Press information -­‐ April 2015 [Contact: [email protected]] First Tulp Festival Amsterdam A tulip for every citizen of Amsterdam Amsterdam is traditionally connected to the legendary tulip. However, the bulb seems to have vanished from the streets. Therefore, the Tulp Festival wants to bring back the tulip in the city streets with the aim to eventually plant one tulip for each individual citizen of Amsterdam. This amounts to more than 800.000 tulips, a dream that simply has to come true. For the first edition of Tulp Festival Amsterdam (www.tulpfestival.com), during the month of April, last Autumn already an impressive number of 423.207 tulip bulbs were planted on several spots throughout the city. This amount will be increased by 116.074 tulips planted in pots. In April, or as long as the tulips are in bloom, one can follow a route along lanes and squares, bridges and canals, finding tulips in open ground but also in pots, all over the city of Amsterdam. A number of interesting public locations in the city were selected for this Tulp Festival, as well as inner gardens belonging to remarkable buildings and specific area’s in Amsterdam South, Centre and North. The municipality of Amsterdam has generously supplied hundreds of thousands of tulips in public areas. Moreover, institutions, museums and hotels have adorned their gardens with tulips. The public locations are, of course, freely accessible; the museums charge their regular fees. Allow the sheer explosion of colours and the endless variety to inspire you. Free guide A free guide (in both Dutch and English), including all venues, allows the visitor to choose his own route. This guide also describes all the names of the tulips on display. The guide contains a city map, showing all tulip locations. The booklet will be available at participating venues. Check the website for more information: www.tulpfestival.com. Participants / locations Amstel Hotel, Amsterdam RAI, Amsterdam Tulip Museum, Artis, Bijbels Museum, Canal House, Conservatorium hotel, Filmmuseum EYE, Hermitage, Hilton Hotel Apollolaan, Hortus Botanicus , Marineterrein, Museum Het Grachtenhuis, Museum het Rembrandthuis, Museum Van Loon, Museum Willet-­‐Holthuysen, NEMO, Oude Kerk, Rijksmuseum, Scheepvaartmuseum, Stadsdeel Centrum, Stadsdeel Noord, Stadsdeel Zuid, Tassenmuseum Hendrikje, Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam, Wyndham Apollo hotel, Zuidas. Tulip Mania The story of Amsterdam and the tulip is a turbulent one. From its native soil in the palace gardens of Constantinople, the tulip started conquering the world in the 16th century. The Hortus Botanicus in Leiden had also managed to lay hands on the seemingly insignificant bulb. First it was regarded as something edible, but soon its real value was discovered. Around 1620 a true tulip mania started. This little gem planted in country retreats of rich regents was used to show off the owner’s fortune and good taste. In 1636, however, the Dutch spirit of commerce took the wheel and soon trade went over the top. Traders invested in bulbs they never beheld, and sold them before the bulbs had even seen daylight. A new owner could only guess the value of his goods. Another contribution to his wealth was the phenomenon of ‘breaking’ certain flowers. A plain flower could one year be flamed or feathered the next. Nobody knew what caused it, but the effect was sensational. Besides adding to the bulb’s appearance, it offered great opportunities for speculation. Growers prided themselves on having discovered the secret: they sprinkled the bulbs with pigeon droppings and experimented with pigments in the soil, which sometimes resulted in something beautiful. At the start of the year 1637 the tulip ‘bubble’, mockingly called tulipomania by later generations, reached its summit: tulip bulbs were sold at astronomical amounts, and the shrewd merchant was king. This situation was not meant to last. As early as February 1637, the curtain fell. One moment, three bulbs were sold at the price of one canal house each and the next the market collapsed. The sudden bankruptcy of many is ridiculed in countless cartoons. Not until the 20th century the secret behind the ‘breaking’ of the tulips was discovered: it was caused by a virus transmitted by plant lice, however, by then the tulipomania belonged to a distant past. Tulp Festival aspires a new tulip mania, however, without the disastrous effects of yore. The tulip and Amsterdam Amsterdam is historically associated with the legendary tulip. Originally from the palace gardens of Constantinople, the Dutch merchant discovered the bulb at the beginning of the 17th century. This resulted in a stormy tulip mania: bulbs were sold before they even saw daylight so the new owner could only guess the worth of his asset. A phenomenon that contributed to the tulip’s success was the unpredictable process of ‘breaking’ colours. It took until the twentieth century before it was discovered the ‘breaking’ was caused by a virus. For a short while, the new rage was very lucrative, however, it soon got out of hand: in 1637 three bulbs were sold at the price of an Amsterdam canal house. The government took action and in no time the market collapsed completely. Numerous merchants went bankrupt, the tulip mania is ridiculed in cartoons, but, the tulip itself survived and will always be associated with Amsterdam.