Nederlandsche

Nederlandsche is a historical Dutch spelling of the adjective relating to the Netherlands or to the Dutch. It is not the standard form in contemporary Dutch, but it appears in older texts and in the proper names of some institutions and companies.

The form arose from an older orthography in which the suffix -sche was commonly used to form adjectives from place names. Over time, spelling reforms and standardization gradually shifted or simplified such forms. As a result, Nederlandsche appears mainly in historical contexts or in established names rather than in everyday modern Dutch.

Notable examples of the historic spelling include the institution De Nederlandsche Bank and the trading company Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappij. These names have become part of Dutch history and branding, and their use of the older form is preserved in order to reflect tradition and continuity.

In current Dutch, the usual adjective is Nederlandse when describing something from the Netherlands, and Nederlands is used as the demonym or for the language (Nederlands). However, some organizations and place names retain the older Nederlandsche spelling for historical reasons or branding. Overall, Nederlandsche is best understood as an archaic variant that remains visible primarily in legacy names and historical texts.