Scheveningen/Kijkduin beaches, The Hague

Favorite thing: Scheveningen is a modern seaside resort with a long sandy beach, an esplanade, a pier, and a lighthouse. A nudist section is 1 km to the north.

The harbor is used both for fishing and tourism.

The long sandy beach is also popular for watersports like windsurfing and kiteboarding

The earliest reference to the name 'Sceveninghe' goes back to around 1280. The first inhabitants may have been Anglo Saxon. Other historians favor a Scandinavian origin. Fishing was the main source of food and income.

The Battle of Scheveningen was fought between English and Dutch fleets off the coast of the village on 10 August 1654. Thousands of people gathered on the shore to watch.

A road with neighbouring Den Haag was constructed in 1663 (current name: Scheveningseweg).
The beach at Scheveningen by Adriaen van de Velde, painted 1658.
The beach at Scheveningen by Adriaen van de Velde, painted 1658.

In 1470 a heavy storm destroyed the church and half of all houses. The village was again hit by storm on November 1, 1570, in 1775, 1825, 1860, 1881 and in 1894. After this last storm the villagers decided to build a harbor. Until then, the fishing ships had a flat bottom (bomschuiten), and were pulled upon the beach. Around 1870 over 150 of these ships were in use. When the harbor had been constructed in 1904, more modern ships replaced the bomschuiten.

In 1818 Jacob Pronk built a wooden building on a dune near the sea, from where people could bathe from 4 separate rooms. It marked the start of Scheveningen as a bathing place. Since then, Scheveningen has attracted numerous tourists from all over Europe, notably from Germany.

The hotel and restaurant Kurhaus was opened in 1886.

The picturesque village attracted many Dutch artists over the centuries, to paint the bomschuiten drawn up on the beach, or fishermen at work in the North Sea. Notable painters who recorded the village include Adriaen van de Velde, Simon de Vlieger and Hendrik Willem Mesdag, whose enormous panorama, 14 m high and 120 m around, preserves the view of Scheveningen in 1881.

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Favorite thing: Remember the opening-picture of the lighthouse? This is the same view, just with rough ocean and huge waves at daylight. It is the area of the Southern Shores of The Hague, the Zuiderstrand - Pantai Selatan (Dutch & Indonesian translation). See the famous Scheveningen Pier at the background ...
Going SOUTH Along The Shore

Fondest memory: The place is magical, mysterious and, mystic. Wicca- and Druid-people come here to perform their rituals on Full Moon's night, we exercise our Satria Nusantara-sport here, the beach is a dog-friendly area, the beach parking-place is FREE (!) so you'll see the whole family for a nice picnic and, at the Cuisine (Kitchen) you can have a great meal, a cup of coffee, an icecream. Furtheron you'll find the nudist-beach part on a 15 minutes walk. A lot of surfers come here trying to control the huge waves, so I need no more to tell, do I? Maybe wathing the beautiful sunset during winter, summer, spring and autumn ... ;o)

Favorite thing: When visiting The Hague there is no chance to miss the beach resort Scheveningen. See the famous Kurhaus & De Pier with a walk in Southerly direction the more quiet Southern Beach = Zuiderstrand, and going in Northern way the utmost trendy Black Path at Northern Beach = Noorderstrand. Both are my favourites for different reasons ...

Fondest memory: Choose the best one for your own preference and enjoy the sun, the ocean, the waves, the heat, the people, the sports, the snacks, the walk, the air, the wind, the wide views, the Pier and the Kurhaus.
Just enjoy yourself ... ;o)))

Favorite thing: Just one step behind the Circus-Theatre and next to the Casino, Scheveningen, you can find the Lourdes Church (O.L. Vrouwe van Lourdes Kerk). Within in the hectic centre of Scheveningen a good friend told me about this spot. Besides the Old Church of Scheveningen there is this "oldest area" of Scheveningen, where the fisher-women gathered for a pray to heaven to bring back their loved-ones form the wild sea ...

Fondest memory: The name of Lourdes Church and it so peacefull Lourdes Grot (Cave) must have been turned up after the Bernadette of Lourdes myth. A lot of travellers come here to pray for a good trip on their way, or light a candle. There is a Maria-statue, pure white, in a corner and, when the light comes in at a particular time through the glass windows in the roof (midday), the light will shine right at the statue. It has been lightened up for now, though when I am there for a little meditation I can imagine how people get surprised by the sudden light coming in from up heaven ...
A friend of me could not resist the peaceful candles at one of my fondest spots ...
Lourdes Church

Favorite thing: Isn't she lovely? The grandeur of a castle-like building looking over the waves of the ocean ... the Northern Sea. Entering Scheveningen from down-town you probably won't see the Kurhaus like on this photograph. And during summertime the beach will be overcrowded with bathing visitors ...

Fondest memory: So ... the only moment you will get to watch the Kurhaus in all of her grandiosity is ... wintertime, my dears. Draw near to her from beach-side and hold in your respect. The Goddess of the Ocean will accompany you, ... thanks Scheveningen!
Truly Snow Time - Scheveningen

Favorite thing: Scheveningen and Kijkduin have quite different ambiances. Scheveningen is much more crowded (although when you go to Kijkduin, this is sometimes hard to imagine). Scheveningen has a very large boulevard with lots and lots of restaurants, bars and all that stuff. Kijkduin has but a very small boulevard. Actually more like an overly big footpath. And parking is usually easier in Kijkduin. Though Scheveningen is easier to be reached with public transport. Hence the fact that there will more boisterous youngsters at Scheveningen. Anyway, i don´t want to say that one is better then the other. They´re just different.

Favorite thing: Well, maybe you've read here with RoyJava VT-Pages about the "durian", the tropical King Of The Fruits. That is my favourite fruit!

And I do like shopping any time of the year. Winter can be cold, so some malls are superbe to go for a "shopp-till-you-drop". Palace Promenade, Scheveningen, has an exquisite selection, especially for fruits. Tropical Fruits! Included the delicious durian! (sorry for the expensive price ...)

PALACE PROMENADE - SCHEVENINGEN

BigBenba's Tropical Fruits

Fondest memory: Nope, I donot miss the durian when away from The Hague ... I do miss the wonderful Scheveningen and all kind of possibilities to buy "out-of-season" things, included the heavenly tasted durian. Thanks Palace Promenade, for getting durian at a sudden time when shopping around ...

Favorite thing: Born on an Indonesian island and raised close to the beach of Sorong, Papua New Guinea, I am happy to live in The Hague. It's close to the beach of Scheveningen and I've watched Scheveningen's growth. It started in a slow way ...

Fondest memory: As the Scheveningen local's I am used to it for now, though it took a little time. Still I think it is amazing how Scheveningen raised its impressive skyline keeping its beauty. I do hope Scheveningen will grow furtheron without losing its original character ... a magnificent beach-town.

Favorite thing: View the painting by Mesdag called Panorama Mesdag. Its a huge panoramic painting of which there are only a few in the whole world. It depicts Scheveningen beach at the turn of the century, you hear the seagulls and the wind blowing whilst viewing. You have to climb some stairs to see the painting fromn all sides. Then walk down the road to the Peace Palace and get the tram into Scheveningen (8 or 9) There you can stand at the same spot it was painted (restaurant Seinpost neart to the lighthouse)
You can get a preview at www.mesdag.nl. The screensaver is beautiful!

Fondest memory: Walking down the streets in Scheveningen and the Hague and coming across small muses (hofjeswoningen), almshouses, or fishermans houses. They are protected buildings now and kept immaculate.
Walk from the Hague Central Station along side the canal towards the Malieveld/Scheveningen and within ten minutes you will reach a neighbourhood called Buurtschap 2005. It has lots of antique shops, bars, restaurants. In this area alone you will find lots of 'hofjeswoningen'. Walk down the Dennenweg/Hooikade/Noordeinde (even next to Palace Noordeinde) and you will find them.

Favorite thing: In the summer it can get pretty busy on the beach in Scheveningen. But also in the wintertime it is a really nice place to visit.