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Welcome to Den Haag ,
location of the Netherlands' seat of government. Otherwise known as The Hague in English speaking countries it is also home to the UN's International Court of Justice and numerous other inernational organisations. Den Haag is is located in the South Holland province and is the third largest city in the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam, with a population of approximately half a million people and approximately double that making up the greater metropolitan area. As the city is the seat of government and royalty it is the location of foreign embassies, governmental ministries and the country's Supreme Court. The Binnenhof houses the country's parliament and is to all intents the centre of the city, along with the Hofvijver, whilst the modern Hoftoren is the city's tallest building.
's Gravenhage, a slight contraction of Des Graven Hage, meaning The Count's Hedge / Enclosure, Den Haag or The Hague, however one chooses to call it, was founded in 1248 by William II , Count of Holland and King of Germany when he chose to commence building of a castle in a forest close to the sea. Though he didn't live to oversee its completion, parts of it remain to this day and are known as the Ridderzaal or Knights' Hall, and it is still utilised for political and state events such as the monarch's annual address. Despite being compromised on and chosen by the powerful cities such as Leiden and Delft as the administrative centre for the area in the middle ages it wasn't until the Napoleonic French occupation of 1806 that The Hague was granted city status itself. Substantial damage was caused to the city during the Second World War and in the years following huge rebuilding work was undertaken seeing the city expand rapidly, especially in its southern districts. The Vogelwijk, Statenkwartier, Belgisch Park and Benoordenhout areas are in the north west with Transvaal, Moerwijk and Schilderswijk in the south and eastern parts of the city. The Benelux countries' most visited beach resort is Scheveningen, in the north west, which is a hugely popular destination for the younger generation and tourists alike, being host to approximately 10 million visitors per year. The city, today, has a high population of civil servants, administrators, diplomats and staff plus foreign business representatives due to its status as the seat of government. It is regarded, somewhat unjustly, as relatively staid and boring in comparison to the vibrance of cities such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht. Much of this reputation primarily stems from its lack of a large student culture, the Haagse hogeschool being oriented towards higher professional education rather than straight academic studies. What is is missing in terms of undergraduate culture it does, however, make up for to a large extent with its diverse cultural makeup. The city, in addition to its sizeable European expat population also has a distinct Indonesian influenced community, due to the country's possession of its former colony of Netherlands East Indies, this only ending in 1949. Please check back here soon for more information on the history of The Hague and its modern day hotels, transport links, facilities and institutions. Further English language information on the city's museums, culture and sports is available at DenHaag.com or Wikipedia |