30 articles
's-Hertogenbosch
's-Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch), Dutch city in North Brabant founded by Duke Henry I of Brabant, city rights 1196; water fortress until the 1629 siege, home of Hieronymus Bosch, about 154,000 inhabitants.
Alkmaar
Alkmaar is a city and municipality in North Holland, Netherlands, known for its cheese market on the Waagplein and its resistance to the 1573 Spanish siege.
Almere
Almere, a new town in Flevoland, Netherlands, built from 1975 on polder reclaimed from the IJsselmeer; youngest Dutch city, multi-core design, 230,500 residents, municipality since 1984, Oosterwold self-build district.
Amersfoort, Utrecht
Amersfoort, Utrecht: Dutch city and municipality in Utrecht province, at a ford on the river Eem; city rights 1259, about 163,800 residents in 2026, second city of the province, known for the Koppelpoort and Muurhuizen.
Amstelveen
Amstelveen, formerly Nieuwer-Amstel until the 1964 renaming, is a municipality in North Holland just south of Amsterdam with about 95,800 residents, known for the Amsterdamse Bos, the Netherlands' largest Japanese community, and the A9 deepened road project.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam, capital and largest city of the Netherlands, grew from a 1275 toll-privilege settlement (Amstelledamme) on the Amstel into a Golden Age trading hub of 200,000, with a 1613 canal ring and 941,927 residents in 2026.
Apeldoorn
Apeldoorn, Gelderland municipality in the central Netherlands on the Veluwe; 170,000 residents (2026), town plus eleven villages, rooted in the House of Orange's Het Loo; Paleis Het Loo, Apenheul, canal and railway growth history.
Arnhem
Arnhem (Gelderland capital, eastern Netherlands, on the Rhine near Germany) is a city of about 172,000, known for the 1944 Battle of Arnhem and John Frost Bridge, postwar reconstruction, Burgers' Zoo, Sonsbeek park, and its government and energy-focused economy.
Breda
Breda is a city and municipality in North Brabant, Netherlands, at the Mark-Aa confluence, cradle of the House of Orange-Nassau; about 190,000 residents, city rights 1252, mayor Paul Depla, major 't Zoet redevelopment. Distinct from the Catalan pottery village Breda.
Delft
Delft, South Holland city between The Hague and Rotterdam; city rights 1246, home of Vermeer, Delft Blue, royal crypt and TU Delft; 110,044 residents (2026).
Eindhoven
Eindhoven is a city in North Brabant, the Netherlands, known as the founding place of Philips in 1891 and now a high-tech hub in the Brainport region. Population reached 250,000 in 2025; area 8,936 ha.
Enschede
Enschede, Dutch municipality and city in eastern Overijssel near the German border; largest city of the east with about 162,700 inhabitants, regional core of Twente, site of the 2000 SE Fireworks disaster (23 dead), University of Twente, and twinned with Palo Alto.
Groningen
Groningen is the largest city of the Dutch north, first recorded in 1040 as villa Cruoninga, a former Hanseatic city-state and university city (founded 1614), with about 244,060 residents in 2026, known for gas-field earthquakes and the 2023 parliamentary inquiry.
Haarlem
Haarlem is a city in North Holland, Netherlands, capital of the province, in the Amsterdam metropolitan area. Known for the 1572–73 siege, Frans Hals and his museum, and Teylers Museum, the country's oldest.
Heerlen
Heerlen, Limburg municipality in the Netherlands, central city of Parkstad Limburg near Aachen; Roman Coriovallum with the country's largest excavated Roman bathhouse, former coal-mining city, 87,764 inhabitants (2026).
Hengelo, Overijssel
Hengelo (Overijssel), a Twente municipality of about 80,000 near Enschede; industrial 'Metaalstad' built on Stork works, rebuilt after 1944 bombings, now redeveloping Hart van Zuid and ranking highest in broad welfare among 50 large Dutch cities.
Hilversum
Hilversum, a North Holland municipality of about 94,600 residents, is the Dutch media city, home of the Media Park's roughly 100 media companies; it merges with Wijdemeren into one municipality on 1 January 2027.
Hoofddorp
Hoofddorp, formerly Kruisdorp, is the largest town in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands, founded 1853 on the reclaimed Haarlemmermeer lake bed, renamed 1868, grown past 75,000 residents near Schiphol Airport.
Leeuwarden
Leeuwarden (Ljouwert) is the capital of the Dutch province of Fryslân, a city of about 130,000 residents formed from three terp settlements granted city rights in 1435, seat of the Hof van Friesland since 1498, and European Capital of Culture 2018.
Leiden
Leiden, a South Holland city of about 130,600 inhabitants, is home to the Netherlands' oldest university (founded 1575 after the Relief of Leiden) and is known for its canals, textile history, and Leiden Bio Science Park.
Maastricht
Maastricht, capital of Dutch Limburg on the Meuse, also called Mosa Trajectum; Roman bridge town, namesake of the Maastricht Treaty (1992) and the Maastrichtian age; 126,026 residents in 2026.
Nijmegen
Nijmegen is a city in Gelderland in the east of the Netherlands, on the Waal river, often called the country's oldest city, with Roman origins under Emperor Trajan.
Rotterdam
Rotterdam, South Holland, Netherlands: second-largest Dutch city and home of Europe's largest seaport. Defined by the 14 May 1940 German bombing that destroyed its medieval centre and by the 1940–1965 reconstruction that created its modern architecture.
The Hague
The Hague (Den Haag, 's-Gravenhage), third-largest Dutch city, seat of government and parliament, International Court of Justice, capital of South Holland; founded as a count's court around 1230, never granted city rights.
Tilburg
Tilburg is a city in North Brabant, the Netherlands, the country's 8th city with 230,700 residents (2026). Former textile town, home of Tilburg University (founded 1927), the Wilhelminakanaal, and major events like the Tilburgse Kermis.
Utrecht
Utrecht is a city in the central Netherlands, capital of the province of the same name and the country's fourth largest, with 378,140 residents in 2026.
Venlo
Venlo, municipality and city in Limburg, Netherlands, on the Meuse at the German border; 104,195 residents, city rights 1343, Hanseatic town 1481, fortress until 1867, major inland logistics hub (Greenport).
Vlaardingen
Vlaardingen is a South Holland municipality west of Rotterdam with 77,480 inhabitants, known for the prehistoric Vlaardingencultuur, the 1018 Battle of Flardinga, its herring port heritage, and current urban renewal programs.
Zoetermeer
Zoetermeer: South Holland municipality and 1962 Dutch growth core (new town) near The Hague, grown from a village of about 10,000 to 129,852 inhabitants (2025), with 58,213 dwellings and the Omgevingsvisie Zoetermeer 2040.
Zwolle
Zwolle, capital of Overijssel in the Netherlands, about 129,000 residents, lies in the IJssel-Vecht delta with its center outside the dikes; Hanseatic history, strong economy, and a 4,400-home 2026-2030 coalition program.