Welcome back, spring! While it’s still only in the calendar, French photographer Normann Szkop gives you this splash of colors in his aerial photos of tulip fields in the Netherlands. Normann took the pictures while flying over the fields of Anna Paulown municipality in a small Cesna plane, piloted by Claython Pender. The perfectly straight and vibrant fields of differently-colored tulips remind us why we all love spring so much.
What looks like such a spectacular view to most of us is actually one of the leading businesses in the Netherlands: according to the statistics, around 80% of the tulip production comes from this country alone. However, these flowers are not as innocent as they look! Interestingly, tulips are considered to be responsible for the first recorded speculative bubble.
By 1636 the tulip bulb became the fourth leading export product of the Netherlands—after gin, herring and cheese. The price of tulips skyrocketed because of speculation in tulip futures among people who never saw the bulbs. At the peak of tulip mania, in February 1637, some single tulip bulbs sold for more than 10 times the annual income of a skilled craftsman!
Luckily, those times are over and there are plenty of these beautiful flowers on every corner. Almost all of them come from the Netherlands, and grow in the fields like the ones below. The season begins in March, so if you’re in Holland, make sure to visit the country side and see the marvelous sights!
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