Enkhuizen: This fishing village was frozen in the early 1900's when the Dutch built a dam that cut off their access to the sea. The Zuiderzee Museum has an outside section with buildings from the 17th and 18th century, and an inside boat museum.

Haarlem: The Frans Hals Museum is housed in a complex of buildings originally built to house the aged in Hals’ time. The museum has a lot of the artists’ work including paintings of the original governors of the housing complex.

St. Bavo’s Church is an enormous ex-cathedral which includes a massive and beautiful organ which composers Haydn, Mozart and Mendlesohn played.  Frans Hals is entombed here.

Leiden: This city welcomed the English Dissenters when they were forced to leave England and before they became the Pilgrims of Massachusetts Colony. A museum of the American Pilgrim is here.  Leiden also has an ancient university.  The first tulips were imported to this city, starting the so-called "tulip craze".

Overloon:  This place was the site of a huge battle in World War II.  Instead of clearing the remnants of the battle, a museum, Liberty Park, was created using the disabled tanks and other equipment as an open-air base. There is also a building housing a dual language museum about World War II.

Visit Places in the Netherlands where you are very close to history, by Mouse,P2