The Hague – Lyssiemay Annoh explores the many faces of Netherland’s Mystery City
After all that, I am not quite sure which city I can liken The Hague to; but because of its French influence some times you are led to think that you are in one of the many exclusive places in Paris even though Paris is more than 470 kilometres away. World peace and justice aside, this city of diplomacy has been the centre of Dutch history for centuries dating as far back as 1248 when Count Willem II resided there. Nevertheless, the Hague has more to its sleeve than simple ‘poshness’ – lifestyle, shopping, markets, museums, beach life, tea rooms and food and adventure. It also has beautiful canals, though a boat tour on the canals will mean a series of ‘ducking’ and ‘diving’ to avoid the likelihood of a head injury. The upside though is that you get to see the World’s famous Art Nouveau letterbox! This beautiful letterbox belongs to the house on Smidswater 26, former home to architect J.P.J. Lorrie. Many buildings in The Hague are built in the 1880s and 1890s, right at the time of the Art Nouveau movement,also often called “Jugendstil” in Holland (named after the German paper “Die Jugend”) or Liberty Style in England.
Shopping Haven
When I visited The Hague, it was celebrating shopping. This is when I discover that shopping in The Hague has a whole new meaning to the class war. Many people come from far and wide to shop downtown in The Hague and quite right too since during the shopping festival the shops stay open until very late – about 11pm! The city has a large collection shops in all shapes and sizes. Shopping starts from a visit to the Queen Beatrix’s “work and reception” Palace’ which is known as the historic Noordeinde Palace.The Palace dates back to the 16th century. This is one of the most elegant shopping streets in The Hague. A Scapa boutique prominently greets you in the square, strategically situated in front of the Equestrian statue of William I and the shopping adventure continues all along the street to Palace Promenade where the game plan changes altogether. This is because, the Palace Promenade is a completely covered shopping mall that assures total shopping comfort all year round. Its wide range of shopping facilities allows customers to do their daily grocery shopping as well as make many other kinds of purchases such as bathroom furnishings, clothing, home furnishings, designer shops, delicatessens and gift shops all of which are open here seven days a week. Starting in late March, the shops even stay open from 10am-10pm.
After I had shopped till I could carry no more, I had sought solace elsewhere – at the museum. The Hague has many museums some more interesting that others but I found my visit to the Mauritshuis very enlightening. The Mauritshuis, which is home to master pieces from Rembrandt, van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer, whose works includes the painting Girl with a Pearl Earring; it also has works of Jan Steen, Frans Hals and Paulus Potter. The Hague has approximately thirty museums, some of which are internationally renowned. Others are less familiar, but no less interesting. Museums like the Gemeentemuseum The Hague, Museum Beelden aan Zee, Panorama Mesdag, the Mauritshuis,
Escher Museum, the Fotomuseum (Museum of Photography) and the GEM (Museum of Contemporary Art) add cultural spice to the city.
Another wise move will be to get the City Card The Hague Delft so that you can discover or explore as much of the Hague as you can. The city card is valid on all trams, buses and the Randstadt Rail lines which are run by the local transport system HTM. When you buy a City Card you are also given a handy booklet containing tourist information about attractions and museums as well as 65 euros worth of discount vouchers and promotional offers. A City Card costs 12.95 euros per person or 23 euros for two persons.Read about other destinations
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