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1990
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Madeleine Van Strien-Chardonneau, « La Hollande vue par les voyageurs français (1750-1795) », Dix-Huitième Siècle, ID : 10.3406/dhs.1990.1760
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Madeleine Van Strien-Chardonneau : Holland seen by French travellers (1750-1795). 18th-century French visitors to the United Provinces were struck by the intense urbanisation, particularly in the province of Holland. All the descriptions of towns include information on the walls, gates, overall view when seen from a height, and number of inhabitants. As characteristics of Dutch towns, the travellers noted the many canals with shady banks, the streets full of sledges, the convenient pavements and the simple, brightly-painted houses. The numerous attractive towns were seen to be evidence of the wealth of the country as a whole, which was borne out by the surprisingly clean and pretty villages. Dutch towns were to some extent idealized, and perceived in terms of long-standing clichés ; but the travellers' remarks also reflect contemporary views on town planning, for Dutch towns provided examples of planning and a quality of life rarely found in French cities.