NRC Handelsblad was first published on 1 October 1970 after a merger of the Amsterdam newspaper Algemeen Handelsblad (founded 1828 by J.W. van den Biesen) and the Rotterdam Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant (founded 1844 by Henricus Nijgh).[4] The paper's motto is Lux et Libertas – Light (referring to the Age of Enlightenment) and Freedom.