The Hague or 's-Gravenhage is the capital of the Dutch province of
South Holland. The city is located (via Scheveningen) on the North Sea.
The Dutch government is also located here and is the residence of the
Head of State, the King. Scheveningen, officially a city district of The
Hague, is described in a separate article.
The Hague fulfills
many functions that are normally fulfilled by the capital of a country.
It is the seat of government and the residence of the head of state and
the prime minister. There are also many embassies and international
judicial bodies such as the International Criminal Tribunal for the
former Yugoslavia. It is also the capital of the province of South
Holland. With all the ministries, the provincial government and of
course the municipality, the government is a major employer. Head
offices of large companies can also be found in the city, as well as
international institutions in the field of law. All these institutions
generate a strong demand for office space and it is therefore not
surprising that these offices have come to dominate the skyline in
recent years. A large part of this high-rise is located around Central
Station, between the center and the Utrechtse Baan (A12).
The
Hague is sandwiched between its neighbours: Wassenaar in the north,
Leidschendam-Voorburg in the northeast, Rijswijk in the southeast, the
municipality of Westland in the south and finally the North Sea in the
northwest. The fact that the city is wedged in is apparent from the fact
that if you cross a junction or bridge, or go under a railway viaduct,
you suddenly find yourself in one of the neighboring towns of Rijswijk,
Voorburg or Wateringen.
The city can no longer grow. There are no
more open areas for new construction and many existing homes no longer
meet the wishes of the city's residents, with the result that many
residents have moved to other places in the area, such as Zoetermeer.
Many people from the region also work in the city. This commuter traffic
puts a lot of pressure on the access roads and it is therefore wise to
avoid the morning rush hour in the direction of the city.
A lot
of high-rise buildings have risen around The Hague Central and
especially between that station and the center, which have started to
form a new skyline. Less popular homes outside the center are being
renovated or demolished and replaced by new buildings as part of urban
renewal. This has been going on for several decades. The three Vinex
locations added to the city are also starting to take shape.
The
center and Scheveningen are mainly important for tourism, but Loosduinen
with the less busy seaside resort of Kijkduin are also attractions,
especially for the local population. Restaurants and other catering
establishments are scattered throughout The Hague, especially in
shopping centres. Real concentrations of souvenir shops and restaurants
can be found especially along the boulevards of Scheveningen and
Kijkduin and in the center. The Hague is divided into city districts,
which in turn are divided into districts. These are the eight boroughs:
Center (Old Center, Archipelago, Kortenbos, Rivierenbuurt,
Schilderswijk, Stationsbuurt and Zeeheldenkwartier)
Originally The
Hague, around the Binnenhof is the oldest building, within the canal
belt. Prince Maurits decided that The Hague should have a ring of canals
to defend the city. There are still some of these canals left, but a
street name such as Gedempte Gracht is also a reminder of that time. The
Stadsdeel Centrum not only comprises the most central part of The Hague.
Scheveningen
Originated as a fishing village, now internationally
known as a seaside resort. The many attractions such as Sealive, Kurhaus
and the Pier are described in a separate article. The Municipality of
The Hague defines the Scheveningen Urban District much more broadly than
the historic Scheveningen (ie the fishing village, the harbor and the
seaside resort). The neighborhoods ofBelgian Park, Statenkwartier (with
various museums) and the green areas in between (with Madurodam) are
described below.
Hague Wood
North of downtown.
Leidschenveen-Ypenburg
Two Vinex locations together form a city
district, which has been created since the late 1990s.
Laak
quarter
Nineteenth century neighborhood, which was built according to
a design by Berlage.
Escamp
Extension to the south, the part
closest to the center up to and including the Zuiderpark was designed by
Berlage. This is followed by a post-war section and in the southwest the
Vinex location, Wateringse Veld.
Loosduinen
Originally a
horticultural village. With Kijkduin as a small-scale seaside resort.
Segbroek
Largely residential area, against the dunes, which makes
it possible to walk and cycle in the Westduinpark.
As was briefly
indicated, the Centrum district also consists of a number of districts
such as:
Archipel, also known as the Indische Buurt with its stately
homes in which retired East Indies settlers settled at the end of the
nineteenth century, and embassies and other offices after the Second
World War. In the middle is the Hague city office; on the edge of the
Peace Palace.
Kortenbos, one of the few places where old The Hague
has been preserved to some extent; walk into a courtyard or stroll
through a narrow side street.
The Old Center is of course a must for
every Dutch tourist, with its parliament and government buildings around
the Binnenhof and Buitenhof, but also the king's working palace at the
Noordeinde and the main embassies. Don't miss the Mauritshuis and the
Haags Historisch Museum and preferably don't miss the Museum
Meermanno-Wetranum, the National Archives and the Koninklijke
Bibliotheek (the latter two just behind Central Station).
River
Neighborhood.
Schilderswijk: formerly a poorly built working-class
district, but largely rebuilt and radically renovated and now one of the
most multicultural districts in The Hague.
Stationsbuurt with its
alternation of old cluttered buildings and new construction of
ministries - and of course the stations The Hague Central and Hollands
Spoor.
Zeeheldenkwartier.
For The Hague Historical Museum up to and including Prison Gate
parking applies in the Plein parking garage. The Hague Central Station
is a 10-15 minute walk away, Tram 1, 16, 17 stop nearby.
The
Hague Historical Museum, Korte Vijverberg 7, ☎ +31 70 3646940, e-mail:
Info@haagshisorischmuseum.nl. Tue-Fri 10:00am–5:00pm, Sat Sun and public
holidays 12:00pm–5:00pm. Dec 31 12:00-4:00 PM. Closed: Prinsjesdag,
Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The history of The Hague from the
Middle Ages and highlights from Dutch history. Adult €4.00, under 18
free.
Mauritshuis (Royal Cabinet of paintings), Korte Vijverberg 8, ☎
+31 70 3023435, e-mail: communicatie@mauritshuis.nl. Open: Tues-Sat
10am-5pm, Sundays and public holidays 11am-5pm, April to September also
open on Mondays. Built as the Palace of Johan Maurits van Nassau,
completed in 1644. Impressive collection of Old Dutch Masters, including
works by Rembrandt (Anatomy Lesson by Professor Tulp) and Vermeer (Girl
with a Pearl Earring) and Frans Hals. €14.00, under 18 free.
Museum
Bredius, Lange Vijverberg 14, ☎ +31 70 362 07 29, e-mail:
info@museumbredius.nl. Open Tue-Sun 12pm-5pm. Closed Mon, Christmas Day
and New Year's Day. Collection of 17th and 18th century art including
Rembrandt Albert Cuyp and Jan Steen. €4.50.
The Binnenhof and the
Knight's Hall, Binnenhof, ☎ +31 70 3646144. The Hague originated around
this place after 1500 as the castle of the Count of Holland. The
location itself has grown into the political center of the Netherlands,
with the Senate and the House of Representatives. Guided tours upon
reservation. The Binnenhof will be closed to all through traffic for a
longer period of time due to major renovations. The buildings that are
usually visited with the guided tours are also not accessible. The tours
are therefore conducted at the temporary addresses of both Chambers.
Temporary address first room.
Temporary address second room.
Hofvijver, on the outside of the Binnenhof (between Buitenhof, Lange
Vijverberg, Korte Vijverberg and Binnenhof). There are a fountain and
island in the Hofvijver. From the Lange Vijverberg there is a beautiful
view of the back of the Mauritshuis, Het Torentje, known for the Council
of Ministers and the other buildings of the Binnenhof. Here is a Fair
around Prinsjesdag along the Hofvijver and the Korte Voorhout. In winter
there is an ice skating rink behind the Mauritshuis. Along the Lange
Vijverberg is a statue of "Haagse Jantje", pointing with his hand to the
courtyard, from the children's song "In The Hague, there lives a
count...".
With a common entrance:
Prince Willem V Painting Room,
Buitenhof 35. Oldest public art gallery in the Netherlands.
Museum De
Gevangenpoort, Buitenhof 33, ☎ +31 70 3460861, e-mail:
info@gevangenpoort.nl. Tue-Fri 11:00-17:00 Sat Sun 12:00-17:00, Last
tour 16:00. Closed: Mon, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Entrance gate
from 1420 of the count's castle, later used as a prison for a long time,
with the original instruments of torture. Adult €4.00, Child (under 12
years) €3.00.
Royal Palace Noordeinde, Noordeinde. The working palace
of the King, in the center of the city. Opposite the palace is an
equestrian statue. The King departs here on Prinsjesdag in the Golden
Coach and returns to the palace to go on the balcony.
Royal Stables,
Hoge Wal (around the corner from Noordeinde).
Palace garden,
Prinsessewal. Only the Palace Garden, located behind the Noordeinde
Palace, is accessible through the entrance between sunrise and sunset.
Museum for Communication (Formerly Post Museum), Zeestraat 82, ☎ +31 70
3307500, fax: +31 70 3608926, e-mail: info@comm.nl. Closed. The
collection includes objects from the history of the post, telegraph and
telephone, from letters and stamps to the oldest car telephone and
modern mobile phones. Child 4-12y €3.00, Adult. €6.00, 65+ €5.00, CJP
€4.00, Family ticket (4 pers.) €16.00..
Panorama Mesdag, Zeestraat
65, ☎ +31 70 3644544. Open Mon-Sat 10:00-17:00, Sundays and public
holidays 12:00-17:00. The impressive panorama painting by the painter of
the same name. View of Scheveningen from the 19th century. €5.00.
Peace Palace, Carnegieplein 2 (box 24), ☎ +31 70 3024242, fax: +31 70
3024234, e-mail: guidedtours@planet.nl. Guided tours Mon-Fri 10:00 AM,
11:00 AM, 2:00 PM, 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM. By reservation only.. After the
Binnenhof, the city's most famous building, it houses the International
Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration. €5.00. to
process
China Town (Chinese Quarter) (Behind department store De
Bijenkorf, includes Wagenstraat and surrounding streets.). A
concentration of Chinese shops and restaurants. Chinese New Year is
celebrated here on a Saturday every year in the street.
Haagse Harry,
Prinsegracht (Above the main entrance of the underground stop Grote
Markt). Statue of the famous Hague cartoon character. When you sit on
one of the terraces on the Grote Markt, you look at his back.
Landgoed Clingendael (Former estate, now Stadpark), Main entrance
Wassenaarseweg (Park is located between Ruychrocklaan, Van Alkemadelaan
and Wassenaarseweg). Open: Estate daily between sunrise and sunset..
Former estate, with a manor house, ponds, icehouse, rhododendron grove
and a Japanese garden, the latter only open between the end of April and
mid-June. freely accessible.
Louwman Museum (National Automobile
Museum), Leidsestraatweg 57 (Between benoordenhoutseweg and N44/A44), ☎
+31 70 3047373, fax: +31 70 3835587, e-mail: info@louwmanmuseum.nl.
Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00. This museum is back in the Hague region. It was
once in Leidschendam. Open since July 2010. This private collection
spans over a century of automotive history. €13.50, 6 years to 12 years
€7.50, Museum card not valid, parking €5.00.
Royal Palace Huis ten
Bosch, Leidesestraatweg (between Bezuidenhoutseweg and
Benoordenhoutseweg). The palace where Princess Beatrix lived, in the far
north of the city, just past the Haagse Bos. Only to be admired from the
Leidesestraatweg.
Haagse Bos (between Bezuidenhoutseweg and
Benoordenhoutseweg, 10 minutes' walk from Den Haag Central Station,
adjacent to Malieveld and Koekamp, across the Utrechtse Baan). This
forest is a 110-hectare remnant of the hunting grounds of the counts of
The Hague, which once stretched between 's-Gravenzande and Noordwijk.
Huis ten Bosch, built as a hunting lodge, is located on the north side
of the forest. The landscape consists of mixed deciduous forest with
ponds, ditches, old beach barriers and sunbathing areas.
Malieveld
and Koekamp are adjacent between Bezuidenhoutseweg, Boslaan
(Utrechtsebaan), Benoordenhoutseweg and Koningskade, a 5-minute walk
from The Hague Central Station, tram 1 and 9.
Koekamp (opposite
Central Station). The Koekamp is a deer park and a visitor center of
Staatsbosbeheer.
Malieveld (seen from The Hague Central Station,
behind the Koekamp). It is nationally known as a gathering place for
demonstrators during all kinds of demonstrations, but circuses, the fair
around the Third Tuesday in September and the Pasar Malam, the annual
Indian market, also pitch their tents here. There is a parking garage
under the Malieveld.
The Hague Public Transport Museum, Parallelweg 224 (corner of Parallelweg and Ter Borchstraat. Opposite Wouwermanstraat tram stop. (Two stops from Hollands Spoor.) tram 9, 11, 12), ☎ +31 70 4451559, fax: +31 70 4450472, e email: info@hovm.nl. open Apr-Oct. Sun 13:00-17:00. History of public transport in The Hague, old trams and buses. There will also be from Apr-Oct. on Sunday tours in an old bus and tram organized by the city. Departure museum, times and routes see web page. admission free, guided tours for a fee.
Madurodam, George Maduroplein 1 (Public transport: tram 9 and bus 22, stop Witte Brug; by car: Prof. Teldersweg just behind the Indische Buurt), ☎ +31 70 4162400. Open daily 09:00-18:00. (In summer also in the evening). The famous miniature city with its own "Mayor". There are a large number of highlights of Dutch architecture past and present on a scale of 1:25. Among other things, the Binnenhof with its golden carriage, the Huis ten Bosch palace, Dam Square and the Amsterdam canals, Schiphol Airport, the port of Rotterdam and the Measland storm surge barrier at Hoek van Holland can be seen. The whole is enlivened with taxiing planes at the airport, sailing ships in the harbor and moving cars on the highway, trains through the park, crossing the path over bridges and trams going through the streets. Adults: €14.50, Child 3-11 years: €10.50, 65+: €13.50 (online 10% discount).
Here are the four next closely spaced attractions. Accessibility
applies to all: bus 21 and 24, tram 16.
Gemeentemuseum,
Stadshouderslaan 41, ☎ +31 70 3381111, e-mail: info@gemeentemuseum.nl.
Tue-Sun 11:00-17:00. Always interesting, up-to-date exhibitions in a
building by architect H.P. Berlage, In the collection: the largest
collection of Piet Mondrian, including the painting Victory
Boogie-Woogie, The Hague School, Picasso, Van Gogh, Delft pottery and
Hague silver. Chambers of Wonder: In the basement there is an exhibition
for young and old. Interactive, so that things can be tried out. Adult
€8.50, Youth (13-18y) free, child (0-12y) free, 65+ €6.50, student + CJP
€5.00.
Omniversum, President Kennedylaan 5, ☎ +31 70 3545454. IMAX
cinema. Special super widescreen films are shown here in an
ever-changing programme.
Museon, Stadhouderslaan 37, ☎ +31 70
3381338. Once Museum for Education. Exhibition is aimed at young people.
Students from The Hague are often taught here in class on various
subjects, for example the theme "Africa" or "The Ancient Egypt". Also
open for individual visits.
Photo Museum The Hague, Stadhouderslaan
43, ☎ +31 70 3381144, fax: +31 70 3381155. Tue-Sun 12:00-18:00.
Prinsjesdag (Opening of the States General), Between Noordeinde
Palace and the Binnenhof. 12:00-13:30. Annually on the third Tuesday in
September. The King then drives from Noordeinde Palace to the Ridderzaal
and back in the Golden Coach.
Tong Tong Fair (Formerly known as Pasar
Malam Besar for fifty years), Maliveld (Walking distance from The Hague
CS). Annually 12 days in May/June, daily 12:00-22:00. Southeast Asian
market in tents with goods, art, food and music from Indonesia and the
former Dutch East Indies. On weekdays €12.00, Saturday and Sunday
€15.00. Discount for 65+ and children.
Life I live festival (formerly
known as Koninginnenach), annually in the evening until after midnight
on April 29, as a warm-up for Queen's Day.
Parkpop in the Zuiderpark.
Free pop festival on the last Sunday in June.
The Hague Jazz, World
Forum Convention Center,(Formerly Netherlands Congress Center),
Churchillplein 10. Old jazz music.
Veterans Day, On the last Saturday
of June, in memory of the old Prince Bernhard (who had his birthday on
June 29), a new celebration has been established. The traditional parade
in Wageningen on 5 May has been replaced by a tribute to all veterans
who have been deployed since the Second World War. For them there is a
meeting on the Malieveld and a parade through the city.
Visit the Zuiderpark, tram 8 and 9, bus 20 and 25. Park open between
sunrise and sunset. The park is located next to a rosarium, petting zoo
and open-air theater:
Indoor swimming pool
Bowling World
Zuiderpark, Mr. P. Droogleever Fortuynweg 79, Tel:+3170 4020777, Fax
+3170 3300089.
Steam group West Zuiderpark, Mr. P. Droogleever
Fortuynweg 50, Melis Stokelaan entrance (tram 9 and 16). Timetable:
Trains run April-Sept. Wed 13:00-16:30, Sun 11:30-16:30, parkland, Sun
12:30-16:30. Summer holiday (central Netherlands region) Tue-Fri Sun.
The Parkbaan ride takes 12 minutes and costs €2.00, Parkbaan train
departs from Platform 5. Other rides, child €0.65, adult 80 cents. Due
to the open carriages, the trains only run in good weather. A fun
attraction for young children and enthusiasts of (model) railways. They
can ride on the wagons behind diesel and steam locomotives. which are
controlled and created by members of the Stoomgroep. There are sometimes
themed days.
Familiepark Drievliet, Laan van 's-Gravenmade, Tel: +31
70 3999305. Open Mon-Fri 10:00-17:00, Sat Sun and school holidays
10:00-18:00. Tram 15. An amusement park with the newest rollercoaster
the "Formula X".
Cruises, The Hague has 3 tour companies: De
Ooievaart, De Willemsvaart and Canal Boat Tour The Hague
De Uithof,
Jaap Edenweg 10, Tel: 0900-33848463 (Local rate), E-mail :
info@deuithof.nl, (Randstadrail 4). Skating rink and ice rink, covered
ski and snowboard slope, go-kart track and climbing wall.
Boat trip
to Avifauna, in Alphen aan den Rijn, departure Goudriaankade at 08:45,
return 19:15. €17.50. Stay in avifauna 12:30 to 15:30. Two birds with
one stone: see a large part of South Holland in a calm manner and
without traffic jams and visit the bird park.
By plane
Schiphol, Amsterdam Airport is the international airport
of the Netherlands, located southeast of Amsterdam.
The Schiphol Line
connects the airport with The Hague by rail. See train.
The A4 and
A44/N44 motorways connect Schiphol and The Hague.
There are of course
taxis and cars for rent at the airport.
Rotterdam The Hague Airport
(Zestienhoven) is closer, but far fewer aircraft land here. Public
accessibility has since been improved by the arrival of the Randstadrail
near the airport. With Airport Shuttle (RET line 50, once every half
hour) to RR stop Meijersplein. And from there the RR (once every 15
minutes) is at the Central Station of The Hague in about 25 minutes. The
Hague can be reached by car from Zestienhoven via the A13 motorway.
By train
The Hague can be reached by train from the following
directions
The Hague HS
North Amsterdam, Schiphol (Amsterdam
Airport), Haarlem and Leiden.
South Delft, Rotterdam, Dordrecht and
Belgium.
Nachtnet Between 01:00 and 05:00 in the night, there are
trains once an hour to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, among others. Utrecht and
the largest cities in the province of North Brabant can also be reached
indirectly by night train. With the introduction of the timetable for
2009 (as of 14-12-2008) these will only stop at The Hague HS for the
time being. This is because maintenance is carried out on the tracks to
The Hague Central during the night.
The Hague Central
East
Direct trains to and from: Gouda, Utrecht, Amersfoort, Apeldoorn,
Enschede, Hengelo, Zwolle, Groningen, Leeuwarden, Venlo and Germany.
North Amsterdam, Schiphol (Amsterdam Airport), Haarlem and Leiden.
South Delft, Rotterdam, Dordrecht.
Stations:
The Hague
Central. The Hague has a large Central Station north of the center.
Trains from all directions call at this station. This terminal station
is located at the end of the railway line from the east of Gouda/Utrecht
with connections to both directions via the north/south line. You can
also transfer to Randstadrail at The Hague CS, to destinations in The
Hague, to Zoetermeer and in the direction of Rotterdam Hofplein. The
Hague CS also has connecting curves with the railway lines to the north
and south, which are used by slow trains and the Intercity from CS via
Delft, Rotterdam, Dordrecht, Breda and Eindhoven to Venlo.
Den Haag
Hollands Spoor (short Den Haag HS). The second main station. On the
north/south line east of the heart of the city. International trains to
Belgium stop here. Only if the high-speed line (HSL) will run has it
been decided, because of the speed, that it will in principle run
directly over a new track between Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Only a
limited HSL shuttle service calls at The Hague.
Both stations are
hubs in the local public transport network. There are a few smaller
stations within the city, served only by slow trains. Here too there is
the possibility to transfer to the local public transport. See the
heading Bus and Tram.
By car
The Hague can be reached by car
by following the A4, A44/N44 (Amsterdam, Schiphol and Leiden), A12
(Utrecht), A13 (Delft and Rotterdam) in the direction of The Hague.
There are various access roads for Scheveningen (N14), the Center (A12
and A13) and the South (N211) of the city, among others.
By bus
International Bus, There are international scheduled bus services
to/from various European cities. A major provider of international
scheduled bus services is 'Eurolines'. Arrival and departure stops can
be found on top of Den Haag CS train station on the bus platform.
Regional buses run by Veolia to and from The Hague (and also from places
in between):
Alphen aan den Rijn, Boskoop, Delft, Honselersdijk,
Monster, Naaldwijk, Wateringen, Haarlem, Krimpen aan de IJssel, Leiden,
Leiderdorp, Leidschendam, Lisse, Maasland, Maassluis, Nootdorp,
Oegstgeest, Rotterdam, Hoek van Holland, Schiedam, Wassenaar,
Zoetermeer.
By tram
There are tram connections from the
immediate vicinity of the city to The Hague (pay the fare with the
public transport chip card):
HTM tram line 1 runs from Delft
district Tanthof via Delft Centre/Station, Rijswijk and the center of
The Hague to Scheveningen.
There are no fewer than three lines from
Leidschendam-Voorburg.
From Leidschendam, HTM tram line 2 runs via
Voorburg and the center of The Hague to Loosduinen.
From Leidschendam
Hospital Anthoniushoven, HTM tram line 6 runs past the Leidschenhage
shopping center and via Voorburg, the center of The Hague and the Hague
market and will end from 27 April 2008 at the MCH Leyenburg hospital.
This line has been nicknamed the Hospital Line.
HTM tram line 15
runs from Nootdorp via Rijswijk to The Hague Central Station. (Note:
Tram continues after CS as Line 16.
There are two lines from the
municipality of Westland, both from Wateringen:
HTM tram line 16 goes
from Wateringen (Essellanden district) via the districts of Wateringse
Veld, Moerwijk and Spoorwijk in The Hague, further via Station HS and
Central Station to the Statenkwartier near Scheveningen Harbour.
HTM
tram line 17 also departs from Wateringen-Essellanden via the adjacent
Wateringse Veld, Rijswijk and Stations HS and Central to the short front
wood in the Centre.
By RandstadRail
There are three
RandstadRail lines:
RandstadRail E (Erasmus line) (Between The Hague
CS and Rotterdam CS).
RandstadRail 3 (Between Zoetermeer and The
Hague - Loosduinen via The Hague CS).
RandstadRail 4 (Between
Zoetermeer and The Hague - Uithof via The Hague CS).
By boat
Scheveningen is a seaport, but the liner ships don't come there anymore.
If no sea is too high for you, you can sail across the North Sea
yourself. Inland skippers reach The Hague via the Vliet or the Schie and
then the Trekviet. There is a so-called Passantenhaven, for visiting
water sports enthusiasts and their boats, at the Laakhaven.
On
foot
The Hague is located on two long-distance walking routes, which
are also part of a European network. The routes in this section are
available on the internet. The Hollands Kustpad, or LAW5, is part of the
European coastal route E9 that connects Portugal with the Baltic states.
The route comes from Terheijde (near Monster in the municipality of
Westland) through the dunes into Kijkduin, runs via the Bosjes van Poot
to Scheveningen and via the old town center and the Haagse Bos to the
dunes near Wassenaar (there is also a shorter variant over the
Waalsdorpervlakte The Hollands Kustpad is also part of the North Sea
Path.
The Marskramerpad, which is part of the European walking
route E11, starts at the Kurhaus in Scheveningen and runs east, via
Amersfoort, Deventer and Oldenzaal to the German border town of Bad
Bentheim. The E11 ends at the border crossing Ogrodniki between Poland
and Lithuania. The route follows the same road as the E9 until Huis ten
Bosch and then goes to Wassenaar.
On foot
The city has a number of pedestrian areas, for example in
the centre, the Scheveningen and Kijkduin boulevards and various
shopping centres, such as Leyweg and Loosduinen. In the large city
parks, the dunes and on the beach it is good to stroll, walk or jog. A
bicycle or public transport is preferred for longer distances.
By
bike
The Hague is excellent to explore by bicycle. From the center,
all parts of the city can be reached in 30 to 45 minutes. There are free
guarded Biesieklette bicycle parking facilities in the center, in
Scheveningen and Kijkduin, where it is also possible to charge e-bikes.
Through roads are equipped with separate cycle paths. Cycle paths also
run through the dunes and the city parks, which makes cycling there
quieter, so that you would forget that you are in a city. The
Zuiderstrand, located behind the Westduinpark, the strip between the
Scheveningen harbor and Kijkduin, is best reached by bicycle. From
Kijkduin you can even cycle all the way through the dunes to Hoek van
Holland. Places have been set up at the beach entrances to park
bicycles. It is possible to rent bicycles at Central Station and
Hollands Spoor stations and at various other locations in The Hague and
Scheveningen.
By train
You can also travel within The Hague by
train. Before the introduction of the public transport chip card, this
was also possible with the strippenkaart, and it made no difference in
price whether you traveled a route by tram or train. This has changed
with the OV-Chipkaart and it has become expensive to travel by train
within The Hague. Example: The Hague Central to The Hague HS is €1.06 by
tram and the train costs almost double at €2.10!
By tourist tram
In the summer months, a hop-on hop-off tourist tram runs from Central
Station past, among others, the Peace Palace and the Municipal Museum to
Scheveningen beach.
By public transport
Public transport is a
good choice for visitors to The Hague to move around the city and its
immediate surroundings. Popular destinations such as the city center,
Scheveningen beach and the stations are connected by many bus and tram
connections. The nearby region, Leidschendam Voorburg, Rijswijk and
Delft, can also be reached by tram and city bus. Finally, most Orange
and White Veolia buses also take local passengers on their route through
the city, except for the lines with an s after the number, which
indicates an express service. HTM web pages about public transport in
the Hague region.
By tuk tuk
Since June 1, 2007, three-wheeled
tuk tuks, known from Thailand, have been driving through the city. they
run from 8 am to 2 am. Ride price €3.50, €5.00 or €6.50 for one, two or
three people respectively. A surcharge of €1.50 applies when crossing a
zone boundary.
By night bus
In the nights of Thursday, Friday
and Saturday night buses run between 01:00 and 05:00 with a frequency of
approximately once an hour. After 06:00 in the morning the normal
timetable starts again. The buses are numbered N1 through N6. Night bus
N1 between the center and Scheveningen will be most useful to the
traveler: it connects the main entertainment areas. The center is also
the central transfer point for the night bus network. All 6 night buses
start their journey in the center and drive their route and end back in
the center, so that there can be a transfer. The special cards are for
sale on the bus.
By car
Parking
Paid parking applies in the
city centre, Scheveningen and many other areas around offices, shopping
centers and the Hague market (from €1.00 per 40 minutes at the parking
meter). The number of neighborhoods where payment must be made is
steadily expanding. A measure introduced in 2008 is paid parking in a
number of residential areas between 18:00 and 24:00. Be aware that this
may be in effect if you go out at night. To be clear: These machines
charge €1.50 per hour from 6:00 PM to 12:00 AM, seven days a week.
Parking routes
Since November 20, 2009, a traffic circulation
plan has been in effect in the city center, which means that through
traffic is kept out of the city center by bollards. These are posts that
sink into the ground for permit holders. As soon as such a permit holder
has passed, the bollard slowly rises. Certainly in the beginning, when
an unsuspecting motorist without a permit followed a permit holder over
the rising bollard, cars were damaged. These barriers create three
parking routes for the relevant parts of the centre.
Center ring
S100
Around the center there is a Centrumring, which directs through
traffic around the center or drives from one part of the city center to
another.
Ring S200
The S200 is not a real ring of highways.
Only the A4 between Leidschendam and The Hague Southwest has that status
and is part of the ring road. The N14 and part of the N211 are also part
of it.
To buy
You can shop in:
The city center
Around the Grote
Marktstraat. Where the well-known department stores and retail chains in
the Netherlands have a branch. There are also several specialty shops.
The Passage. Opened in 1885 and expanded in 1923, is a nineteenth
century shopping arcade, with three branches in neo-Renaissance style,
which can be found between the Buitenhof, the Hofweg and the Spuistraat.
The Markthof (on the Gedempte Gracht, near the Spui). This is a
so-called covered and permanent market.
The Hague Bluff. Small square
with upmarket shops. to process
The North End. Shopping area with
more expensive shops and small boutiques in the streets surrounding the
palace. The working palace of the King is located here.
Antique and
book markets, Lange Voorhout (The "short leg" of the Lange Voorhout,
between the Schouwburg and Hotel Des Indes). Apr-Oct Thu Sun from 10:00.
The Haagsche Markt, Herman Kosterstraat (tram 6 and bus 25, stop
Hobbemaplein and tram 11 and 12, stop Hobbemaplein or Hoefkade, park in
parking garage Markt from Parallelweg). The most important in the city,
on the border between the Transvaal and Schilderswijk districts.
Megastores, Van der Kunstraat (Behind Hollands Spoor Station). As the
name suggests, a large and covered shopping center.
There are also
several smaller shopping centers in the various districts. There is also
a weekly market in the larger ones.
Specialty
Haagse hopjes -
a coffee flavored candy.
Gastronomy and food culture [add item]
The Hague has long been
known for its Indian restaurants. This was a result of the city's
connection with the former Dutch East Indies. The later waves of
immigration from all corners of the world have also not passed by the
city and resulted in menus full of foreign dishes. This includes
Chinese, Greek, Italian, Turkish and Surinamese restaurants, to name
only the most common. The fast food sector has also grown. Besides the
traditional fries place, the international chains in hamburger, chicken
and pizza can be found all over the city.
Budget [add item]
Burgerz, Prinsestraat 23, ☎ +31 70 356 0062.
't Achterommetje,
Achterom 71.
Hague bread and pastry bakery Hans and Frans, Denneweg
186. 07:00-17:00.
Average
Bar Bistro De Twee Heeren, Oude
Molstraat 6, ☎ +31 70 331 1179, email: info@barbistrodetweeheeren.nl.
Brasserie Buitenhof, Kettingstraat 1b, ☎ +31 70 345 3819, e-mail:
info@brasseriebuitenhof.nl.
De Luca, Passage 3-7, ☎ +31 70 364 2349,
email: info@de-luca.nl.
Du Passage, Passage 44, ☎ +31 70 364 9038,
email: info@dupassage.nl.
NOH Sushi & Sake, Prinsestraat 77 (Next to
the Palace Garden. Get off with tram 16 at the Noordwal stop. Edit).
Wed-Sun 17:30-22:30 Mon Tue closed. Japanese restaurant. Toro and uni
are regularly in stock and there is a sushi bar for those who want to
eat out without company.
Restaurant Alexander, Denneweg 138 2514 CL,
☎ +31 70 364 8175. 17:00-23:00. € 27.50 (3-course menu).
Indonesian, in the center
Poentjak, Kneuterdijk 16, ☎ +31 70 360
0522. ~€20 for dinner.
Istana, Wagenstraat 71, ☎ +31 70 360 0997.
Indonesian, outside the center
Bogor, Van Swietenstraat 2, ☎ +31
70 346 1628.
Palembang, Thomsonlaan 17, ☎ +31 70 365 3881.
Keraton
Damai, Groot Hertoginnelaan 57, ☎ +31 70 363 9371.
Isaku Iki, Anna
Paulownastraat 17, ☎ +31 70 392 0033.
Organic
Water & Bread,
Beatrijsstraat 12, ☎ +31 70 399 7455.
Other
Kiraku,
Toussaintkade 31, ☎ +31 70 345 4288.
Dudok, Hofweg 1a, ☎ +31 70 890
0100.
Irodion, Grand Place 19, ☎ +31 70 363 6623.
Bodega de
Posthoorn, Lange Voorhout 39A, ☎ +31 70 360 4906.
Florencia ice
cream, Torenstraat 44, ☎ +31 70 363 0214.
Rebelz (Rebelz on the
Binckhorst), Junostraat 127 2516 BR, ☎ +31 70 216 1798, email:
Lekker@rebelzaanderotte.nl. €17.00
Duration
Hanting Cuisine,
Prinsestraat 33, ☎ +31 70 362 0828.
Calla's, Laan van Roos en Doorn
51A, ☎ +31 70 345 5866.
The city center of The Hague has three terrace areas where several
catering companies have terraces.
Terraces Buitenhof. These terraces
occupy about half of the Buitenhof.
Terraces Grand Place. The Grote
Markt is completely occupied with terraces.
Terrace Square. These
terraces occupy about half of the Plein.
Below are some possible
'flex workplaces' in The Hague: cafes where you can work well with your
laptop.
Bagels & Beans, Place 21-23, 2513 AD The Hague, ☎ +31 70
3621420, e-mail:plaats@bagelsbeans.nl. 09:01-17:03.
De Bieb, Veenkade
7-9, 2513 EE The Hague, ☎ +31 70 3617496, email: info@cafedebieb.com.
09:00-01:00.
Coffee Company Noordeinde (CC Noordeinde), Noordeinde
54, 2514 GK The Hague, ☎ +31 70 205 4661. 07:30-19:00. Branch of a Dutch
chain of coffee shops.
Korzo, Prinsestraat 42, 2513 CE The Hague, ☎
+31 70 3637540. 11:00-01:00.
Pim Coffee Sandwiches & Vintage (Pim),
Prins Hendrikstraat 113, 2518 HM The Hague, ☎ +31 70 2130888, e-mail:
pimslunch@gmail.com. 10:00-18:00.
The Stationshuiskamer, Koningin
Julianplein 19, 2595 AA The Hague, e-mail:
stationshuiskamer.gvc@nsstations.nl. 09:00-18:00.
Specialty
coffee shops are (in addition to the aforementioned Coffee Company
branches):
Filtro, Papestraat 11, 2513 AV The Hague, ☎ +31 6 4284
7073, e-mail: mailto:hello@filtro.coffee.
Hop & Stork, Passage 82,
2511 AE The Hague, ☎ +31 70 345 5455, e-mail: info@hopenstork.com.
Specializes in chocolate products, but also serves coffee.
Coffee
roasting company Boon, Prinsestraat 114, 2513 CH The Hague, ☎ +31 70 744
4972, e-mail: info@koffiebranderijboon.nl. Freshly roasted coffee can be
drunk here, but you can also buy ground or unground coffee beans for
home.
Starbucks, Grote Marktstraat 44A, 2511 BJ The Hague, ☎ +31 70
302 0263. Worldwide chain of coffee shops.
Budget
Stayokay The Hague, Scheepsmakerstraat 27 (an 8-minute walk
from Hollands Spoor Station (The Hague HS). Tram lines 15 and 17 stop at
Rijswijkseplein.), ☎ +31 70 3157888, fax: +31 70 3157877, e-mail:
denhaag @stayokay.com. A youth hostel not far from the Rijswijk square.
Holiday center Kijkduinpark, Machiel Vrijenhoeklaan 450. A campsite and
bungalow park in the southwest of The Hague, near the beach.
Average
NH Den Haag, Prinses Margrietplantsoen 100 (A12 exit
Bezuidenhout), ☎ +31 70 3812345, fax: +31 70 3812323, e-mail:
nhdenhaag@nh-hotels.com. Located in an office area of The Hague just
outside the center
NH Atlantic Den Haag, Deltaplein 200 (Follow signs
to Kijkduin), ☎ +31 70 4482482, fax: +31 70 3686721, e-mail:
nhatlanticdenhaag@nh-hotels.com. Located by the sea between the
boulevard of Kijkduin and the dunes. (4 stars)
Bel Air Hotel The
Hague, Johan de Wittlaan 30, ☎ +31 70 3525354, fax: +31 70 3525353,
e-mail: info@worldhotelbelair.com. Centrally located in the
Statenkwartier, and right next to World Forum (4 stars)
Good
Hotel Des Indes, Lange Voorhout 54-56, ☎ +31 70 3612345, email:
info@desindes.nl.
Haagsche Suites, Laan van Meerdervoort 155, ☎ +31
70 3647879, e-mail:
info@haagschesuites.nl
During the day you can enjoy yourself in every part of the city. Of course, watch out for pickpockets at stations, at tram and bus stops and in public transport and in busy shopping streets and markets. At night it is wise to avoid the area southwest of the center, especially the neighborhoods of Schilderswijk and Transvaal. This is because of youth gangs that are active on just about every street corner in this area. The center and around Hollands Spoor Station, on the other hand, are much safer at night due to camera surveillance.
Telephone
The area code of The Hague is 070, for mobile phones +31
70 is the best way to store phone numbers in the phone.
Internet
cafe(s)
Internet cafes have actually disappeared from the cityscape.
Almost every catering establishment has free WiFi for internet access,
sometimes linked to a code on your receipt.
Traditionally, the place was called Die Haghe or Den Hag(h)e. In 1568
Philip II, for example, spoke of the 'freedom of The Hague'. From the
beginning of the 17th century, the city council officially used the name
's-Gravenhage, which sounds more dignified and is a contraction of 'des
Graven ha(a)ge' (probably then it was already understood as the Hague (=
the forest) of the Count of Holland). The old name The Hague continued
to exist in the vernacular. A similar articulation can be observed in
the city of Den Bosch, which is still called that in the vernacular,
while the official name is 's-Hertogenbosch (which was traditionally
understood as the forest of the Duke of Brabant).
Since 1990, the
municipality has used the name The Hague instead of The Hague as much as
possible, to match the common language and foreign names such as The
Hague (English) and La Haye (French). However, identity cards and
official documents from the municipality state 's-Gravenhage, after a
proposal to officially change the name of the municipality to The Hague
was rejected in 1990. The telephone service and the postal service also
use The Hague. The railways and road authorities use the shorter name
The Hague. The BAG contains the name of the place of residence
's-Gravenhage (place of residence code 1245).
The name 'The
Hague' is used in a figurative sense for the Dutch government and
parliament. In its diminutive form, 'The Hague' can be an archetype: the
Haagje is used for a 'grand'-looking place or one associated with the
House of Orange. For example, Breda is called the Haagje of the South,
Arnhem the Haagje of the East, Roermond the Haagje of Limburg and the
Frisian Haagje is a nickname of Heerenveen.
The Hague was
traditionally the place where Dutch people who worked in the Dutch
colonies used to spend their long leave. After the independence of the
Dutch East Indies, many Indo-Dutch people went to live in The Hague,
hence the nickname The Widow of the Indies.
People lived in the Hague area from an early age, long before there
was a village called The Hague. The oldest archaeological finds made in
the area around the Binnenhof date from around 3000 BC; for example, in
1912, during the construction of Hotel Central on the Lange Poten, now
part of the House of Representatives complex, an intact flint hand ax
was found, the users of which can be classified as part of the
Vlaardingen culture.
In the 2nd century AD. there was a Roman
fort with accompanying settlement in the dunes on the southern edge of
the city, the so-called Vicus van Ockenburgh. Excavations have been
carried out here since the 1920s.
The current The Hague has
existed since 1230, when Count Floris IV of Holland built a modest
castle on the spot where the homestead of Lady Meilindis van Wassenaer
already stood, which became the seat of the Counts of Holland. The place
name 's-Gravenhage and the name of the Gravenstraat for the connection
between the Kerkplein and the current Buitenhof still refer to this. In
1248 Count Willem II, who also became Roman king, had a more suitable
castle built on a dune lake, the current Hofvijver. After Willem's
untimely death, his son Floris V ensured that the Ridderzaal was
completed. The Ridderzaal and the Binnenhof were fortified, but the
surrounding village never received city rights, although The Hague
remained the residence of the counts of Holland and their successors.
The Hague was able to grow as a compromise between the Dutch cities, but
those same cities ensured that The Hague did not become a fortified
city.
In 1528, The Hague was raided by the Gelderland general
Maarten van Rossum, who burned down the settlement outside the count's
castle, so that the arson was bought off. During the early years of the
Eighty Years' War, The Hague was mercilessly plundered and became
virtually depopulated. The city was the Spanish headquarters during the
Siege of Leiden.
Since at least around the beginning of the 15th
century, The Hague has had several thousand inhabitants, making it more
of a city than a village. At that time, however, a city used to have a
very high degree of self-government and the counts of Holland (and later
their successors: the dukes of Burgundy and the Habsburgs) chose to rule
in their own residence. From 1585, the Republic of the Seven United
Netherlands continued this practice, because The Hague was the place
where the highest government body, the States General, resided. The
stadtholder's court was also located there. Initially, in the 1580s, it
was still tense whether the devastated The Hague would be rebuilt: the
powerful city of Delft preferred to prevent the rise of a dangerous
rival in its immediate vicinity, partly because this city wanted the
States General to permanently settled in Delft. It was nevertheless
decided to rebuild, and the States General, after Middelburg, among
others, settled permanently in The Hague in 1585.
In 1622, The
Hague had 16,000 inhabitants. In the 17th century, The Hague was
surrounded by canals, which were constructed by Stadtholder Prince
Maurits as the start of complete fortifications, but nothing came of the
planned real defenses. By the end of the 18th century, the population
had risen to about 40,000, making this "village" the third largest
settlement in the Netherlands (after Amsterdam and Rotterdam). Due to
the presence of the Stadtholder's Court, the States General and foreign
diplomats and (foreign) nobility, The Hague had a much more aristocratic
character than most other Dutch cities. There was a great contrast
between the aristocratic neighborhood around the Binnenhof and Voorhout
and the more popular parts of the "village".
The Hague only
received its city rights in 1806, under French rule, but at that time a
fortress wall was more of a straitjacket than an advantage: The Hague
remained without walls and was able to expand on a large scale. Under
the Kingdom of the Netherlands, established in the years 1813-1815, The
Hague remained the seat of government and parliament (the modern States
General). After 1850, the city began to expand beyond the 17th-century
canal belt. The population was then over 70,000.
Around 1870 the
number of 100,000 would be reached, and around 1900, in the fin de
siècle time of Louis Couperus, the city had about 200,000 inhabitants.
Densely populated working-class districts such as the Laakkwartier and
the Schilderswijk arose to the south of the old city centre, while new
districts for the more wealthy citizens were built against the dune
side, such as the Statenkwartier, Duinoord and the Archipelbuurt. At
that time, The Hague also played an important role from an artistic
point of view because of the painters of the Hague School.
In
1864, the first tram line in the Netherlands started running between The
Hague and Scheveningen. The Hague later also had the first interlocal
tram, the first steam tram, and the first electric tram (accutram).
The first sewer in The Hague was probably installed on the Lange
Voorhout in 1873, the manhole cover was made by iron foundry the Prince
of Orange.
In 1899, the First Hague Peace Conference took place
in The Hague, which led to the establishment of the Permanent Court of
Arbitration, which was established in The Hague. Between 1907 and 1913,
the Peace Palace was built, in which this Court would reside. The
International Court of Justice was also later established in the Peace
Palace.
The Hague suffered greatly under the German occupation.
First of all, approximately 11,000 Jews from The Hague were deported to
the extermination camps, of which only a few hundred returned. Many
office workers lost their jobs because the Netherlands was cut off from
its colonies and other business interests abroad. The national
government fell under the occupier, resulting in loyalty conflicts or
dismissals among the many officials in The Hague. The construction of
the Atlantic Wall and other fortifications by the Germans forced more
than 100,000 residents of The Hague to evacuate, often far outside the
city. Thousands of homes were demolished. The Hunger Winter of 1944-1945
cost the lives of hundreds of weakened people.
Towards the end of
the Second World War, on March 3, 1945, 510 people died during the
bombing of Bezuidenhout. The bombing was carried out by the Allies and
was aimed at destroying the mobile V2 launchers of the Germans.
On October 29, 1983, more than 550,000 people demonstrated peacefully
against the deployment of cruise missiles in the Netherlands and against
nuclear weapons in general. It is the largest street protest ever held
in the Netherlands.
In 1960 the population of The Hague had risen
to over 600,000. Due to suburbanization and the emergence of growth
centers around the city, such as Zoetermeer, there were still 441,000
inhabitants left at the end of the century. Since then, new annexations
and urban expansions followed, including in Ypenburg and Leidschenveen,
so that in 2011 the limit of 500,000 inhabitants was again exceeded.
In 2023, The Hague was named the city with the best quality of life
in the world in Numbeo's global 'Quality of life index'.
The Hague has eight districts. Each of these districts has its own
office, where most of the municipality's services are housed. Thanks to
these offices, the municipality is more easily accessible for many
things. The division into districts was established in 1988 by the
municipal council. Each of these city districts is subdivided into
districts and neighbourhoods. This division differs from the well-known
district and neighborhood division that has been used since 1953.
The distribution of the number of inhabitants in 2022 was as
follows:
Center 106,261 inhabitants
Laak 47,305 inhabitants
Leidschenveen-Ypenburg 48,273 inhabitants
Escamp 128,967 inhabitants
Loosduinen 51,395 inhabitants
Segbroek 62,507 inhabitants
Scheveningen 59,992 inhabitants
Haagse Hout 48,606 inhabitants
The Hague North
In The Hague, most maps of the city see the North
Sea as the North, while in reality the sea is in the west-northwest. On
a map of The Hague with the sea in the north, street and district names
(partly) named after cardinal points are in the 'right' place.
Nature
The Hague is a city rich in nature. Within the municipal
boundary is an extensive, bushy dune area, bordered by a wide, natural
sandy beach of almost twelve kilometers long. There are several larger
and smaller parks scattered throughout the city, such as the Rosarium,
Sint Hubertuspark, the Paleistuin, Wapendal, the Bosjes van Pex, the
Westbroekpark, the Zuiderpark, Madestein, and the Uithof. There are
several old estates and forests, some of which are a stone's throw from
the city center: the 120-hectare Haagse Bos and Arendsdorp, both dating
from the 17th century.
Most of the other estates are located,
sometimes contiguous, on the outskirts of the city, where they form an
extensive green belt that merges on the north side into the even greener
neighboring municipality of Wassenaar. These include Bloemendaal,
Clingendael, Duindigt, Marlot, Duinweide, Meer & Bos, Ockenburgh,
Oostduin, Oosterbeek, Reigersbergen and Sorghvliet. Between The Hague
and Scheveningen, the Scheveningse Bosjes and the Nieuwe Scheveningse
Bos, together covering 116 hectares, are traditionally an unspoilt dune
area, which was gradually planted from the beginning of the 18th century
to prevent sand drift.
The leafy streets in the center: Lange
Voorhout and the Lange Vijverberg, located on the Hofvijver, contribute
to the spacious and green impression that The Hague makes.
Like other cities in the Netherlands, The Hague had many canals, also
called canals. They served for shipping, but also as a sewer. The Hague
was already connected to Delft via the Vliet around 1350, and the canal
belt around The Hague was completed in 1619. In 1900, the Laakhaven was
built, which grew into the sixth inland port in the Netherlands.
As the population grew, the canals became increasingly smelly. The
wealthy had houses outside the city to escape the stench in the summer,
but most people lived in the city. There were regular epidemics. In the
19th century, the first sewers were built, and many canals were covered
or filled in. A major problem in The Hague was that the canal water
could not be drained to the sea. The Verversingskanaal was built to the
North Sea, but the Koninginnegracht was never extended to the sea.
Late in the 20th century, plans were made in various cities to
restore several old canals, the so-called canal plan. Since 2003 it has
also been possible to take a cruise through the canals of The Hague and
to sail through the Avenue Culinaire and the other districts of The
Hague.
In addition to Hagenaar, a resident of The Hague can also be called Hagenees. The classic story wants there to be a separation between the inhabitants of The Hague, who live on sand, and the inhabitants of The Hague, who live on peat. The Hague is partly built on sand dunes, the border of which with the peat areas runs approximately parallel to the Laan van Meerdervoort. Neighborhoods such as Laakkwartier, Schilderswijk and Escamp are built on peat soil. Those born on the sand are called a Hagenaar, those born on peat soil a Hagenees. Another definition of Hagenezen is: people who speak flat Haags, while Hagenaars are the people who speak first name Haags. The word Hagenees therefore has a negative connotation for some.
The Hague had a population of 562,446 on 31 January 2023, making it
the third-largest city in the Netherlands. More than half of the
inhabitants now have a recent migration background (Western and
non-Western). The proportion of people with a migration background is
steadily increasing. Together with Amsterdam, The Hague is the
municipality with the highest percentage of residents with a migration
background, on January 1, 2020, 55.6% of residents had a migration
background.
The composition of the population differs per
neighbourhood. In the Schilderswijk and the Transvaalkwartier, the
percentage of residents with a migration background has been close to
100% since 2005. People with a migration background are also in the
majority in the Groente- en Fruitmarkt, Laakkwartier and Stationsbuurt
districts. The neighborhoods with the fewest inhabitants with a
migration background in the city are Duindorp, Kijkduin, Kraayenstein
and Vogelwijk.
The neighborhoods with the lowest per capita
incomes are the Schilderswijk, the Transvaal and Laakkwartier and the
Spoorwijk (all €9,000 or less). The neighborhoods with the highest
income per capita are Benoordenhout, Haagse Bos (although this
neighborhood has less than 300 inhabitants and we can assume that the
income of the king - who also lives there - is not included in this
statistic) and Westbroekpark /Napping (all €19,000 or higher). Some of
the residents with a migration background are classified as expats. In
2019 and 2020, The Hague was in third place (out of 490 locations) in a
ranking of the most liveable cities.
According to Statistics Netherlands, 51.3% of the population belonged to a religious denomination or a philosophical group, while 48.7% was non-religious. The largest religious denomination is the Catholic Church (15.9%), closely followed by Islam (14%). In addition, there are a number of other religious groups, including the Dutch Reformed Church (4.8%), Hinduism (4.6%), the Protestant Churches (3.9%), Buddhism (0.7%), and Judaism (0.2%).
In The Hague there were fixed locations where sodomites met as early
as 1702 and during the wave of legal prosecutions in 1730 it emerged
that there were three fun houses where gay men came together for paid or
unpaid sex. In addition, they met on so-called cross roads in the open
air, such as the Voorhout.
Modern gay emancipation in the
Netherlands also began in this city when Mr. Jacob Schorer founded the
Netherlands Scientific Humanitarian Committee (NWHK) in 1912, the first
Dutch organization to fight against discrimination against homosexuals.
After Schorer wanted to show the film Anders als die Andern in 1920, a
manhunt for alleged gays ensued, which became known as the Hague sex
scandal. After Amsterdam, The Hague had the largest homosexual
subculture with relatively extensive networks. In addition to meeting
places in the open air, gays were tolerated in various catering
establishments around 1920 and there were several distinctly gay cafes
during the German occupation.
On January 21, 1969, the first
Dutch demonstration for equal rights took place at the Binnenhof in The
Hague. In 1993, the Homomonument The Hague International was unveiled
near Madurodam, which was moved to the Koekamp in 2015. The Hague has
been one of the Rainbow Cities since 2008 and a year later the national
Pink Saturday took place in the city for the first and so far only time.
As a follow-up to this, there was a The Hague Pride in 2010, later
replaced by The Hague Rainbow Festival, which is held annually in June
and in 2017 also included a Pride Walk for the first time. Another
visible expression of the attention for LGBT emancipation was the
construction of a "gaybrapad" on the median strip of Bezuidenhoutseweg
in May 2016.
The Hague never received a seat in the States of Holland, which is
why it was not counted among the cities. However, it obtained almost all
city rights. The Hague already had administrative institutions in the
Middle Ages that only existed in cities. Prince Maurits already had
advanced plans to turn The Hague into a fortified city, but the States
General saw this as undermining the independence of the administrative
center of the seven provinces. The Hague was given the honorary title of
city by King Louis Napoleon in 1806 and in 1810 by Emperor Napoleon.
After the establishment of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815, Royal
Decrees only spoke of the “city of The Hague”. This no longer gave any
special rights, because the city charter had already been abolished in
1795 during the Batavian Republic.
Long before that time, The
Hague had already received special privileges that gave The Hague the
administrative character of a city. However, it was the other cities
that prevented The Hague, as an independent city, from taking a seat on
the board of the province of Holland. The Hague also had the
characteristics of a city in other areas:
The Hague had (since 1370)
its own court and was allowed to adopt its own approvals (regulations);
The Hague had citizens (since August 24 of the same year), in general
the term citizen was only used in connection with cities;
The Hague
had a typical urban government, with mayors (since 1559), a secretary
(pensionary) and a vroedschap (since 1451);
The Hague had two
militias of its own: the Guild of Saint George (since the 14th century)
and the Guild of Saint Sebastian (since the 15th century);
The Hague
had urban rights in the economic field: an annual fair (since 1334),
freedom from tolls (1373), guilds, a cloth industry, beer breweries and
other typical urban industries;
From 1407, The Hague was allowed to
levy excise duties and elect its own aldermen.
With the Grote of Sint
Jacobskerk, The Hague has had a city church and no longer a village
church since the 14th century.
The legal difference between urban
and rural areas has been abolished after the Constitution of 1848 and
the Municipalities Act of 1851.
The following people were part of the board, of which the Municipal
Executive fell on June 29, 2023 because the coalition party VVD did not
agree with the way in which GroenLinks and PvdA wanted to conduct talks
with former alderman Richard de Mos. The aldermen of the VVD,
Parbhudayal and Mulder, immediately submitted their resignations. After
De Mos's acquittal of corruption, the other coalition parties (including
VVD) wanted to talk to him about returning to the council, but PvdA and
GroenLinks were against this.
Municipal boundaries
In the 19th
century and 20th century, The Hague annexed areas due to lack of space.
In 1843 Van Rijswijk concerned the area between the Hoefkade and the
Laakmolensloot, necessary for the construction of the Hollands Spoor
station. In 1907 it concerned the Wassenaar estates Reigersbergen and
Marlot and van Voorburg de Binckhorst. The former municipality of
Loosduinen was merged in its entirety with The Hague in 1923. This
policy was later continued. In 1994, the Wateringse Veld territory was
transferred from the former municipality of Wateringen to The Hague. At
the same time, the municipality applied for Article 12 status and
ultimately received 1 billion guilders in support from the government.
As of 1 January 2002, the new housing estates Leidschenveen and
Ypenburg were assigned to The Hague as a result of border corrections,
at the expense of the (then) municipalities of Leidschendam, Nootdorp,
Rijswijk, Voorburg and Pijnacker. A corridor was created to connect the
Leidschenveen-Ypenburg district with the rest of the city. The part of
the Trekvliet from the Broekslootkade to Drievliet forms that of the
municipality of The Hague, including the southern bank along a line that
is located two meters from the plot boundaries of the buildings parallel
to these plot boundaries on the territory of the municipality of
Rijswijk and the northern bank of the territory of the municipality of
Leidschendam-Voorburg, and belongs to the Leidschenveen-Ypenburg
district.
The Hague also lost territory when the municipal
division in 1812 added the lordship of Nieuwveen to the municipality of
Nootdorp. Furthermore, considerable stretches of coastal area have
disappeared into the sea over the centuries, including part of the
fishing town of Scheveningen.
The flag of The Hague was appointed as the municipal flag on December
2, 1920 by council decision of the city council of The Hague. Until this
council decision, the colors were black and yellow. In 1920 the colors
green and yellow were chosen.
The coat of arms of The Hague shows
a golden shield, covered by a grave's crown, with a stork on one leg and
an eel in its mouth. In the 14th century, counts mention items for the
restoration of stork nests and in the 16th century the coat of arms of
The Hague shows the stork. The oldest depiction of the stork in the coat
of arms of The Hague is on the bell Jhesus van de Grote or St.
Jacobskerk, which was cast in 1541. After 1586, the wax seals of The
Hague also show a stork with an eel in its mouth.
In 1991, the
municipality abolished the use of the coat of arms and used a logo of a
flying stork instead. In 2013 it was decided to reintroduce the coat of
arms, this time with the motto Peace and Justice. This change was
budgeted at € 250,000 for design and printing, the costs for total
conversion to the new house style have not been specified.
The Hague is represented in at least 21 regional partnerships, each of which has a different composition.
There are many primary and secondary schools that provide education
at levels from VMBO to Gymnasium. Examples include the Christelijk
College De Populier, Segbroek College, Maris College, Maerlant Lyceum,
Wateringse Veld College, Dalton Den Haag, Zandvliet College, Edith Stein
College, Roman Catholic Primary School De Paradijsvogel, Lyceum
Ypenburg, the Free-Christian Lyceum and the Haags Montessori Lyceum. The
Hague has two independent gymnasia: the Gymnasium Haganum and the
Christelijk Gymnasium Sorghvliet. There are also private secondary
schools such as Luzac College, Winford College and Sverre College.
For MBO, The Hague has ROC Mondriaan, where 17,000 students follow
secondary vocational training in 170 directions.
Although the
city does not have a large independent university, it does have the
T.M.C. Asser Institute, The Hague Forum for Judicial Expertise, the
Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute, the International
Institute of Social Studies, The Hague Academy of International Law,
Campus The Hague (which is an annex of Leiden University), The Hague
University of Applied Sciences ( which offers a number of Bachelor's
programs and three English-taught Master's programs under the name of
The Hague University of Applied Sciences), Inholland The Hague
University of Applied Sciences, Hotelschool The Hague and a branch of
Helicon University of Applied Sciences. It is also home to one of the
Netherlands' largest and most prominent institutes in the field of art
education, namely The Hague University of the Visual Arts, Music and
Dance. This consists of the Royal Conservatoire and the Royal Academy of
Art.
The Hague also has a number of Dutch schools that provide
international education. Examples are: the Haagsche Schoolvereeniging
(primary education), the International School of The Hague (primary and
secondary education) and some foreign schools: the British School in the
Netherlands (primary education), American School of The Hague (primary
and secondary education ), the Lycée Vincent van Gogh de la Haye
(primary and secondary education) and the Deutsche Internationale Schule
The Hague (primary and secondary education). In addition, there are a
few schools that are linked to embassies: the Polish School, Indonesian
School and the Ukrainian School.
The Hague is served by two major hospitals. There is the Haga Hospital, with locations Leyweg and Sportlaan, Juliana Children's Hospital and Buitenpolikliniek Wateringseveld. Secondly, there is the Haaglanden Medical Center, with locations Lijnbaan (HMC Westeinde) and Bronovolaan (HMC Bronovo) in The Hague.
The professional football club of The Hague is ADO Den Haag, which
has been playing in the First Division since 2021/2022, after being
relegated from the Eredivisie. ADO became national champion in 1942 and
1943, and also won the KNVB Cup in 1968 and 1975. SVV Scheveningen plays
in the Second Division on Saturday. HBS and Quick play in the Third
Division on Sunday. Other football clubs in the city are GSC ESDO,
Duindorp SV, DUNO, SVC '08, HVV, BMT, (HVV) Laakkwartier, VCS, VUC,
Quick Steps, v.v. Escamp, SV Loosduinen, Graaf Willem II VAC, SV
Houtwijk, RKSV GDA , SV Die Haghe, VV Haagse Hout, VV SVH, and many
other youth football clubs.
The Hague has two athletics clubs in
the form of Haag Atletiek and AV Sparta. Haag Atletiek was founded in
1913 and is located at Sportpark Laan van Poot. AV Sparta has two
branches in the Zuiderpark and Sportpark Westvliet.
Baseball club
ADO played in the highest league, just like the first men's
softball-team of Storks. There are also some well-known hockey clubs in
The Hague: HCKZ, HDM and HDS (where cricket is also played). The
successful ice hockey team HYS The Hague is housed in De Uithof, where -
in addition to an ice hockey rink - there is also a 400m skating rink, a
go-kart track, a ski hall, a game hall and a climbing wall.
There
are also two rowing clubs: civil rowing club De Laak (founded in 1911)
and student rowing club H.S.R.V. Pelargos (founded in 2002). The Hague
rowing competition is the Laak Pelargos Prognose Race (LPPR) and is held
every year at the beginning of March. A few swimming clubs in The Hague
are Zwemlust '68 and DES; in the field of diving there is Amphibius
Onderwatersport.
In the field of korfball there are former
national champions KV Die Haghe and in the field of handball there are
Eredivisie club Hellas Den Haag. BC Drop Shot was the first champion of
badminton premier league. The Hague also has numerous judo clubs,
including Shi Sei, Lu Gia Jen and Kian Schi.
The European walking
route E9, also known locally as the North Sea Trail or Hollands Kustpad,
runs mainly through the dunes in The Hague. The E9 runs along the coast
from Portugal to the Baltic states. The route comes from Monster via
Kijkduin and runs via Scheveningen to Meijendel near Wassenaar. In
addition, The Hague is the starting point of the European walking route
E11, which runs to Tallinn in Estonia. From Scheveningen the route runs
through the center to Wassenaar.
The city's name is associated with national and international courts.
The Supreme Court, the highest court in the Kingdom of the Netherlands,
is located in The Hague, as is the administrative seat of the Council of
State and the Trade and Industry Appeals Tribunal.
Since the
emergence of international law and the peace conferences of The Hague in
1899 and 1907, a large number of international tribunals and courts have
been established in The Hague. The International Court of Justice (ICJ)
is the main judicial body within the United Nations and deals with
disputes between states. The Court of Appeal has its seat in the Peace
Palace, together with the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the Hague
Academy of International Law and the Carnegie Foundation.
The
Hague also plays an important role in international criminal law, aimed
at the trial of individuals. The city has been home to the International
Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia since the 1990s and, since
its establishment in 2002, has been the seat of the International
Criminal Court (ICC), the main judicial body for prosecuting those
charged with genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, affiliated
with the UN, and the Tribunal on Claims between Iran and the United
States are also located in The Hague. Various academic institutes in the
field of international relations, international law and international
development are united in the Hague Academic Coalition.
Due to
the presence of this large number of courts and tribunals, The Hague,
like New York, Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi, is an important UN city. In
recognition of the role that The Hague has played for more than 100
years in the field of international law and peace policy, the
municipality is permitted by royal decree to add the motto "peace and
justice" to the municipal coat of arms from 27 September 2012. It is the
first time since 2008 that a motto is allowed. In December 1958, The
Hague already won the Prix de l'Europe, a tribute from the Council of
Europe to municipalities that have made a special effort for unification
in Europe.
Most of the city's employment, accounting for 26% or 56,000 persons
in 2006, is provided by the government and international organizations.
Major employers in this sector include the Municipality of The Hague and
the Ministries of Defence, Justice, VROM, Foreign Affairs, the Interior
and Transport, Public Works and Water Management.
Other important
sectors in the city are business services with 19% of employment,
healthcare with 14%, leisure economy with 10%, small-scale manufacturing
and wholesale with 10%, and the TMT (technology, Media and Telecom)
sector with 10% . The 10 largest commercial employers account for 11% of
employment: KPN, ING Bank, PostNL, T-Mobile, HTM, AEGON, Siemens, Ahold
and Shell.
The Hague can be reached by car on the A4, A12, A13, A44/N44 and Ring
Den Haag motorways.
Most travelers arriving in The Hague by train
travel via the railway stations of The Hague Central and The Hague HS.
International night trains also stop at the latter station. There are a
number of smaller stations, namely Moerwijk, Ypenburg, Laan van NOI and
Mariahoeve. The Hague has direct train connections with, among others,
Leiden Central, Haarlem, Schiphol, Amsterdam Sloterdijk, Amsterdam
Central, Amsterdam South, Almere Center, Lelystad Center, Zwolle,
Groningen, Leeuwarden, Gouda, Utrecht Central, Enschede, Deventer,
Delft, Rotterdam Central, Dordrecht, Roosendaal, Vlissingen, Breda,
Tilburg and Eindhoven Central.
HTM Passenger Transport provides
an extensive network of 12 tram lines, 9 bus lines and 6 night bus lines
for transport in The Hague and surrounding municipalities. The HTM has
by far the most interlocal tram lines in the Netherlands. Since
September 2007, HTM has been operating 2 lines to and from Zoetermeer
under the name RandstadRail, and RET operates Metro line E to and from
Slinge metro station in Rotterdam. As of August 25, 2019, the regional
transport connections with The Hague are largely in the hands of EBS and
since December 9, 2012 also of Arriva. Before that, regional transport
was fully operated by Connexxion. Furthermore, international bus
transport is provided by Flixbus.
On February 10, 2010, the name
of Rotterdam Airport was changed to Rotterdam The Hague Airport. The
airport is accessible via the A13 motorway and by public transport via
metro line E and connecting shuttle bus.
The Hague has had its own conservatory since 1826. The Residentie
Orkest was founded in 1904. The Paard van Troje is the largest pop stage
in The Hague. Other well-known music venues in the city are De Zwarte
Ruiter and music café de Paap.
O, o, Den Haag by Harry
Klorkestein, a pseudonym of Klein Orkest (with Harrie Jekkers), has been
called the unofficial anthem of The Hague. From The Hague and the
surrounding area, bands and musicians include Klein Orkest, Golden
Earring, Shocking Blue, Supersister, Earth & Fire (Voorschoten, Voorburg
and Leidschendam), Sandy Coast (Voorburg), DI-RECT, Kane, De Règâhs,
Anouk, De Kraaien, Darkraver and Charly Lownoise.
A number of non-Dutch films were (partly) shot in The Hague, including Mindhunters (2004), Ocean's Twelve (2004), Black Book (2006) and The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017). Parts of Season 2 of the Netflix series Sense8 were also filmed in The Hague. Actors and filmmakers from The Hague include Martin Koolhoven, Georgina Verbaan, Carel Struycken, Frederique van der Wal, Marwan Kenzari, Anna Drijver, Renée Soutendijk, Stephan Evenblij, Bridget Maasland and Paul Verhoeven.
Well-known shopping streets and centers are Grote Marktstraat,
Spuistraat and Vlamingstraat, Haagse Passage, Hoogstraat and Noordeinde,
Lange Poten and Korte Poten, Haagsche Bluf, Markthof and Venestraat. The
largest shopping centers are Haaglanden MegaStores and the Leyweg
shopping centre. The Haagse Markt is the largest permanent open-air
market in Europe. There is a market every week on Monday, Wednesday,
Friday and Saturday.
On Thursday evening it is shopping evening
in The Hague. As in the other major cities (Amsterdam and Rotterdam),
only the (major) shops in the center were allowed to be open on Sundays.
As the only one of the larger cities in the Netherlands, shops in the
suburbs of The Hague are now also allowed to be open on Sundays from 10
a.m. to 6 p.m. This decision has improved the competitive position of
the smaller shops (often run by people with a migration background) in
the suburbs, which benefits the quality of life in the suburbs. The city
center of The Hague was nominated in 2009 for 'Best city center in the
Netherlands'. The Hague also has the highest number of exclusive retail
formulas of all cities in the Netherlands (75).