After the chartering of Amsterdam in 1923, Rotary soon spread steadily throughout the Netherlands. By January 1928, Rotary Holland, the local Rotary journal, recorded 7 clubs with 3 more in preparation. The clubs were at Amsterdam, Gouda, Den Haag, Haarlem, Leiden, Rotterdam and Utrecht. Apeldoorn, Leeuwarden and Hilversum were being organised at the time, All 10 clubs were to be districted as D 59 which later became 159 and later still 1590.

On June 19 1928, Paul Harris, then on tour in Britain, set out for a visit to Continental Europe, starting in Paris and continuing to Cologne in Germany.. Crossing the border into the Netherlands, he went on to The Hague (Den Haag) and to Amsterdam, speaking at both clubs, the latter on June 30.. While there he stayed with Anton Verkade who he had first met in the U.S.A. He also spent time with de Cock Buning (see separate entry) in The Hague. Harris then left for Germany, returning to England from Hamburg on July 4.

In 1932, Paul Harris again visited the Netherlands, this time for 2 weeks part of which he spent attending a legal conference in The Hague from August 1 to 6.

The first 10 clubs in the Netherlands were

Amsterdam, Inaugural 1921/2 Charter 10 March 1923
Utrecht, Charter 1923
Rotterdam, Charter 5 January 1925
Den Haag, *** Charter 1925
Haarlem, Charter 1926
Leiden, Charter 1926
Gouda, Charter 13 July 1927
Apeldoorn, Charter 22 September 1928
Hilversum, Inaugural 31 May 1928 Charter 17 November 1928
Leeuwarden.Inaugural 11 February 1928 Charter April 1928

Groningen followed soon afterwards.

Djocjakarta was listed with the above in 1928.

*** This club is now known by its Dutch name of s’Gravenhage

The above compiled from Rotary Holland, requires more detailed dates.