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Four hundred years ago, a Dutch ship called the Halve Maen ('Half Moon') arrived to the shores of what is now New York City with Captain Henry Hudson at the helm. During NY400 Week, the Dutch 'invaded' the City once again, with all things fun and fabulous they have to offer. The week was highlighted by a unique visit of the Prince of Orange and Princess Maxima of the Netherlands.
NY400 Week kicked off September 8, with an impressive ceremony onboard the USS Intrepid. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and NYC Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg officially welcomed the Prince and Princess Máxima to New York City.
400 years after the Dutch ship the Half Moon arrived at what is now New York Harbor, it’s replica lead the flotilla up the Hudson River. The Dutch Navy ship HMNLS Tromp, its crew lined up on deck in parade format, welcomed the fleet with a 21-gun salute. The image of these historic and modern ships jointly sailing up the Hudson River embodies this week's celebration of the history and the future that the Netherlands and the United States share.
After the Welcoming Ceremony, the Prince and Princess visited Westpoint, where they had lunch with military cadets.
After sundown, the Empire State Building was lit-up bright orange by the Royal Couple. As the Prince said earlier that day: Too many people knew too little about our shared history. It was high time to remind them. That's why we've painted the town orange this week - even the Empire State Building will be lit in our national color!
Click here for a full report of the first day of NY400 Week
Photo by Rickard Koek/UNSTUDIO
In one of the major highlights of NY400 Week, the Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands joined NYC Mayor Bloomberg for the unveiling of the New Amsterdam Pavilion, designed by Dutch architect Ben van Berkel. The pavilion is a special gift from the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the City of New York, that marks 400 years of Dutch-American friendship. The structure is located at Peter Minuit Plaza at The Battery, the southern tip of Manhattan.
Click here for a full report of the second day of NY400 Week.
She's been to the US before, for the 1939 World’s Fair, but this is her Manhattan debut. “The Milkmaid”, the famous seventeenth century painting by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer, was sent to the Metropolitan Museum of Art by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam as part of the NY400 celebration. Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima stopped by the museum today to view the exhibition, which also features four other paintings by Vermeer and a select group of works by other Delft artists.
Click here for a full report of the third day of NY400 Week.
Photo by Lex van Lieshout / ANP
Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima paid their respects to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The Royal Couple attended the 9/11 Memorial Service at Zucotti Park, after which they joined the Remembrance Service in the West End Collegiate Church. The Prince and Princess were accompanied by Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Verhagen. In the afternoon, the Prince and Princess had a private meeting with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House.
Click here for a full report of the fourth day of NY400 Week.
At the South Street Seaport Museum, the Royals opened the groundbreaking exhibition on the Dutch origins of New York, ‘New Amsterdam: The Island at the Center of the World. The masterpiece of the collection is the famous ‘Schaghen’ letter, also known as the ‘birth certificate of New York’, in which the purchase of Manhattan is mentioned.
The Royal couple visited the Dutch art- and design festivals on Governors Island. Following in the footsteps of the Dutch pioneers of the seventeenth century, 150 actors, musicians, designers, comedians and dancers formed a creative colony on 'Noten Eylandt', as Governors Island was called back in the Dutch days, four hundred years ago. The Prince and Princess stepped into the odd but intriguing world of the New Island Festival where the Living Jukebox, Iris de Hond on her Flying Grand and Ellen ten Damme (see photo) rocked the stage.
The day ended with a fabulous Dance Party on Water Taxi Beach, where Dutch DJ Armin van Buuren spinned the decks especially for the Prince and Princess. The couple danced to Armin’s beats, against the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline, a magical moment!
Click here for a full report of the fifth day of NY400 Week.
The Royal Couple visited the New Amsterdam Village on Bowling Green, for a treat of Dutch 'poffertjes', and view the life-size windmill, Dutch houses and the traditional and innovative agri-cultural products the village has to offer.
NY400 Week ended with a spectacular range of events on both land and water. The highlight of the day was the grand 'Holland on the Hudson' flotilla, with the Half Moon replica as centrepiece. 400 years after Henry Hudson sailed the ship into what is now New York Harbor, thousands of people watched the parade of Dutch and American ships circle the Statue of Liberty and sail up the Hudson River.
Click here for a full report of Harbor Day, the last day of NY400 Week.
Photos by Chantal Heijnen
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