In Memoriam Ron Muyzert

After a happy life, our beloved NHF chairman Ron Muyzert passed away peacefully at home on September 26, 2023, surrounded by family. He served as a diplomat in Latin America and the Middle East, holding the positions of Dutch Ambassador to Cuba and Bolivia. Following his retirement, he dedicated himself to giving lectures on international relations and writing both fiction and non-fiction. The NHF is grateful for his always positive... more

Symposium WIC and Cartography

On Tuesday, June 27th the National Library in Rio de Janeiro has hosted the fourth symposium on the West India Company, with a focus on cartography. Representing the NHF, Oscar Hefting spoke about Dutch map production on the African continent at the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century. Other speakers include: Maria Dulce Faria – The cartographic collection of Dutch Brazil at the National... more

Identification Mission to New York

Oscar Hefting and Jaap Jacobs will visit New York from February, 10th to 18th, 2023 to explore collaborations to commemorate the founding of New York in 1624. One of the eye catchers will be the scale model of New York in 1662, when it was called “New Amsterdam”.

Newsletter NHF September 2022

Over the past two years, the covid crisis strongly impacted the activities of the New Holland Foundation (NHF). However, working from home and physical distance have not caused the New Holland Foundation to slow down its engagement in (new) activities. In 2020 en 2021, the New Holland Foundation has made important new steps in the promotion and research of Dutch heritage overseas.   Read the newsletter here!

Oscar Hefting en Ron Muijzert leiden Amerikaanse ambassadeur rond

Directeur Oscar Hefting en voorzitter Ron Muijzert hebben samen met hoogwaardigheidsbekleders uit Naarden VS-ambassadeur Pete Hoekstra rondgeleid door de vestingstad. Hoekstra stapte tijdens zijn ’Twaalf Provinciëntocht’ door Nederland even af voor een rondleiding door het historische vestingstadje. “Directeur Oscar Hefting van het Vestingmuseum hield een lezing over de forten die onze voorouders in onder meer New York hebben gebouwd. OPCW-ambassadeur Ward veerde verrast op toen hij hoorde dat Staten Island... more

Voorbereidingen Documentaire Nederlandse Forten in Brazilië

Deze maand is de New Holland Foundation benaderd door documentairemaker Ernst Daniel Nijboer. De Nederlandse journalist woont en werkt al lange tijd als correspondent in Rio de Janeiro waar hij onderzoek doet naar Nederlands erfgoed in Brazilië en de historisch-culturele relatie tussen beide landen. In de loop der jaren is de filmmaker geïnspireerd geraakt door de oude Hollandse forten en verdedigingswerken langs de Braziliaanse kust die stammen uit ons verre... more

Nieuwsbrief Februari 2020

Hierbij sturen we u het New Holland News 2020 van de New Holland Foundation (NHF). 2019 heeft de NHF weer gewerkt aan projecten met landen waarmee Nederland een geschiedenis deelt. We gaan ons inzetten om deze banden  verder aan te halen. Hieronder volgt een overzicht van onze activiteiten in 2019 in Zuid-Afrika, Brazilië, de Verenigde Staten en Colombia en een vooruitblik naar het komend jaar. https://mailchi.mp/3640c8761859/nieuwsbrief-nhf-2020?e=883a69f75f

Newsletter November 2018

Our second newsletter for 2018 is out again! In this newsletter you can read everything about the New Holland Foundation and its new projects in Taiwan and Sri Lanka. You can read our newsletter by following this link.

Newsletter February 2018

Our newsletter for 2018 is out again! In this newsletter you can read everything about the New Holland Foundation and its new projects in South Africa and Sri Lanka. You can read our newsletter by following this link.

2016: Dutch Fort in the Approuague (French Guiana)

In 1654 the Dutch were driven out of their former colony New Holland in the northeast of Brazil. They fled to what was called the ‘Wild Coast’ in the northern part of South America between de Orinoco and the Amazon, which was known as Guyana. Despite the French takeover and English sackings, the colony remained alive until 1676. The colony was protected by a fortification. The location was confirmed in... more

The NHF and the Reinwardt Academy

Letter in Dutch: L.S., Met Marjan Otter van de Reinwardt Academie op het fort. We praten met staf van Castle of Good Hope over samenwerking voor onze tentoonstelling in 2018. Ze zijn zeer geïnteresseerd in een reizende tentoonstelling die op beide plekken getoond kan worden. Volgende week gesprek met ambassade in Pretoria over financieringsmogelijkheden. Mooie vooruitzichten en het lijkt ons fantastisch als het allemaal lukt. Hartelijke groet vanuit Kaapstad, Oscar

Newsletter June 2017

Our newsletter for 2017 is out again! In this newsletter you can read everything about the New Holland Foundation, the new projects we are working on and what we accomplished this year. You can read our newsletter by following this link.

The 39th Annual Conference of the New Netherland Institute Program

From Pavonia to the Garden State: New Jersey’s Dutch Past 22 September to 24 September 2016 New Brunswick Theological Seminary New Brunswick, New Jersey The 39th Annual Conference of the New Netherland Institute will take place for the first time in the state of New Jersey. Located between the Hudson and Delaware Rivers, New Jersey has often been neglected in favor of more dramatic developments to the east and west.... more

Newsletter: may 2016

Our newsletter is out again! In this newsletter you can read everything about the New Holland Foundation, the new projects we are working on and what we accomplished this year. You can read our newsletter by following this link.

NNI Annual Conference

“From Pavonia to the Garden State: New Jersey’s Dutch Past,” the 39th Annual Conference of the New Netherland Institute, will take place in the state of New Jersey. Located between the Hudson and Delaware Rivers, New Jersey has often been neglected in favor of more dramatic developments to the east and west. However, as the site of Pavonia, an early patronship with major agricultural potential, and as the geographic connection between... more

2016: Publication Erik Muller – The transportation of passengers to the Dutch East Indies

A publication by NHF researcher Erik Muller about the development of the transportation of passengers to the Dutch East Indies in the first half of the nineteenth century. In the decades after the abolishment of the Dutch East Indian Company, the shipping links between the Netherlands and its colonies in the East deteriorated. The Netherlands obtained the Dutch East Indies colony by force in 1811 but was occupied by the... more

2016: Oscar Hefting – 12 day Brazil trip – Cultoura 165

12 day travel tour program in Brazil led by Oscar Hefting – PDF With this special tour you follow in the footsteps of Johan Maurits and you can enjoy how the ‘Tempo dos Flamengos’ was incorporated in the Brazilian multicultural society. However, the trip would not be complete if we did not visit Rio de Janeiro, the host of the 2016 Olympic Games. There is also an option to visit the... more

2016: Oscar Hefting – Op zoek naar Maurits ‘de Braziliaan’ – Cultoura 165

Article written in Dutch  by Oscar hefting – Looking for Maurits ‘the Brazilian’ in the journal Cultoura. See PDF Little Dutch people know that, Johan Maurits, the former governor of Dutch Brazil (1630-1654), is regarded as a hero in Brazil. There is even a statue of him in Recife Praça da Republica. Children are given the name “João Maurício ‘and’ Nassau is used a lot for names of Brazilian schools, streets and businesses.... more

2015: José Manuel Santos Pérez – Dutch Colonial fortifications in Brazil (1600-1654)

José Manuel Santos Pérez researched the Spanish archives for the NHF to contribute to Atlas of Dutch Brazil. The results of his investigation can be found in his report ‘Dutch Colonial fortifications in Brazil (1600-1654), preliminary inventory. Historical research in Spain. Contributions to the Atlas of Dutch Brazil.’ You can find the PDF of this report here.

Newsletter December 2015

Our newsletter is out again! In this newsletter you can read everything about the New Holland Foundation, the new projects we are working on and what we accomplished this year. You can read our newsletter by following this link. 

2015: Jaap Jacobs, Atlas of Dutch North America

Dutch Colonial Fortications in North America 1614 – 1676 Historical research in the Netherlands and the United States of America Contribution to the Atlas of Dutch North America 1 PDF Dutch Colonial Fortifications in North America Or order your hardcopy here: Dutch Colonial Fortifications in North America

2015: Atlas of Dutch Southern Africa. Call for partners

In line with the Atlas of Dutch Brazil and the Atlas of Dutch North America, the New Holland Foundation wants to start working on the Atlas of Dutch Southern Africa. In this case ‘Southern Africa’ means the region of the Republics of South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Mauritius and Saint-Helena. Objective is to make an inventory of fortifications and defence works of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) built in the 17th and 18th Century.... more

2015: Speech by Ms. Elizabeth-Sophie Mazzela di Bosco Balsa

Your highness prince Maurits van Orange-Nassau, Distinguish director of the Rijksmuseum, mr. Wim Pijbes, Distinguish director of the New Holland Foundation, mr. Oscar hefting, Excellency’s, Ladies and gentlemen, It is an honour and a joy for me to return to this prestigious institution that houses some of the most precious treasures of the Dutch golden age, among which works of the artists who accompanied Prince Johan Maurits van Nassau to... more

Massa Pequa Indian Fort New York

2014: NHF discovers Dutch Fort on Long Island! (in Dutch)

Archeologen ontdekken Nederlands fort op Long Island. Op 18 september 2014 stuitten de archeologen Oscar Hefting en Hans van Westing van de New Holland Foundation op de resten van het vergeten Fort Massapeag bij Massapequa Park op Long Island, NY. De Amerikaanse archeoloog Ralph Solecki, thans 97 jaar, had hier in de 30-er jaren, en daarna in de 90-er jaren, gegraven en een vierkante structuur, bestaande uit een wal met daaromheen... more

Oscar Hefting in Fort Orange

2014: Kaal, K. (in Dutch)

Koloniale erfenis, met weemoed terugdenken aan Hollandse tijd,  in ‘Ons Brazilië’, speciale editie van Elsevier, 2014, p 64-69 (PDF)

Elsevier Ons Brazilie speciale editie 2014

2014: Stiphout, R.

Johan Maurits bracht leiderschap, verdraagzaamheid en rust, in Ons Brazilië, Speciale editie Elsevier, p 55. (PDF 0.04MB)

2008: Memorandum of Understanding

Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of The Netherlands and the Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil on cooperation in the field of Common Cultural Heritage, signed in The Hague on 11th April 2008. (PDF 0.3MB)

2012: Leeuwen, W. van

Zoeken naar Hollandse herinneringen in de bodem van de V.S., Flying Dutchman 3, 56-57. (PDF 0.6MB)

2008: Brazil trip

16 – Daagse rondreis van 7 t/m 22 november 2008 o.l.v. Drs. Oscar Hefting, Cultoura 139, mei 2008. (PDF 0.2MB)

2006: Hefting, O.F.

Un típico fuerte holandés en Nueva Holanda. La investigación histórico-arqueológica del Fuerte Orange en Brasil, in J.M. Santos Pérez/G.F. Cabral de Souza (eds.), El desafío holandés al dominio ibérico en Brasil en el siglo XVII, Salamanca, 255-271. PDF

2005: Hefting, O.F.

Towards restoration of Fort Orange. Research of Fort Orange in Brasil, in L.G.W. Verhoef/R. van Oers (eds.), Dutch Involvement in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage Overseas, Delft, 157-170. (PDF, 0.3MB)

2002: Hefting, O.F.

Fort Oranje boven. Inventarisatie van historische en archeologische informatie met betrekking tot Fort Oranje, in ‘Hollantsch Brasil’, in Bulletin Koninklijke Nederlandse Oudheidkundige Bond 5, 133-141. PDF.

2006: Westing, H. van

Artefactos del período de ocupación holandesa del Fuerte Orange (Brasil), in J.M. Santos Pérez/G.F. Cabral de Souza (eds.), El desafío holandés al dominio ibérico en Brasil en el siglo XVII, Salamanca, 273-283. (PDF, 1.5MB)

2014: New Netherland seminar. Discussion on the location of Fort Nassau

Among historians and academics, the precise location where Fort Nassau, the earliest precursor of Albany, was built in 1614 has never been settled and the long-running debate about the site of the crude Dutch trading post will take center stage at the 37th edition of the New Netherland seminar Saturday at the State Museum. The title of this year’s daylong seminar is “1614” in honor of the quadricentennial of the fort’s construction.... more

2014: Newsletter New Holland Foundation, December

Newsletter New Holland Foundation, December 2014   Dear sponsor, friend or interested person, On Thursday the 27th of November 2014 the foundation had her very first fund-raising event in the recently beautifully-restored Museum Mauritshuis in The Hague. It was a great success. The evening kicked off with a presentation on the New Holland Foundation by director Oscar Hefting, outlining the objectives and what the foundation stands for. This was followed... more

2012: Hulsman, L.A.H.C.

Nederlandse groepsmigratie naar Brazilie (1822-1992). Contributions to the Atlas of Dutch Brazil, Volume 10. Amsterdam. (PDF)

2012: Hefting, O.F.

Atlas Nederlandse historische vestingwerken in Brazilië in de maak, in Saillant 2, 54-55. PDF

2010: Doce Brasil Holandês – Sweet Dutch Brazil’

The director follows the quest of two historians, Brazilian Kalina Vanderlei and German Sabrina van der Ley, investigating this “Nassovian Nostalgia ‘. Connected by the same surname they are searching the city history for this surname. Director: Monica Schmiedt / Brazil / 2010/52 min / Portuguese and English (English subtitles) (The trailer)

2010: Hefting, O.F.

High versus Low: Portuguese and Dutch Fortification Traditions meet in Colonial Brazil (1500-1654), in E. Klingelhofer (Ed.), First Forts. Essays on the Archaeology of Proto-Colonial Fortifications, Leiden/Boston, 189-208. PDF

2007: Nederlands Vestingmuseum

‘Sweet ‘n Salty’, of hoe de Nederlanders op de kusten van Brazilie kwamen …, Persbericht, Nederlands Vestingmuseum, 1-9-2007. (PDF 0.02MB)

2007: Schouten, P.

In het voetspoor van Maurits van Nassau. Nederlandse bouwwerken in Brazilië, Sem fronteiras 7, Amsterdam, 24-26. (PDF 0.7MB)

2006: Ruigrok, I.

Op zoek naar het erfgoed van de ‘Hollandse Braziliaan’, in SICA mag 31, 16-17. (PDF 0.7MB)

2006: Kaal, K.

Hollandse forten aan de Amazone, in Historisch Nieuwsblad 10, 17. (PDF 0.2MB)