[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”https:\/\/nieuwnederland.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Basis_Hubert.jpg” transparent_background=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Tekst” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_layout=”dark” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
In the early 1990s, Hubert de Leeuw (Tilburg, 1961), entrepreneur from the Low Countries, more or less by coincidence, begins to research the history of the origin of New Netherland, the region on the east coast of North America, which today is known as New York State. During that time de Leeuw is in Seattle on business \u2013 he is going to introduce the five-gallon<\/i> water cooler system used in the North America to the Netherlands \u2013 and makes a trip to Vancouver, just over the border in Canada. At a rather curious meeting of, as he says, \u2018spiritual people,\u2019 he is introduced to the word \u2018Algonquin.\u2019 Almost immediately, de Leeuw\u2019s curiosity overcomes his skepticism and, back in Seattle he visits the library to find the meaning of the word. appears to be the name of an Indian tribe directly linked to New Netherland, Fort Nassau, Hendrick Christiaensen, and other Dutch merchants. de Leeuw states, \u201cSomething happened within me. I just knew I had to do something with it.\u201d And that is what happens:<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”#000000″ transparent_background=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}” column_structure=”1_2,1_2″][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”0″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_layout=”dark” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n During a second visit to the Seattle Library, de Leeuw discovers a book named \u2018A Sweet and Alien Land\u2019, about the early history of New York. When he searches for the telephone number of the author, Henri van der Zee, he is put in contact with Peter Vanderzee, who lives in Albany, New York. Although Vanderzee\u2019s house is close to the place at the Hudson River where Henry Hudson landed in 1609, this Peter Vanderzee has nothing to do with Henri van der Zee, nor with the history of New Netherland. He does, however, know a few people who are doing research on the early New York history, and he willingly offers to introduce them to de Leeuw. Thus, less than 72 hours after his personal discovery f New Netherland, de Leeuw sits around a table with Charles Gehring and Peter Christoph, two prominent American historians of New Netherland.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_layout=”dark” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Possessed<\/b><\/p>\n From that moment on, de Leeuw is determined to learn every detail of the early history of New Netherland. As often as possible, he visits the Hudson Valley, researches its history, and studies the lives of Hendrick Christiaensen, Adriaen Block, and their contemporaries. He notices that surprisingly little can be found in mainstream Anglo-American history texts about the years 1609 to 1624, usually described in short as a \u2018bloody throat cutting period.\u2019 Soon de Leeuw realizes that the history readily available fails to accurately acknowledge the achievements of Dutch merchants and the Native Tribes.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_layout=”dark” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n IIn 1994, he founds the Adriaen Block & Hendrick Christiaensen Historical Working Group, and takes the initiative to reconstruct Fort Nassau. A few years later, he initiates the building of a replica of the Unrest, the ship built by Adriaen Block on Manhattan Island after his ship the Tiger was destroyed by fire. Later, de Leeuw gives lectures and presentations in Holland, intended to raise awareness of this part of Dutch history. This infallible enthusiasm to bring \u2018New Netherland\u2019 to a wider audience leads to him being unofficially named \u2018Ambassador of New Netherland\u2019 in 2004 by Bill van Winkle, president of the Holland Society of New York.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”2b” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_layout=”dark” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Gaining momentum, de Leeuw becomes an active sponsor of the New Netherland Museum, also is one of the founders of the New Netherland Companions (a group of volunteers who are engaged in developing and executing several New Netherland heritage projects), and becomes a board member of The Friends of New Netherland, a group which facilitates the New Netherland Project, now named the New Netherland Institute. In 2005 he is asked to become the chairman of the New Amsterdam History Center.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_layout=”dark” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Pureblood entrepreneur<\/b><\/p>\n Nowadays, De Leeuw, lives between two countries, near the city of Antwerp and the Hudson Valley area of NY; is an absolute businessman and explorer, resembling the merchants of the old days. Not only does he devote himself to the history of New Netherland, but he also conducts business in the United States. He concentrates his activities in New York, the Hudson Valley, and the Capital Region around Albany, where 400 years ago (in 1614) the Dutch established their first trading post, Fort Nassau. He assists and coaches Flemish and Dutch \u2018merchants\u2019 interested in anchoring themselves in America, and thus, treading in the footsteps of their ancestors.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_layout=”dark” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n \u201cHistory repeats itself,\u201d de Leeuw says. \u201cDuring my journeys of exploration, I have had many unique experiences and friendships, forming part of what I would call the \u2018New Netherland cosmos\u2019. For me, it has been an odyssey of stories and discoveries which I like to share, as a chronicle of all I have seen and learned.\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Who is Hubert de Leeuw and why is he so concerned with New Netherlands? In the early 1990s, Hubert de Leeuw (Tilburg, 1961), entrepreneur from the Low Countries, more or less by coincidence, begins to research the history of the origin of New Netherland, the region on the east coast of North America, which today […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1404","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nieuwnederland.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nieuwnederland.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nieuwnederland.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nieuwnederland.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nieuwnederland.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1404"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/nieuwnederland.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1404\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1680,"href":"https:\/\/nieuwnederland.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1404\/revisions\/1680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nieuwnederland.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}