HRH Princess Margriet will be in New York November 15 for a tulip-planting ceremony in advance of Dutch-American Heritage Day.

HRH Princess Margriet will join New York City officials, schoolchildren, and other Dutch representatives in New York November 15 for a tulip-planting ceremony in advance of Dutch-American Heritage Day.

Joining Princess Margriet are her husband, Professor Pieter van Vollenhoven; Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in New York Dolph Hogewoning; New York City Commissioner for International Affairs Penny Abeywardena; New York City Parks First Deputy Commissioner Liam Kavanagh, and students from PS134.

The tulip planting will take place at 11 a.m. Thursday, November 15, in Corlears Hook Park, 397 FDR Drive, New York City (entrance on Cherry Street).

Members of the press who want to cover the event should contact Vera Kuipers, press officer of the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in New York, at 917-438-8495.

Dutch-American Heritage Day
Dutch-American Heritage Day marks the longstanding history and shared bonds between the Netherlands and the United States.

On November 16, 1776, the Netherlands became the first country to formally recognize the United States of America. On that day, the governor of Sint Eustasius ordered the island’s cannons fired in response to the 13-gun salute from the Andrew Doria as it sailed into the harbor of the Dutch island. Only four months before, the United States declared its independence from Great Britain. This simple act is recorded as the first salute to the American flag by a foreign nation.

The ties between the Netherlands and New York extend further back to 1609 when Henry Hudson sailed the Dutch ship, the Half Moon, into what is now known as New York Harbor. Hudson’s voyage led to the founding of New Netherlands and the trading post New Amsterdam.

In April, the Kingdom of the Netherlands presented New York City with 800 tulip bulbs in honor of Dutch-American Friendship Day. These are the bulbs that will be planted on November 15 in Corlears Hook Park to mark Dutch-American Heritage Day. The park is named after the 17th century Dutch landowners, the Van Corlear family.