New Amsterdam Village officially opened to the public Friday in Bowling Green Park.

The interactive exhibit, which celebrates New York's founding Dutch heritage, features 12 traditional Dutch houses, a windmill and a contemporary Dutch greenhouse.

It also features demonstrations of wooden shoe making and glassblowing, tastings of gouda cheese, pancakes and herring and a traditional costume show.

"We have a street organ, there will a variety be plenty of Dutch people around, so it's going to be a really great time," said Hanneke Verhelst, the mistress of ceremonies.

The village is part of a 10-day festival called New York 400, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the Dutch founding of the city in 1609.

"I work nearby and I happened to see the windmill. Somebody in the office was talking about it, so I thought I'd come over," said a visitor.

The Dutch government spent $10 million dollars to promote their history and culture and influence on what eventually became known as New York.

"We have such a long history which we share with the United States and New York," said Renee Jones-Bos, the Netherlands ambassador to the U.S. "What we hope people take away from it is the Dutch spirit of entrepreneurship, pioneering, innovation, creativity."

Besides looking at the past, the festival also centers around the Netherlands' commitment to energy conservation.

"It is possible with the newest technology that we have in he Netherlands to grow food in an energy-saving way," said Verhelst.

Special events are being held at the village daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is free and visitors can rent free bikes to get to the events.

New York 400 runs through September 14. For more information on the festival, go to NY400.org.