Fun things to do in The Hague

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Noordeinde Palace has always been the residence of the reigning Stadtholder or monarch. The first inhabitant was Louise de Coligny, the last wife of William the Silent. In the 17th century, Frederik Hendrik and Amalia van Solms had the Huis ten Bosch Palace built. Both palaces were in use until the beginning of the French rule, but from that time until World War II only Noordeinde Palace was used as a residence. During World War II Queen Wilhelmina lived in England. The palace was slightly damaged during the war.

After Queen Wilhelmina's return she lived in a number of villas in Nieuwe Parklaan. Her daughter, Queen Juliana, never lived in Noordeinde Palace. Until 1977 the palace housed the Institute of Social Studies, but after drastic renovations Queen Beatrix chose to use this palace as her place of work in 1984. Left of Noordeinde Palace is number 66, the house where Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Máxima Zorreguieta lived before estate 'De Horsten' became their residence.

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From the Middle Ages The Hague has consisted of two parts, each with a character all of its own: the earl's Court with the prosperous areas around Hofvijver and Lange Voorhout, and the village of Die Haeghe, around the Grote Kerk and the town hall, where the commoners lived. The town hall, built on the cellars of the medieval Hof van Brederode, is one of the first examples of the Renaissance in the north of Holland. The richly decorated facade features the maxim: 'Ne Jupiter Quidem Omnibus' - even Jupiter cannot please everyone. The sculptures above the middle represent Justice and Caution, with the stork of The Hague and a Latin maxim which, freely translated, means 'one man's fault is another man's lesson'. The building was restored between 1968 and 1975 and a council chamber was added. These days the former town hall is only used for marrying people.

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Without doubt, the most striking building on Binnenhof is the Knights' Hall, built in the 13th and 14th centuries as the castle for the Earls of Holland. The Main Hall, which has been called the Knights' Hall since the 19th century, dates from the second half of the 13th century. The famous wooden covering was demolished in 1861, however, less than forty years later it was replaced by an exact copy. Since 1904 the Knights' Hall has been the setting for the reading of the Queen's speech at the annual opening of Parliament. In her speech, the Queen announces the government's plans for the coming year to the parliament and to the Dutch people.

Where can you see water flowing uphill? Where do birds transmogrify into fish and drawings of reptiles crawl right off the page, over the objects on the artist's desk and back onto the paper again? Where does the shadow of a dog turn into a dog in its own right? And where can a mother make herself smaller than her own seven-year-old child? All these wonders can be witnessed at Escher in Het Paleis on the Lange Voorhout in The Hague. This new centre houses a huge collection of prints and drawings by the world-famous Dutch artist M. C. Escher, plus fascinating explanatory programmes and a host of old family photos, drawings and design sketches that help to bring Escher's work even more vividly to life.

The Artist
Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972) was born in Leeuwarden. In 1919, he enrolled at the then renowned Haarlem School of Architecture and Ornamental Design. Influenced by his tutor Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita, himself a great graphic artist, Escher soon started to make lino prints and woodcuts. After his training, he embarked on the traditional artistic grand tour of Italy and Spain. There, he made landscape and architectural drawings from which he would continue to draw inspiration all his life. During trips to Spain, he visited Granada and Córdoba, where he was fascinated by the Moorish buildings and mosaics.



Famous works
Escher in Het Paleis is certainly the place to see the originals of famous works like Belvédère, Ascending and Descending, Day and Night and parts of the Metamorphosis series. But don't miss the other interesting exhibits, like the less well-known bookplates, wrapping paper designs for major stores, a New Years greeting from friends and early self-portraits.

De Plaats is a square in the city cneter, near the Buitenhof/Binnenhof and the Hofvijver. It as a place surrounded by small shops and cafés. The most remarkable sculpture in this place is the one of Johan de Witt, one of the most importnat statesmen in dutch history. He was killed in 1672 by a mob after power conflicts with the royals. The monument marks the place where he was killed.

East to the central train station you can find some modern buildings making you feel that you are in some part of Rotterdam. The buildings are usde for different purposes, mostly business, living or governmental purposes. Among them is the ministry of foreign affairs which is shown on the picture. The dutch flag is set on half-mast because it was shortly after the death of Wim Duisenberg.

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Westbroekpark is one of the best parks in The Hague. The main attraction are their rose gardens that feature a contest every year. This is an international contest and some of the loveliest rosen bloom in large beds. The parks also has fine grass, a place for children to play, a restaurant and, its best kept secret, a lovely tea house. The tea house serves very good coffee, tea and drinks and buys its bakery from the best patiseries in The Hague. Here you can also rent a rowing boat (one has been called 'Titanic').
The park has been landscaped on a terrain were there used to be dunes. The sand was used for building purposes. The ground is very level, just above the ground water level. This is ideal for many plants, like roses. Also, as it is fairly deep and steep to the North West and open to the south, there is not much windand a lot of sunshine.

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The monument of Willem de Zwijger (william of Orange) dominates this place where you will find a lot of cafés. It is a place full of life, but the prices at the cafés are above average. In the background, you have old and new buildings of the Binnanhof, on the other side, you can see modern skyscrapers in the background.