Gouda is a city and municipality in the west of the Netherlands, between Rotterdam and Utrecht, in the province of South Holland. Gouda has a population of 75,000 and is famous for its Gouda cheese, stroopwafels, many grachten, smoking pipes, and its 15th-century city hall. Its array of historic churches and other buildings makes it a very popular day-trip destination.
Image: 13 06 27 gouda by Ralf R 054
Image: 13 06 27 gouda by Ralf R 063
Image: Gouda, Haven panoramio (9)
City centre of Gouda in 1650, by Joan Blaeu
South Holland is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.8 million as of January 2023 and a population density of about 1,410/km2 (3,700/sq mi), making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely populated areas. Situated on the North Sea in the west of the Netherlands, South Holland covers an area of 3,308 km2 (1,277 sq mi), of which 609 km2 (235 sq mi) is water. It borders North Holland to the north, Utrecht and Gelderland to the east, and North Brabant and Zeeland to the south. The provincial capital is the Dutch seat of government The Hague, while its largest city is Rotterdam. The Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta drains through South Holland into the North Sea. Europe's busiest seaport, the Port of Rotterdam, is located in South Holland.
The liberation of Leiden in 1574
The Binnenhof by the Hofvijver, 1625
The centre of Rotterdam in ruins after the Rotterdam Blitz in 1940
A satellite image of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, showing the islands of South Holland