Netherlands return to old colonial base after 360 years

Netherlands return to old colonial base after 360 years
FORTALEZA, Brazil, June 28, 2014, (Reuters)

The Dutch are coming back to the Brazilian city of Fortaleza this weekend, 360 years after they abandoned it at the end of a daring but short-lived attempt to colonise the Atlantic coast of South America.

Thousands of Dutch soccer fans are expected in the city for their side's World Cup second round clash against Mexico on Sunday.

Two Dutch beachfront bars, “Satehut” and “O Holandes Voador” (The Flying Dutchman), are already doing brisk business.
Like many cities in northeast Brazil, Fortaleza has a Dutch heritage. Fortaleza means “fortress” in Portuguese and the city owes its name to Fort Schoonenburgh, built by the Dutch in 1649 during their 30-year occupation of this part of Brazil.

That occupation began in spectacular fashion in 1624 when a Dutch fleet seized the city of Salvador from the Spanish.

“It was hailed at the time as the greatest victory over Spain of the Dutch Golden Age,” said Michiel van Groesen, a lecturer in early modern history at Amsterdam University and editor of “The Legacy of Dutch Brazil”, a book about the period.

More:
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/416587/netherlands-return-old-colonial-base.html

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