Top 10 Most Iconic Dutch People of All Time

Not just a footballer, but a football philosopher who changed the global game forever with 'Total Football' and his timeless sayings. A national icon at home and abroad.

Unappreciated and penniless during his lifetime, but today one of the most beloved and influential artists humanity has ever known.

Her diary gave the victims of the Holocaust a globally recognizable face and voice. Her words about hope and humanity still inspire generations.

The absolute master of light and dark (chiaroscuro). With The Night Watch and his penetrating self-portraits, he defined the Golden Age of painting.

The 'Father of the Fatherland' who led the Dutch Revolt against Spanish rule and fought for freedom of conscience and religious tolerance.

Improved the microscope and was the first person to discover bacteria, single-celled organisms and sperm cells. The founder of microbiology.

Humanist, theologian and author of In Praise of Folly. He advocated tolerance, education and critical thinking in a time of fierce religious conflict.

Amsterdam philosopher whose radical ideas about God, nature and freedom of expression laid the intellectual foundation for the modern Enlightenment.

The first female doctor in the Netherlands and a passionate campaigner for women's suffrage, birth control and equal opportunities for women.

The greatest naval hero in Dutch history. His strategic victories at sea, such as the legendary Raid on the Medway, saved the young Republic from collapse.