Several times a week I cross the Haagse Thorbeckelaan, a beautiful avenue that borders my neighbourhood, the Vruchtenbuurt. Having recently read the interesting biography ‘Thorbecke wants it’, I know more about the man after whom this avenue is named: Johan Rudolph Thorbecke. Johan Rudolph Thorbecke Thorbecke was born in 1798 in Zwolle. His immediate family …
The courtyards of The Hague’s Binnenhof are often crowded. Tourists are touring, activists may be protesting or supporting one cause or another, and journalists are chasing politicians for interviews. But in general the atmosphere is friendly, with at most some verbal abuse. The beheading of Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, 1619, anonimous 1619* Yet blood has flowed …
If we want to learn something about history, we usually read texts or look at photos. Rarely there is the possibility to view something in three dimensions. In The Hague we have such a unique opportunity, thanks to the model of the Jewish Neighbourhood which can be admired in the Atrium of the town hall …
A few months ago I wrote an article about the family firm Zondag, wine and spirit merchants and distillery at Westeinde in The Hague. Not long after, I was pleasantly surprised to receive an email from Fred Andrioli. He told me that in the sixties Zondag had been an important supplier of the Haagsche Studenten …
I like to curl up on the couch with a book. One of my favorites is ‘Old People and the Things That Pass’ by Louis Couperus. It’s a book I like to revisit regularly. Louis Couperus Louis Couperus – a descendant of a long line of Colonial civil servants and administrators – was born in …
Here in The Hague I often notice company names on shopfronts that differ from the company that is currently doing business in the shop or building. This always triggers my curiosity and I try to find out more about the history of the building. That’s what I did after spotting the building on Westeinde 10, …
I’m a great fan of small museums – particularly those that tell a story. The Hague is fortunate to have a number of these museums, including the unique Freemasonry Museum. Here you can learn about the past and present of the fraternal order known as The Grand Orient of the Netherlands. Freemasonry in The Hague …
During my guided tours through The Hague I often walk by the statue of Queen Wilhelmina, across from the Noordeinde Palace. If I do so in the company of Dutch people, their recognition is immediate: ‘Oh yes, Queen Wilhelmina!’ If I’m in the company of visitors from abroad they ask me hesitatingly ‘Is this a …
I consider myself an observant inhabitant of The Hague. But sometimes I find that I have been cycling past beautiful and interesting art without noticing it. So this time I show you the art at Zuiderpark. Art in Zuiderpark: how it started Have you visited the vast floral gardens at Keukenhof, in Lisse? Well, from …
I drink tea and don’t like coffee, my husband drinks coffee and doesn’t like tea. But talking about beverages, we are of the same opinion on one thing: The best and most interesting coffee and tea shop in The Hague is Inproc at Denneweg. Indische PROducten Centrale As early as 1853 the Leupen family had …
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