2013 is a special year for Amsterdam for many reasons, what with the reopening of the Rijksmuseum after a 10 year absence, the completion of the renovation of the Van Gogh Museum, and not to mention being able to play host to the inauguration of King Willem-Alexander. Another less obvious reason for celebration, however, has been the fact that 2013 is the official year of Netherlands-Russia relations, an event that has for the most part been exclusively celebrated in and around the 'Dam.
Russia and the Netherlands have surprisingly strong ties. Not only have strong trade relations between the two nations existed since the 17th century, when it comes to economic, socio-political, and even infrastructural concerns, the two nations have exhibited an unusually strong friendship. This companionship can in large part be put down to the strong foundations laid down by Russia's first modernizing Tsar, Peter the Great. Not only was Tsar Peter a huge collector of Dutch art as well as cultural artifacts imported by the Dutch during the Golden Age, as a young man Peter the Great spent a large portion of 1697 on the Zaanse Schans learning how to build ships. As it turned out, his goal was to use Dutch expertise in shipbuilding to build a powerful navy of his own. Peter the Great was so inspired by the ability of the Dutch to work with their marshy land, that he would build his own version of the canal-based city of Amsterdam - St. Petersburg, built on similarly marshy terrain. His sojourn in Amsterdam would kickstart a long-lasting partnership between the two nations, culminating not only in an Amsterdam branch of the St. Petersburg Hermitage, but also a whole year devoted to the celebration of this friendship centered on the exchange of expertise and knowledge. To mark the occasion, the Hermitage held a Peter the Great exhibition (which ended this past week), and there continues to be an exhibition in Zaandam focusing on the house where Tsar Peter lived and worked as well as other smaller events throughout the year.
This weekend, finally, this year of celebration turns to the culinary. Since Friday and until Sunday, the Russian Food Festival is taking place on the Museumplein in Amsterdam. There will be stands profiling the culinary treats of 10 regions in Russia. Visitors will be able to savor Russian delicacies particular to the different parts of the huge nation, and learn a little about the products themselves. Word on the street is there might even be performances by traditional Russian acts.
All in all, the effort put into the celebration of what could have been for all intents and purposes a purely trade-oriented year is very impressive, and I personally recommend checking out any events celebrating the Russia-Netherlands year.
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