De Grootste Nederlander


De Grootste Nederlander was a public poll held in 2004 by the broadcasting company KRO of the Publieke Omroep. The series has the BBC's 100 Greatest Britons TV format. During the series, it included individual programmes on the top ten, with viewers having further opportunities to vote after each programme.
The recently assassinated politician Pim Fortuyn was announced as the winner in a live television broadcast on 15 November 2004, two weeks after Theo van Gogh was murdered. This was controversial, and was said to be an "embarrassing" choice by several journalists and historians. Later it became revealed that William of Orange had received the most votes in total, but only the votes that were tallied before the end of the live programme counted. And thus Fortuyn remained the official number one according to the rules, as announced originally.

Top 10

From 11–50


  1. Aletta Jacobs
  2. Christiaan Huygens
  3. Annie M.G. Schmidt
  4. Queen Juliana of the Netherlands
  5. Johan Rudolf Thorbecke
  6. Majoor Bosshardt,
  7. Anton Philips
  8. Freddy Heineken
  9. Hannie Schaft
  10. Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
  11. Baruch de Spinoza
  12. Toon Hermans
  13. Prince Claus
  14. Johan van Oldenbarnevelt
  15. Marco van Basten
  16. Piet Pieterszoon Hein
  17. Joop den Uyl
  18. Jan Adriaenszoon Leeghwater
  19. Fanny Blankers-Koen
  20. van Kooten en de Bie
  21. Hugo de Groot
  22. Johan de Witt
  23. Anthony Fokker
  24. Multatuli
  25. Prince Bernhard
  26. Wim Kok
  27. M. C. Escher
  28. Marco Borsato
  29. Eric Hazelhoff Roelfzema
  30. DJ Tiësto
  31. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
  32. Titus Brandsma
  33. Cornelis Lely
  34. Hans Teeuwen
  35. Joseph Luns
  36. Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel
  37. Willem Kolff
  38. Godfried Bomans
  39. Hendrik Lorentz
  40. Abel Tasman

From 51–100


  1. Joop van den Ende
  2. André van Duin
  3. Joost van den Vondel
  4. Rinus Michels
  5. Mies Bouwman
  6. Willem Barentsz
  7. Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis
  8. Ruud Lubbers
  9. Jan Tinbergen
  10. Wim Sonneveld
  11. Joke Smit
  12. Frits Bolkestein
  13. Jeroen Bosch
  14. Johnny Kraaykamp, sr
  15. Marga Klompé
  16. Johannes Vermeer
  17. Dick Bruna
  18. Albert Plesman
  19. Joop Zoetemelk
  20. Hella Haasse
  21. Thomas à Kempis
  22. Koning-Stadhouder Willem III of Orange
  23. Kenau Simonsdochter Hasselaer
  24. Johannes Diderik van der Waals
  25. Wubbo Ockels
  26. Anna Maria van Schurman
  27. Herman Boerhaave
  28. Ruud Gullit
  29. Monique van de Ven
  30. Freek de Jonge
  31. Anton Pieck
  32. Boudewijn de Groot
  33. Willem Frederik Hermans
  34. Pieter Jelles Troelstra
  35. Albert Heijn
  36. Paul de Leeuw
  37. Jac. P. Thijsse
  38. Jan Wolkers
  39. Piet Mondriaan
  40. Simon Stevin
  41. Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer
  42. Rutger Hauer
  43. Harry Mulisch
  44. Abraham Kuyper
  45. Maarten Tromp
  46. Wim Kan
  47. Paul Verhoeven
  48. Belle van Zuylen
  49. Ramses Shaffy
  50. Abe Lenstra

From 101–202


  1. Gerard Reve
  2. Anton de Kom
  3. Max Euwe
  4. Ko van Dijk
  5. Gerrit van der Veen
  6. Hendrik Petrus Berlage
  7. Heike Kamerlingh Onnes
  8. Anton Geesink
  9. Bert Haanstra
  10. Claudius Civilis
  11. C.H.D. Buys Ballot
  12. Jan Pieterszoon Coen
  13. Samuel van Houten
  14. Ard Schenk
  15. Nico Tinbergen
  16. King Willem I of the Netherlands
  17. Mary Dresselhuys
  18. Simon Carmiggelt
  19. John de Mol
  20. Gerrit Rietveld
  21. Frank Martinus Arion
  22. Hans van Mierlo
  23. Hadewych
  24. Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck
  25. Geert Groote
  26. Sonja Barend
  27. Joan van der Capellen tot den Pol
  28. Jan van Speijk
  29. Anton Corbijn
  30. Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft
  31. Bernard Haitink
  32. Willem van Loon
  33. Karel Appel
  34. Johan Huizinga
  35. Suze Groeneweg
  36. Graaf Floris V
  37. Koning Lodewijk Napoleon
  38. L.E.J. Brouwer
  39. Tobias Asser
  40. Rem Koolhaas
  41. Jacob Cats
  42. Alexandra Radius
  43. Eva Besnyö
  44. Jan Rutgers
  45. Reinier Paping
  46. Paul Huf
  47. P. J. H. Cuypers
  48. Paul Crutzen
  49. Samuel Sarphati
  50. Frits Fentener van Vlissingen
  51. Joris Ivens
  52. Pieter Brueghel
  53. Frans Hals
  54. Simon Vestdijk
  55. Olivier van Noort
  56. Hendrik Colijn
  57. Willem Beukelszoon
  58. Viktor & Rolf
  59. Cornelis Verolme
  60. Lucebert
  61. Sjoukje Dijkstra
  62. Henri Polak
  63. Loe de Jong
  64. Ed van der Elsken
  65. Hans van Manen
  66. Theo Thijssen
  67. Jan Steen
  68. Anton Dreesmann
  69. Jaap Eden
  70. Willem Marinus Dudok
  71. Johnny Jordaan
  72. Benno Premsela
  73. Louis Davids
  74. Marlene Dumas
  75. Erwin Olaf
  76. Martinus Nijhoff
  77. Cristina Deutekom
  78. Jacob Olie
  79. Willem de Kooning
  80. Remco Campert
  81. Herman Gorter
  82. Faas Wilkes
  83. W.A. Visser ‘t Hooft
  84. Ada Kok
  85. Herman Daendels
  86. Rudi Carrell
  87. Pierre Bokma
  88. Louis Andriessen
  89. Henk Hofland
  90. Jacob van Campen
  91. Pieter Cort van der Linden
  92. Jacob van Ruisdael
  93. Theo van Doesburg
  94. Pieter Saenredam
  95. Ootje Oxenaar
  96. Rineke Dijkstra
  97. Hendrik Doeff
  98. Fons Rademakers
  99. Reinbert de Leeuw
  100. Erik de Vries
  101. Jan Dibbets
  102. Johan van der Keuken