Why this country doesn't use curtains

so there's one thing that people often notice when they visit the Netherlands and that is curtains or in fact lack off so in this video we're going to talk about and discover why Dutch people generally don't close their curtains or don't have them so not during the day not at night there have been dozens of explanations for that such as Calvinism showing off German occupation during the World War and to let the sun in and here we're going to finally figure out which one is really true or at least what it started with the Netherlands is a country known for its pictures Landscapes till it feels an intricate Canon systems and for another intriguing aspect which is good in three homes so for physicists and Outsiders it may seem peculiar that many Dutch households choose not Adorn the windows with curtains blinds or other traditional window coverings for other cultures from here it's pretty normal this cultural phenomenon has actually sparked curiosity and debate so here you will discover why mini dachies prefer curtain Free Living basically so drive cycle will walk through any Dutch Street there is a studio or Village and you'll see that they have several things in common which is symmetry in the windows and the curtains are almost always open or not even there seems to be one of the first things that visitors from outside the Neland city which is understandable if this is not standard practice where you're from but I do need to tell you something before we continue and dive deeper please know that standing in front of one's house our windows and staring inside their home is still creepy here you can just walk past the house and have a quick look or have a look inside but it's still creepy to stand there staring inside someone's house for a while that's just yeah psycho Behavior it is said that there are several reasons as to why we don't generally use curtains and I will discuss them one by one and by the end you'll know the truth about their open curtains in the Netherlands here is reason number one that people often say the second world war so during a second world war the Netherlands which occupied the Germany from roughly the 10th of May 1940 until the 11th of June 1945 when the last German troops were arrested by Canadian troops on the island of srimony golf during the occupation there were tons of restrictions on light the German occupiers created dozens of black out rules the reason for that was to prevent the island forces so that the Obama airplanes couldn't reach Germany or could drop materials which was mostly done in the middle of the night as German entered aircraft guns had trouble taking Allied bombers out then the restrictions meant that citizens who were forced to let no light escape from their house which was checked by a special air Protection Service could be done by thick curtains black paint or paper if they saw just a tiny little bit of light coming from the house it would be fine besides your house street lights weren't lit anymore cars and bikes could only have a small light which obviously results in many accidents fun fact there are still several houses in Amsterdam where they have painted huge numbers on the walls so this made it easier to find their homes in the dark after the Netherlands was liberated Dutch people could open their curtains again and choose their own window decorations again but this is not the reason why our cartoons are often open though it wouldn't surprise me if especially the elderly generation has some memories of that I might think that I might do it because of that but it's not the general reason as to why it started so reason number two Calvinism an important part of the tradition of Calvinism is being an honor civilian that doesn't have anything to hide closure occurredness means you have something to hide when you let people have a quick look in your home you will show them that you're an open person that has nothing to hide and it doesn't do any Shady business though it sounds like a logical explanation it's also not the reason why we do this either even though it's often named as a main reason reason number three the lack of daylight and sun and love for natural light the Netherlands is a country that especially during autumn and winter months severely lacks light so the country is dry 92 percent of the time clouds are definitely a recurring event many people think it rains a lot in the Netherlands but it is said there's some form of rain 192 days a year now I know this sounds like a lot but there are days that have at least like 0.3 millimeters of rain and it very rarely rains the entire day in the Netherlands so if you're visiting the Netherlands and the weather forecast says it's going to rain which on the side that is just a little bit somewhere on a day well we are known for the gloomy weather especially in autism and winter when the sun is there we tend to make the most of it so why not keep the curtains open so we can finally let in the Rays of sunshine that we longed for unfortunately this is also not the main reason as to why it started but a lot of Dutch people do really love natural light me included so it's definitely a small Aviation especially today because we don't really think about the main reason why it was introduced so nowadays it's a lot because of light but yeah not the main reason as to why having open curtains is so ingrained in Dutch culture reason number four minimalism and simplicity it is often said that Dutch people have an affinity for minimalism and simplicity both in the design Aesthetics and daily lives the absence of curtains aligns with its desire for clean lines and clothing spaces and a sense of openness so without curtains rooms appear more spacious and the focus is shifted to creating a visually pleasing environment at least that is what people are saying in reality it doesn't have much to do with the crypts being open at all don't leave everything you read reason number five or a connection with the outdoors so Nellis isn't exactly known for its beautiful nature but we do have a lot of stunning nature though so please visit the Nature Reserve when you visit but it is said we love to connect with nature no matter what the weather which is partly true so we like to go out Ryan or out blowing at the beach when it storms to get some fresh air for our brains yeah it's a thing special word for it people say that by emitting curtains a statues creating an unobstructed view of the outside world allowing us to remain connected with our surroundings even when indoors whether it's enjoying the sight of blooming flowers watching people pass by or taking beauty of canals that homes embrace the idea of bringing the outside in it sounds all nice and stuff and I do love watching the outdoors from the window a bit too much sometimes but it's definitely not the reason as to why our curtains are open reason number six said to be Energy Efficiency so people say that we priorities Energy Efficiency in our homes with our courage is being open and not even being there by allowing the natural light to eliminate the Interiors we're reducing it for artificial lighting during the day resulting in lower energy consumption it is said that this eco-conscious approach aligns with such commitment to a Greener lifestyle but honestly no I don't know who thought of this but no I guess we like things to be efficient as it costs less money and it's more agreeing but most people won't think about it reason 7 showing off so in Dutch we have a saying or basically act normal and you're already acting crazy enough that also means that we do not tend to show off much witch fancy stuff instead we're very proud women got an absolute steal you might want to complement a Dutch person on this shirt and they would say thanks I got it for only six years at h m and the not showing off part of Dutch society means that we need to find some other ways to show off so historians actually say that one of the main reasons for Dutch people to have their curves open is to show off and that isn't something that people nowadays do because they're like I want people to see this and this no the thing is that nowadays it's so ingrained in our brains to have her curtains open that showing off reason is not generally there anymore but it was the reason as to why it started so as the standard of living constantly increased in the centuries the materials and Interiors of people's houses also turn to be a bit more like serious in opulent so centuries ago people used to open their curtains to show off their house that was filtered with the most most beautiful Furniture art and decorations sometimes even so that Merchants could show that they would trustworthy or just filthy rich which obviously meant that they did good business so in the 16th century curtains were a state assemble and way too valuable to hang in front of a window so fabrication like velvet and brocade had to be important from Italy or the Middle East for instance external was used to impress at that time curtains were often hanging around Showbiz that were found in the guest areas because you know you need to show up for the guests and in the 17th century curtains were a showpiece in a house it easily showed which cloth inhabitants belong to so at the time the curtains were also found in front of Windows as not all windows often but mostly the windows in the front part of the house on the ground floor as well as all over the interior so you could see curtains on the walls along doors along the bed and much more so the Dutch economy did very well for the wealthy people and so the disaster year of 1672 so this meant that both the nobility enriched civilians could afford rare and expensive Fabrics like Silk and they wanted to show that so that is the reason as to why wealthy Dutch people started to hang curtains along the windows in the most beautiful rooms according to historian they have bison Bagels ice so these curtains weren't meant to be closed the two showcase the interior cultural Anthropologist Uranus cirat who is connected to the University of delft also has almost the same explanation and she describes the trends of gardens in Nellis throughout the centuries she said that the reasoning is the fact that glass windows became standard the look of Candlelight against the glass didn't give a cozy feel at night which is why curtains were placed around the windows so these curtains were in the same as the ones you would see in bedrooms they were simple and straight and that was until the end of the 17th and 18th century that is when the curtains at the window side got more creative they were elegant curtains with drapery and plumes and in the second half of the 18th century and the beginning of 19th century excavations in Pompeii and herculinum influenced the curtain fish so it was now often made from light Fabrics like Silk satin or cotton and then we've reached the 19th century the Netherlands went wild with curtains the Industrial Revolution created an abundance of textile large houses had curtains everywhere and even several layers of curtains this was a beautiful sight especially at night and it's a trend that continued until the middle of the 20th century then textile became less important at the end of the 1940s the interior had to be light and Airy and windows had to be completely free and we got something called fitrage and in front of windows but one thing was never changed in that and that was that they were left open in 1980s curtains with pleats were seen as old-fashioned and the real cool guys of the time had no curtains we've got plastic slats but in the 1990s the curtain made its return and has stayed ever since it opened up of course so everyone can admire your house for a quick second but yeah like I said showing off is the reasoning as to why it all started it's not a reason why most Dutch people do it nowadays but because it's so ingrained into our brains it's the reason

Channel: Visiting The Dutch Countryside

Views: 2,053

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Id: qr7Q3NYq9io

Length: 11min 54sec (714 seconds)

Published: Tue Sep 26 2023