The Low Countries Radio

In this episode, 92-year-old Holocaust survivor Simon Gronowski talks about his spectacular escape from a deportation train to Auschwitz, why he befriended the son of Flemish Nazi supporters and reminds us why we must remain vigilant against political extremism.

Why is the tulip a Dutch symbol even though this colourful flower comes from the Ottoman Empire? Why did owning tulip bulbs show your status and luxury in the 17th century? Why did a famous surgeon have his surname changed to Tulip? And to what economic disaster does Tulip Mania refer?

In this podcast, we dig up the bulbs of the past, trim the stems of historical myth and emerge with a lustrous vase of understanding as to where the tulip came from, how it came into vogue in the Dutch Republic and what place the flower holds today in the Netherlands.

Rebellion, unrest and anti-authoritarianism are as much woven into the fabric of the Low Countries’ histories and cultures as dikes, dams, churches and cheese. In this podcast, we take a look at some of the major and minor protest movements that have occurred across Belgium and the Netherlands, which have helped shape them into the places they are today: the Amsterdam Eel Riots (1886), the Leuven Student Protests (1968), the Amsterdam Coronation Riots (1980) and the Brussels White March (1996).

The Low Countries have long held mystery and intrigue for people around the world. Over thousands of years, innumerable myths and legends have sprung out of this small corner of Europe, while many more have been created by bemused foreigners looking in from the outside.

Why do the Japanese love a dog from Flanders? Why do Americans admire a Dutch boy who stuck his finger in a dyke? Why are there so many swans in Bruges? Why were cats thrown off the belfry in Ypres? And why is 'The Flying Dutchman' a scary phenomenon?

Find out in this podcast about folk tales and legends from Flanders and the Netherlands.

Despite making up over 50% of the population, the fundamental role which women have played in the development and progress of Low Country societies has often been neglected in historical accounts. Time to honour some women pioneers in Belgium and the Netherlands: Aletta Jacobs, Corry Tendeloo, Isabelle Gatti de Gamond, Marie Popelin and Marga Klompé.

When the Netherlands and Belgium did not exist, people spoke of the Low Countries when referring to the area around the river deltas. Water has always played an essential role in the history of that region.

For centuries, living on these waterlogged lands provided the Dutch and the Flemings with opportunities for trade, urbanisation, agriculture and much more. But it also meant that they lived under the constant threat of devastating and deadly floods.

In this podcast, we discover how the Low Countries, after centuries of battling floods, have gradually learnt to treat water as an ally and a part of the cultural identity of its inhabitants.

In this episode of TLC Radio we are going to flip through the pages of comic history in the Low Countries; from the use of illustrated prints from as early as the 15th century to the position of comic studios in Belgium and the Netherlands during the Second World War. You’ll hear about some titles that you may never have heard of, as well as many that you smurf.

Throughout the centuries, the Low Countries have been the breeding ground for many world-changing inventions and scientific advancements.

Inspired by animated environmentalist superheroes Captain Planet and the Planeteers, in this podcast, we are presenting Dutch inventors and their impressive discoveries through the elements earth, fire, wind, water and heart.

From maps and microscopes to fire hoses and artificial hearts.

With their powers combined. nothing is impossible!

Why do the Dutch hang school bags on flagpoles, place giant blow-up dolls on their front lawn and have clocks without numbers in their pubs?

And why do the Flemings celebrate newborns by eating ‘poop beans’, close the curtains in their house and welcome friends by the backdoor?

In this episode, we are delving into some of the unique and peculiar customs, social norms and rituals of Flanders and the Netherlands and see the different ways in which these traditions have evolved over time.

We follow the trajectory of traditions a typical life would encounter, from the cradle to the grave.

In this podcast, we get out the drawing board, put on a hard hat and clamber up a scaffold of creative construction, so that we may cast our view on a few of the most striking, unique or just plain weird buildings that can be found in Belgium and the Netherlands. We also explore some of the schools of thought that have come to influence architecture in our beloved region.

We have long imposed our personal whims on other animals. We use them for labour or sport. We give them symbolic meaning, assigning them divine significance and power. Or we groom them and breed them to eat.

For thousands of years, our relationship with animals has been an integral part of how we and our world have evolved. In the Low Countries, this is a journey from the ancient times of hunter-fisher communities to the early days of animal husbandry, through centuries of urbanisation, warfare, massive floods and land reclamation. All have had a drastic impact on animal life in the region.

In this episode, we discuss some animals that roamed or still roam in the Low Countries. We will see how the relationship between humans and animals has helped shape local societies and cultures, and how, over the millennia, we have exterminated some animals and invited others into our homes, but also unintentionally had some as very unwelcome guests.

Starring in this podcast: reindeer, cows, chickens, pigs, shipworms, badgers, beavers and wolves.

In this episode of The Low Countries Radio, we are going to delve into some of the sports that have developed in or been adopted and grown in Belgium and the Netherlands.

We will hear about people who listen intently to birds in little boxes while they keep track of their calls on a big long stick, others who jump over canals using a big long stick, as well as a bunch of people skating the famous Elfstedentocht and smashing a very hard ball across a field using their hands.

So saddle up, wait for the starting gun...on your mark. Ready... set...go!

What is the origin of Dutch? Why does the language sound familiar on all continents? What do Yiddish, English and Russian have in common? What is the difference between Dutch spoken in Belgium and in the Netherlands? And why were cuddle-buddy and one-and-a-half-metre-society voted Dutch words of the year?

Find out in this podcast about the fascinating history and impact of the Dutch language.

What is the influence of religion on our cuisine? Why do Belgians love eating out at restaurants? Which recipes can be found in the oldest Dutch cookbook? And why did the Dutch ever eat tulip bulbs and now have a dish called a hairdresser's salon?

In this episode, we find out what Flemish and Dutch people have been eating since prehistoric times. Smakelijk!

Jan van Eyck, one of the Low Countries most famous artists, lived through an extraordinary period in history, between the 1390s and the 1440s. Although much about the early Netherlandish painter’s life is completely unknown, the details which do remain provide tantalising glimpses into an artistic and technical talent, who was both socially and politically capable enough to be able to ingratiate himself within the highest ranks of power in his time.

In this podcast, we will explore the life and works of the Flemish Master and the mystery surrounding the theft of part of his most famous work, the Ghent Altarpiece.

Why does the Netherlands have the highest amount of bikes per capita in the world? Why were farmers angry with cyclists in the old days? Why was the bike a symbol of antifascist resistance? And why don’t the Dutch wear helmets? Find out in the first episode of The Low Countries Radio, our new podcast series made by Republic of Amsterdam Radio, celebrating Flemish and Dutch history and culture, and its impact on the world today.

Where do the Dutch names of the days of the week come from? Which Flemish miraculous girl did Nick Cave write a song about? Who are Vagdavercustis, Nehalennia and the Brethren of the Common Life? Why were the Frisians difficult to convert to Christianity? Why were the Jews blamed for the Black Plague?

Find out the answers in this episode of the Low Countries Radio, in which we take a closer look at the growth and development of religion in the Low Countries. From pagan tribalism to the rise and dominance of Catholicism, the arrival and growth of Judaism and Islam and their long-term impact, the whirlwind of the Reformation, and the institution of a Calvinist doctrine in the North and a continued Catholic tradition in the South. We finish by looking at the state of religiosity and spiritualism in the Low Countries today.

So say your prayers and tune in.

Why did the Dutch drink almost four times as much beer in the fifteenth century as they do today? Why would the Beer Drinking War be a better name for The Eighty Years' War? And why is the longest-standing beer in Belgium not as old as the brewers want us to believe? Pour a glass of your favourite brew and join on a historic journey of beer and brewing in the Low Countries. Proost!