The Hague
- This article is about the city in the Netherlands; there is also a region known as (the) Hague in France.
As one of the capitals of the United Nations, The Hague is host to several institutions of the UN:
- The International Court of Justice, located in the Peace Palace (Vredespaleis, its construction was financed by Andrew Carnegie).
- The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
- The International Criminal Court.
- The Organisation for the prohibition of chemical weapons.
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2 Subdivisions 3 The city 4 Population 5 Business 6 Culture 7 Sport 8 Transportation 9 Nearby towns 10 External links |
Originally a hunting location, the counts of Holland used it as their administrative center; all cities had their rights and 'kapsones'. 'Des Graven Hage' literally means "The counts' hedge" or "The count's private enclosure". The stork is the symbol of Den Haag.
The Hague was formally named a city by the French occupation force as late as 1806, centuries after other Dutch cities had received similar rights. This has led to the urban legend that The Hague is not a city but a village.
The Hague has eight official parts (stadsdelen) [1]:
City life concentrates around the Hofvijver and the Binnenhof, which is where the Parliament is located. The beach resort Scheveningen, in the northwestern part of the city, is another popular destination for tourists and young people to go out.
The former Dutch colony of Netherlands East Indies ("Nederlands-Indië", nowadays called Indonesia) has left its mark on The Hague. Many streets are named after places in Netherlands East Indies and there is a sizeable "Indisch" (i.e. mixed Dutch-Indonesian) community. After the loss of these Dutch possessions in December 1949, "Indisch" people often refer to The Hague as 'the Widow of "Indië"'.
The older parts of the town usually have characteristically wide and long streets. Houses are generally low-rise (not more than 3 floors), and quite elegant. The layout of the city is more spacious than other Dutch cities. There are almost no canals in The Hague, as they were all drained in the late 1800s.
1796: 41,300 inhabitants
Professional life in the city is dominated by the large number of civil servants working there. Government ministeries and public organizations are almost all located in The Hague. Added to that several large businesses have their headquarter in The Hague.
Madurodam is a miniature city in the Hague, which reflects what the Netherlands look like.
The Mauritshuis exhibits many paintings by Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt van Rijn and Paulus Potter.
The Gemeentemuseum hosts a large collection of images from the Dutch painter Piet Mondriaan as well as other modern art.
The Escher Museum is located in the former Royal Palace at the Lange Voorhout.
Panorama Mesdag houses a cylindrical 'panoramic' painting of 14 meter high x 120 meter long, depicting the Hague and Scheveningen in the 19th century, made by Hendrik Willem Mesdag. It is presented in such a way that it is almost as if one is looking at a real scene instead of a painting.
The museum Beelden aan Zee has a large collection of sculptures, mainly from 20th-century artists.
The Museon is a science museum.
The Congresgebouw hosts the annual North Sea Jazz Festival. However, the festival organisation intends to move to Rotterdam in the near future.
The Hague has brought forth the rock bands Shocking Blue and Golden Earring and the satiricists Kees van Kooten and Wim de Bie.
The local football club is called ADO Den Haag.
There are two main train stations: Den Haag Hollands Spoor (gv) and Den Haag Centraal (gvc). It is somewhat confusing that many trains bypass the central station; this is because it is a terminus.
History
Subdivisions
The city
Population
1830: 56,100
1849: 63,600
1879: 113,500
1899: 206,000
1925: 394,500
2003: 463,800Business
Culture
Sport
Famous sportsmen from The Hague include:Transportation
Nearby towns
External links
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