March 24 is an important date in the history of Dutch football. On that day in 1913 the Dutch national team defeated England for the first time in history. And that at a time when everyone thought that the English, who had invented the football game, were unbeatable. The memorable match took place at Houtrust, …
Every day, without thinking much about it, I turn on the tap and clean water, safe to drink, flows out. Perhaps I should pay more attention, because not so long ago, that would not have been the experience of residents of The Hague. Join me in taking a look at the history of our The …
Sometimes a topic for an article comes from an unexpected source. My sister had been sorting my grandmother’s postcard collection and of course she gave me the cards with images from The Hague. A number of those postcards show pictures of the Wilhelmina Promenade Pier at Scheveningen, which sadly no longer exists. Where If you …
“Hours, days, months, years fly like a shadow”. That is the start of a song that the generations of my parents and grandparents sang on New Year’s Eve. And in certain circles it might still be sung every year. We also have a saying in Dutch: “De tijd gaat snel, gebruik haar wel” (which translates …
Sport and games have been around a long time. And have been everywhere, so also in The Hague. Let me take you on a short tour of sport venues in The Hague. Malieveld Malieveld is so-named because it was where Hagenaars played a game called Jeu de mail or Pall-mall. Poles were placed at either …
Our current King Willem-Alexander is a passionate, fully qualified aircraft pilot. His three-times-great-grandfather had a passion for art in general and paintings and Gothic architecture in particular. Opposite Noordeinde Palace in The Hague we can still find a result of this passion: The Gothic Hall. Gothic Hall – photo Rita van Geem Crown Prince William …
In the last few years, the centuries-old tradition of pilgrimage to to Spain’s Santiago de Compostela has become quite popular. But you don’t need to walk or cycle 1900 kilometres to find Saint James (in Dutch Sint Jacob). You can find him at several spots in The Hague. Saint James Among the 12 apostles of …
Many stories about the Second World War have not been told, or not told often enough. Like the story of the resistance against the Germans by people from the Dutch East Indies, which included the island group the Moluccas. Victor Makatita One of the resistance fighters featured in the exhibit is Victor Makatita. He was …
I would like to introduce you to a special animal species: the façade animal of The Hague. This animal was not discussed during the biology lesson at school but can be admired in many places and in various forms in The Hague. So walk with me and look up! Telling a story Many façade animals …
April 23 is the saint’s day of Saint George. He is usually depicted heroically busy defeating a dragon. Standing in the stirrups, he spears the head of this threatening creature with his lance. This symbol of good defeating evil can be found in The Hague. Plaque Tournooiveld 5 Saint George’s guild During the Middle Ages, …
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