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The Hague

Travoley
The Hague
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The Hague Travel Guide

  • About The Hague
Amsterdam may be the Netherlands’ commercial (and party) capital, but The Hague is its majestic, airy cousin and a city that’s long been fit for a king.As the Netherlands’ seat of government and home to the largest of the Dutch royal palaces, the porticoed and colonnaded Noordeinde, The Hague is awash with classical facades and dotted with monuments.Where governance resides, gourmet food ultimately follows and the city has a wealth of wonderful restaurants and petite cafés to win over even the fussiest palate.Neatness and a slower pace of life is all part of the city’s charm, although behind the doors of the Binnenhof, the Netherlands’ answer to the White House, things get a little more frenetic.Unsurprisingly for a city built around governance, the Binnenhof is considered the heart of The Hague. The gorgeous 13th-century palace complex is surrounded by a series of open plazas, among them the vast Het Plein and the busy Grote Markt.This all backs on to the Buitenhof, another airy plaza that leads onto a 19th century covered shopping area known as Der Passage, which boasts an array of expensive boutiques.However, historic architecture is never far away and the city boasts no fewer than four royal palaces, one of which is now a museum. This is the Lange Voorhout Palace, now home to a gallery dedicated to the work of graphic artist genius M.C. Escher.That, if nothing else, is enough to prove that for all the government bureaucracy and international criminal courts associated with the city, there’s more to The Hague than history and law.The gleaming towers that house the International Criminal Court suggest a willingness to look forward, while the stunning beaches of Scheveningen and Kijkduin tell of a city that isn’t afraid to shake off the shackles of work.
  • The Hague History
The Hague is a hybrid city: it’s The Netherlands’ seat of government but not its capital city; it has many of the trappings of power but without any of its vim.It is a state of affairs that has continued throughout its history, starting with its founding by 1230 when Count Floris IV of Holland built a hunting lodge there.Soon the city grew, with the rulers of Holland using The Hague as an administrative and financial centre. As a result, the city enjoyed a building boom with the Ridderzaal (Knight’s Hall), which still stands at Binnenhof, is one of the original seats of government.Its growth didn’t go without a hitch, however, with centuries of economic boom arrested by the Eighty Years War. During this time, in 1575, it was briefly threatened with demolition thanks to its lack of city walls.Ironically, salvation came courtesy of another set of wars, the Napoleonic, with The Hague finally granted a city charter in 1806 by the French dictator himself.With the formation of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, it became the seat of government while the capital alternated between Brussels and Amsterdam.After Belgium broke away in 1830, The Hague began to boom and became a hub for the Dutch Empire, with many civil servants posted overseas returning to the city to retire. One of the wealthiest cities in the Netherlands by the turn of the 20th century, its development was curtailed by the outbreak of WWI and almost derailed completely by the depredations of Hitler and the Nazis.By the end of the war, much of The Hague was badly damaged and, as a result, the city became the biggest building site in Europe in the 1950s.Redevelopment continued apace in the 1960s and 70s, with the city expanding and absorbing many of the surrounding towns. Today, it remains what it has always been: a bureaucrats’ city that isn’t nearly as grey as its reputation suggests.
  • Did you know?
Christiaan Huygens, inventor of the pendulum clock and pocket watch, was born in The Hague in 1629. In 1945, England accidentally bombarded the Bezuidenhout district of The Hague. The intended target was another district, from which German missiles were being launched. The city was first mentioned as the name Haga in a 1242 charter.
  • Weather in The Hague
The Hague is a year-round destination, but if it is access to the resort districts of Scheveningen and Kijkduin that appeal, summer (June to August) is the best time to visit. The city is beautiful in bloom, so arrive in April for the blossoming of the daffodils – or a month later if you wish to see the tulip (the Dutch national flower) brighten up May. Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are both pleasant times to visit but there is always a chance to rain.

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