he Company that united Europe, Asia and later America. The founder of economy. The foundation for many sailors' stories and ship replicas in New York, Lelystad and Amsterdam.

The United Dutch East Asia Company was established in 1602 with the aim of sending ships to Asia to buy pepper and spices. The VOC developed into a multinational with branches in a dozen Asian countries. Halfway through the 18th century the company employed 25,000 people, about 300 of whom worked in Holland. The company built its own ships, some 1,500 , which in total made some 5,000 journeys to Asia, where a network of trading posts was founded, from the Persian Gulf to the China Sea. It's impossible to imagine life today without the spices imported from Asia.