The Hague: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 18:14, 10 August 2004
- This article is about the city in the Netherlands; there is also a region known as (the) Hague in France.
The Hague (Dutch: Den Haag, or officially 's-Gravenhage) is the administrative capital of the Netherlands, located in the west of the country, in the province South Holland of which it is also the capital. With a population of 465,000 (700,000 in the metropolitan area) and an area of approximately 100 km², it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands after Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
The Hague hosts the Eerste Kamer and the Tweede Kamer, respectively the Senate and the House of Representatives, forming the Dutch parliament. Also the Dutch Queen Beatrix lives and works in The Hague. All foreign embassies and government ministries are located in the city, as well as the Supreme Court and many lobby organisations.
As one of the capitals of the United Nations, The Hague is host to several institutions of the UN:
- The International Court of Justice, located in the Peace Palace (Vredespaleis, its construction was financed by Andrew Carnegie).
- The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
- The International Criminal Court.
- The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
History
Originally a hunting location, the counts of Holland used it as their administrative center; all cities had their rights and 'kapsones'. 'Des Graven Hage' literally means "The counts' hedge" or "The count's private enclosure". The stork is the symbol of Den Haag.
The oldest building, the Ridderzaal (Knights' Hall) was built in 1236. It is still in use for political events.
The Hague was formally named a city by the French occupation force as late as 1806, centuries after other Dutch cities had received similar rights. This has led to the urban legend that The Hague is not a city but a village.
Until the 19th century The Hague was little more than a small town. It was undefended by city walls because of its political status. It lacks a large historical inner city like the nearby cities of Leiden and Delft. The Hague started growing quickly when the government started playing a more prominent role in Dutch society. The older parts of the city are therefore mostly from the 19th century and the early 20th century.
The city sustained heavy damage during World War II. The Atlantic Wall was built right through the city, causing whole neighbourhoods to be torn down by the Germans. On March 3rd, 1945, the Royal Air Force bombarded the Bezuidenhout. The target was an installation of V2 rockets in a nearby park. Due to navigation errors, the bombs fell on a heavily populated part of the city. Over 500 people died and the scars in the city are still to be seen today.
After the war The Hague was at some point the largest building site in Europe. The city expanded massively in the southwest. The destroyed areas were also quickly rebuilt. The population peaked at 550.000 inhabitants around 1970.
After that the mostly white middle classes moved to the suburbs like Voorburg, Leidschendam, Rijswijk and most of all Zoetermeer. This has led to the traditional pattern of an impoverished inner city and more prosperous suburbs. Attempts to include parts of the suburbs in The Hague are highly controversial.
Subdivisions
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The Hague has eight official parts (stadsdelen)[1]:
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The city
City life concentrates around the Hofvijver and the Binnenhof, which is where the Parliament is located. The beach resort Scheveningen, in the northwestern part of the city, is another popular destination for tourists and young people to go out.
The former Dutch colony of Netherlands East Indies ("Nederlands-Indië", nowadays called Indonesia) has left its mark on The Hague. Many streets are named after places in Netherlands East Indies and there is a sizeable "Indisch" (i.e. mixed Dutch-Indonesian) community. After the loss of these Dutch possessions in December 1949, "Indisch" people often refer to The Hague as 'the Widow of "Indië"'.
The older parts of the town usually have characteristically wide and long streets. Houses are generally low-rise (not more than 3 floors), and quite elegant. The layout of the city is more spacious than other Dutch cities. There are almost no canals in The Hague, as they were all drained in the late 1800s.
You can find some of the most properous and some of the poorest neighbourhoods of The Netherlands in The Hague. The wealthier areas are generally located west of the Laan van Meerdervoort. The poorer areas can be found in the southern and eastern parts of the city. This division is reflected in the local accent. The more affluent citizens are usually called "Hagenaars" and speak so-called "bekakt". This is contrasted with the "Hagenezen", who speak "plat Haags". There is relatively little social interaction between these groups.
Population
1796: 41,300 inhabitants
1830: 56,100
1849: 63,600
1879: 113,500
1899: 206,000
1925: 394,500
1970: 550.000
1990: 440.000
2003: 463,800
Business
Professional life in the city is dominated by the large number of civil servants working there. Government ministeries and public organizations are almost all located in The Hague. Added to that several large businesses have their headquarter in The Hague.
- Royal Dutch Shell, one of the largest companies in the world
- KPN, the Dutch national phone company
- AEGON, one of the largest Dutch insurance companies
- TPG, large international provider of post and logistics services
There has never been a large industrial base in The Hague, with perhaps the exception of the fishing harbour of Scheveningen.
Culture
The Hague does not have a reputation for a bristling night life. It does have its share of good museums and cultural institutions.
- Madurodam is a miniature city in the Hague, which reflects what the Netherlands look like.
- The Mauritshuis exhibits many paintings by Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt van Rijn and Paulus Potter.
- The Royal Theatre and the Nationaal Toneel-group are located at the Korte Voorhout.
- The Gemeentemuseum hosts a large collection of images from the Dutch painter Piet Mondriaan as well as other modern art.
- The Escher Museum is located in the former Royal Palace at the Lange Voorhout.
- Famous writers from The Hague include Remco Campert, Simon Carmiggelt, Louis Couperus and poet Bart Chabot.
- Panorama Mesdag houses a cylindrical 'panoramic' painting of 14 meter high x 120 meter long, depicting the Hague and Scheveningen in the 19th century, made by Hendrik Willem Mesdag. It is presented in such a way that it is almost as if one is looking at a real scene instead of a painting.
- The museum Beelden aan Zee has a large collection of sculptures, mainly from 20th-century artists.
- The Museon is a science museum.
- The Congresgebouw hosts the annual North Sea Jazz Festival. However, the festival organisation intends to move to Rotterdam in the near future.
- The Hague has brought forth the rock bands Shocking Blue and Golden Earring and the satiricists Kees van Kooten and Wim de Bie.
Sport
The local football club is called ADO Den Haag.
Famous sportsmen from The Hague include:
- 1996 Wimbledon Champion Richard Krajicek
- The twice former coach of the Dutch national football (soccer) team, Dick Advocaat
- Three times Embassy Darts champion Raymond van Barneveld
- 1992 Olympic Champion (10 km speed skating) Bart Veldkamp
Transportation
Public transportation in The Hague consists of a sizable number of tram- and buslines, operated by the Haagsche Tramwegmaatschappij, or HTM. Plans for a subway were shelved in the early 1970s, although construction of a tramtunnel through the center of the city is scheduled to be finished in late 2004, despite several setbacks. A lightrail system called Randstadrail isunder construction, connecting The Hague, Rotterdam, Zoetermeer and suburbs.
There are two main train stations: Den Haag Hollands Spoor (gv) and Den Haag Centraal (gvc). It is somewhat confusing that many trains bypass the central station; this is because it is a terminus. The Thalys Paris - Amsterdam stops at Den Haag Hollands Spoor. Central Station connects The Hague to every major city in The Netherlands with direct train connections.
The nearest airport is Rotterdam Airport.
Nearby towns
External links
- City of Den Haag
- "About The Hague"
- Panorama Mesdag
- Gemeentemuseum
- Haagsche Courant. Local newspaper
- De Digitale Hofstad. Off-beat news about The Hague
- HTM map
- For some edges of The Hague see the detailed maps of Rijswijk [2], Leidschendam-Voorburg [3] and Wassenaar [4].