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This article is about the city in the Netherlands; there is also a region known as (the) Hague in France.
Introduction
The Hague (population 465,000, Dutch: Den
Haag, or, officially, 's-Gravenhage) is the administrative capital of the Netherlands, located in the
west of the country, in the province Zuid-Holland of which it is also the
capital.
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". The stork is the symbol of Den Haag.
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.
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:
Subdivisions
The Hague has eight official parts (stadsdelen) [1] :
- Center
- Escamp
- Haagse Hout
- Benoordenhout
- Bezuidenhout (see also V-2 rocket)
- Haagse Bos
- Marlot
- Mariahoeve
- Laak
- Leidschenveen-Ypenburg
- Loosduinen
- Waldeck
- Kraayenstein
- Loosduinen
- Scheveningen
- Scheveningen
- Duinoord
- Statenkwartier
- Belgisch Park
- Segbroek
- Bomen- en Bloemenbuurt
- Regentessekwartier
- Valkenboskwartier
- Vogelwijk
- Vruchtenbuurt
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.
Population
1796: 41,300 inhabitants
1830: 56,100
1849: 63,600
1879: 113,500
1899: 206,000
1925: 394,500
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
Culture
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 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.
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 coach of the Dutch national football team, Dick
Advocaat
- Three times Embassy Darts-champion Raymond van Barneveld
- 1992 Olympic Champion (10 km speed skating) Bart Veldkamp
Transportation
For trams and buses see HTM.
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.
Nearby towns
External links
South Holland
Alblasserdam - Albrandswaard - Alkemade - Alphen aan den Rijn - Barendrecht - Bergambacht - Bergschenhoek -
Berkel en Rodenrijs - Bernisse - Binnenmaas - Bleiswijk - Bodegraven - Boskoop - Brielle - Capelle aan den IJssel - Cromstrijen - Delft - Dirksland - Dordrecht - Giessenlanden - Goedereede - Gorinchem - Gouda - Graafstroom - 's-Gravendeel - Hardinxveld-Giessendam - Hellevoetsluis -
Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht - Hillegom - Jacobswoude - Katwijk - Korendijk - Krimpen aan den IJssel - Leerdam - Leiden - Leiderdorp - Leidschendam-Voorburg - Liemeer - Liesveld - Lisse -
Maassluis - Middelharnis -
Midden-Delfland - Moordrecht - Nederlek - Nieuw-Lekkerland - Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel - Nieuwkoop -
Noordwijk - Noordwijkerhout - Oegstgeest - Oostflakkee - Oud-Beijerland - Ouderkerk - Papendrecht - Pijnacker-Nootdorp -
Reeuwijk - Ridderkerk - Rijnsburg - Rijnwoude - Rijswijk - Rotterdam - Rozenburg - Sassenheim - Schiedam - Schoonhoven - Sliedrecht - Spijkenisse - Strijen - Ter Aar - The Hague -
Valkenburg - Vlaardingen -
Vlist - Voorhout - Voorschoten - Waddinxveen -
Warmond - Wassenaar - Westland - Westvoorne - Zederik - Zevenhuizen-Moerkapelle - Zoetermeer -
Zoeterwoude - Zwijndrecht
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