Harbouring our harbour

Picture: Shutterstock
Written by: 360.org
Monday, 11 February 2019

1602 - Centuries ago, the Dutch had a keen view on what could make them wealthy; trade. The VOC was the at that time biggest trading company in the world and sailed all the way from The Netherlands to Asia to pick up foreign goods. On the 20th of March in 1602, the VOC got the monopoly for all sea trade with Asia along the Cape of Good Hope and the Straits of Magellan, becoming traders of the world.

Monopoly
Many small Dutch companies were ambitiously trying to get the best products from Asia back to The Netherlands. To put an end to the competition between the companies, the VOC, a Dutch abbreviation for their equivalent to the Dutch East India Company, was created to unite all the small sailors and form a huge company. With the monopoly in their pocket, the VOC had no rivalry. They used this opportunity to the fullest, sending off hundreds of ships to fetch goods in Asia.

Gain
Beside the trade in spices and herbs, the VOC also traded in far less harmless 'goods'. They traded in slaves, which marks a dark page in their long-running history. Dutch poet Joost van den Vondel wrote: 'Wherever profit leads us, to every sea and shore; for love of gain the wide world's harbours we explore.'

360 trivial fact
Unbeknownst to the VOC, they sometimes had unexpected guests on board. Some women disguised themselves as men to escape The Netherlands or to follow their husband overseas.

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