter with Maid" by Dutch painter Gabriel Metsu (1629 - 1667)

- 0,39 € stamp from a mini-sheet comprising 10 x 0,39 € stamps issued on 10MAY2004, celebrating the enlargement of the European Union, which from the 1st of May of that year, registered 10 new member states: Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

The stamp is dedicated to teh Czech Republic, featuring a subdued flag of Czechia over a map and a stamp 

The mechanical postmark was applied at Amsterdam, the Capital.