The Randstad is a strange metropolis: a loose organization of urban agglomerations with no clearly dominant center. Much has been written about the Randstad, but mainly by planners and economists, hardly any by historians. The recent discussions about the governability of the Netherlands and the special place of the Randstad show how much historical insight is lacking. With their contributions, the authors (historians, demographers, urban planners, economists) of this theme issue of Holland provide a forum for the necessary debate.