Today, Holland grows about three fourths of the world market supply of tulips. During their short blooming period, the entire country turns into a bright "tapestry" full of colors, and also — when looking from above — an amazing geometry of beautiful lines.

Despite the fact that the tulips are the most famous symbol of Netherlands, the people of Holland have not been familiar with these amazing flowers until the middle of the 16^th century. The first few bulbs were brought to the country by the professor of botany, Carolus Clusius (also known as Charles de l'Écluse) from Austria, where the bulbs, in turn, had arrived from Turkey.

With great enthusiasm, professor Clusius dove into a cultivation of tulips and soon received impressive results. With additional help from favorable climate conditions and soil structure, the entire Holland soon was swept away by "tulipmania." The demand for the flowers was so big that people, regardless of their social status, spent a fortune just to possess a rare bulb, which at times could cost more than gold. The history knows of a buyer who exchanged his beer bar that cost 30,000 florins, for one bulb of a tulip.

Soon, this tulip craze reached such an enormous scale that the government had to interfere and put an end to the trade. In 1637, they passed a law prohibiting all business operations with tulips. Bulb prices dropped at the speed of lightning, and the entire tulip market crashed. It took the country a long time to recover after such a large "flower crisis". But, then, business oriented Hollanders figured out a new profitable way to make money: exporting tulips abroad.

Today, Holland grows about three fourths of the world market supply of tulips. The Keukenhof Park, mentioned above, is not the only place to see tulips. During their short blooming period, (no more than 2 weeks in the spring) the entire country turns into a bright "tapestry" full of colors, and also — when looking from above — an amazing geometry of beautiful lines.

Photo by Stas Sedov

14 March, 2025