My father-in-law, Pierre van Laeré, often told the story of the tragedy in his family: “During the Spanish flu epidemic, my parents lost a daughter and a son in a single night.” A little bit of research reveals the harsh reality of the effects of this pandemic. Spanish flu At the beginning of 1918, the …
By: Corry van Straten In the Middle Ages there was a chapel on the corner of Slijkeinde and Vleerstraat: the Saint Anthony Chapel. This chapel was run by a religious self-help group known as ‘de Crepelen’ (The Cripples). Both people with and without disabilities visited this place and even slept in the chapel to find …
I don’t just walk around The Hague as a city guide. Twice a week, together with other volunteers, I go out with residents of a nursing home. We often walk through one of The Hague’s beautiful parks: Meer en Bos, sandwiched between Laan van Meerdervoort and Machiel Vrijenhoeklaan. A genuine lake The Hague’s best known …
When we were young, my sisters and I would have arguments that sometimes ended in scuffles. Our parents then tried to explain to us that there are better ways to solve quarrels and conflicts. Like people, nations also have disagreements. If they are resolved by force, the result is more than a few bruises or …
The Hague is, of course, the city of royal palaces, but we have other types of palaces as well. Beginning around 1900, The Hague was enriched by “fashion palaces”. The origins of shops In the old days, if you needed shoes, you went to the shoemaker. If you needed a hat, you went to the …
A special group within the post-World War II Dutch baby boom were children fathered by the Allied soldiers, our liberators. These are the “liberation children” (in Dutch, “bevrijdingskinderen”). Allied soldiers The Allied soldiers who arrived in the Netherlands were healthy men who looked handsome and heroic in their uniforms. And the cigarettes, chewing gum and …
What does it take to have a child? No, don’t worry, I am not offering a lecture about sex education. I want to talk about the birth wave after the Second World War. It shows that hope and optimism about the future are important preconditions for bringing children into the world. Invasion and liberation Statistics …
When I was young, Ikea was not yet a presence in the Netherlands. So then it was Dutch, not Swedish, designers who determined the character of Dutch interiors. Much of this Dutch interior design was triggered by social developments. Servant crisis For a very long time, everyone who could afford it had domestic staff. Those …
We often look back at the end of a year. So did the inhabitants of The Hague 100 years ago, when the end of 1920 was approaching. Fashion in 1920 – Canadian Home Journal Wikimedia Commons Sport and elections Like 2020, 1920 was an Olympic year. In Antwerp, the Olympic Games were held for the …
What might Hagenaars have remembered about the year 1920? Read More »
In these times of low and perhaps negative savings interest rates, it is tempting to invest your money (if you have any left) in equities. Not so long ago, it was possible to do just that right here. We had our own stock exchange in The Hague. The Hague Stock Exchange Opening- Beursgeschiedenis Hassle with …
SYS Platform - Platform voor Coaches & Opleiders