The Hague is one of the most popular cities in the Netherlands. Every year, millions of tourists prefer this wonderful place. There are a lot of attractions here, we will talk about the most popular in this article.
Where is The Hague? History and present
The city is located on the shores of the North Sea. It was founded in 1248. It all started with the fact that Count Floris the Fourth decided to build a small house on the site of modern The Hague.
As you know, this city is considered the political capital of the Netherlands. It is worth remembering at least that the offices of such organizations as the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, and the Chamber of Arbitration are located here.
Many people think that this wonderful city is not a place for entertainment at all, because The Hague looks too serious. In fact, this is not true at all. There are simply a huge number of famous sights, museums, monuments and many other things that may interest travelers.
Sometimes tourists say that the city is very empty. There are no huge crowds of people, queues. Everything is quiet and calm in this place. But during fairs and festivals, The Hague becomes fabulous and fun. There is definitely something special and magical about this.
The funny thing is that absolutely at any time of the year, locals and tourists go to eat closer to the beach, despite the fact that it is very cold here in winter. By the way, compared to Amsterdam, there are not so many tourists in The Hague.
Attractions
What to see in The Hague? As mentioned above, this city has a lot of attractions. Next, we will try to take a closer look at the most famous monuments and buildings of the city.
Peace Palace
Let's start with the most famous building in The Hague. The palace was erected at the beginning of the twentieth century at the personal expense of the famous US industrialist E. Carnegie. The idea of creating the Peace Palace appeared due to the fact that conferences and events related to the establishment of peace were constantly held in the city. By the way, this happened at the initiative of Emperor Nicholas II.
This building has a Neo-Renaissance architectural style, and the author of the project is L. Cardognier. The building is made of brick, granite and sandstone.
Inside the building there is a museum and a library, which contains quite a lot of legal material. In addition, it is one of the largest in the world.
Also, the International Court of Justice sits here.
Knightlyhall
The small mansion called Ridderzaal is made in the Gothic style. It is part of the Binnenhof architectural complex. Currently used as a venue for royal receptions as well as inter-parliamentary meetings.
The name of the building was given not because the knights lived here, but because there is a fairly large knight's hall, in which all state events and events take place.
As for construction, the building was erected during the reign of Floris the Fifth, that is, in the thirteenth century. The hall was built over thirty years specifically for the counts to show their status.
Madurodam Miniature Park
This wonderful park is located in the spa area of Scheveningen. It looks like an absolutely typical Dutch town, but on a smaller scale. Trains run here, alleys pass through which people walk. As you can see, everything is very real, but small. This wonderful place is the personal property of ex-Queen Beatrix.
Piers Scheveningen
This pier is located in the same area as the miniature park. Many may think what is so special about it to be included in the list of attractions? This is because it has a very unusual shape. The pier has two levels, on the lower one there is a glass gallery, on the upper one there is an observation deck.
At the other end there are four small islands on whichrestaurants, as well as various shops. In addition, there is an observation tower where you can bungee jump.
Scheveningen district
In summer, many citizens and guests gather here. The area is located on the coast of the North Sea, and is popular because there is a wonderful beach with soft sand. In addition, you can go kitesurfing and windsurfing here.
The Scheveningen area is full of interesting museums and fishermen's lodges. It is also where we althy citizens and travelers take s alt baths.
Binnenhof
This is a whole complex of buildings in the Gothic style. It includes the residence of the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, as well as the parliament building. In addition, the National Museum, historical monuments and the Art Gallery are located here.
The construction of the Binnenhof began in the thirteenth century, when the reign of Willem II. At the moment, around the entire complex of buildings there is an artificial reservoir Hoffeifer, which can be seen in the photo above. It was dug back in the distant thirteenth century.
Noordeinde Palace
This place is currently considered the residence of the royal family. The construction of the remarkable castle began in the sixteenth century, then continued into the seventeenth. The authors of this project are P. Posta and J. van Kampen. They usually built in the style of classicism.
The palace became the royal residence at the beginning of the nineteenth century, afterliberation of the Netherlands. As for excursions, citizens and tourists can only go to the palace garden.
Hays-ten-Bos Palace
It is located in the park Haagse-Bos (northern part of the city of The Hague). This place is one of the residences of the King of the Netherlands. Once this building was located outside the city.
The building is made in the classical style, earlier monarchs always preferred to spend time here.
In addition, this palace houses paintings by famous Dutch artists.
Old Town Hall
This building was built in the sixteenth century. Once it was the count's castle. Marriages are being registered at the Town Hall now.
During the Dutch revolution, quite a lot of sights and buildings were destroyed in the city, but the town hall miraculously managed to avoid all this. It has retained its remarkable architectural appearance. At the end of the nineteenth century, it was restored and completed.
Church of Saint James
She is a popular attraction in The Hague. This church is considered one of the most important Protestant churches in the city. It was built in the eighteenth century. Before her appearance, a wooden church was located on this site.
The external architectural appearance of the structure is not at all typical for The Hague, since hexagonal buildings are not built in this city. And so the church looks quite noticeable against the background of other buildings.
In the interior of this beautiful building, many old details have been preserved. Among them is the episcopal pulpit, as well as ancient stained-glass windows. They were made in the sixteenth century.
Mauritshuis
A small art gallery located on the territory of the palace complex built in the seventeenth century. As for the paintings, they appeared here only in the nineteenth century. This happened after the building was purchased from a private entrepreneur.
The Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague houses works of art by famous artists who painted during the Dutch Golden Age.
Panorama of Mesdag
A majestic painting by Dutch artist H. W. Mesdag and his students at the end of the nineteenth century, which shows the Scheveningen area in the old days, that is, when it was an ordinary fishing place, and not a popular Dutch resort.
A separate building was built for this painting, because the canvas is quite long - 120 meters. And its height is 14 meters.
Prison Gates
This is one of The Hague's most popular attractions. The gate was built in the fourteenth century. Here the condemned people awaited the decision of the court. Now there is a museum in this place. Torture instruments remained in the building, as well as some items that were here during the years of detention.
Citizens and tourists can walk through the museum to feel the atmosphere that reigned in the past centuries.
Lange Street MuseumWarhout
The Escher Museum in The Hague is located on Lange Voorhout. It was opened at the beginning of the twentieth century, although the building was erected in the eighteenth century and Queen Emma once lived here.
The museum is entirely dedicated to one artist - Maurits Escher. He is known for creating interesting woodcuts as well as metal.
Interesting monuments of the city
There are a lot of monuments in The Hague. It can be said without exaggeration that the most famous among travelers are: the monument to Stalin, as well as to the victims of the Khojaly massacre.
The first one, although small in size, is a real art object. It was designed in the twentieth century by Vitaly Komar and also by Alexander Melamid. The monument is located, oddly enough, in the famous red-light district in The Hague.
The monument to the victims of the Khojaly tragedy is considered the first in Europe erected in memory of this terrible event. It was created in early 2008 on the initiative of the Azerbaijani diaspora in the Netherlands. In 1992, in the Azerbaijani city of Khojaly, Armenian military units staged a real massacre of the civilian population, as a result of which several hundred people died. It is about this tragedy that the monument in The Hague reminds.
Tours to the Netherlands
There are practically no direct excursions to The Hague from Russia, but many travel agencies organize trips to this city via Amsterdam or Brussels. In addition, you can find interesting private tours offered by locals.
Usually tourists are shown the most famous sights of The Hague. Among them are many of those described above.
Air Terminal
The Hague Airport simultaneously serves another city - Rotterdam. It was built in the middle of the twentieth century, and is the third busiest in the whole country. At the same time, it is considered the second national air terminal built in the Netherlands. It can also be called a landmark of The Hague.
In conclusion
Now you not only know where The Hague was when it was founded, but you also have an idea of what sights you can see here.
And the reviews of travelers who have already visited The Hague are the most positive. Despite some strictness, the city has many unique places.
