The Hague, wonderful city behind the dunes – the Dutch singer Harry Jekkers is not the only one who feels like that. People living here are proud to be from The Hague. It’s completely different than Amsterdam, and although at least the beaches get pretty crowded in summer, most people only know that it’s one of the UN’s centers. As I just moved to The Hague, I’d like to share some more facts about the city with you guys today!
1. The official Dutch name of The Hague is not The Hague – it’s ‘s-Gravenhage. In 1990 there was a try to rename the city into “Den Haag”, which is the name the city is internationally known by – but that got rejected. Although the city uses the name The Hague, all official papers have ‘s-Gravenhage on them.
2. Officially, The Hague never became a city – although there live over 500k people here, it’s still a village. The status “city” was never assigned to The Hague in the Middle Ages. Now, it doesn’t make a difference for administration anymore, so there is no need to assign the title.
3. Although Amsterdam is the capital of The Netherlands, the parliament is located in The Hague. And so is the residence of the Dutch royal family and the capital of the province of South Holland. And if you were always wondering what the difference between Holland and The Netherlands is – here is a video explaining it pretty well.
4. The Hague is the international city of peace and justice. The International Court of Justice is located here in the Peace Palace.
5. The tram-net in The Hague is one of the biggest in Europe.
6. Also, The Hague is one of the greenest cities in Europe. Especially the big Haagse Bos, located close to the city center, is pretty impressive with 100 hectares of forrest.
7. There are 11 kilometers of beaches in The Hague. The most famous one is Scheveningen, where the Kurhaus (photo in the beginning) is located.
8. Most people think that the country of The Netherlands is lower than sea level – The Hague is actually one meter above sea lever.
9. Art plays an important role in The Hague. The most famous picture one can see in the museum Mauritshaus is The Girl with the Pearl Earring.
10. Just as Amsterdam, The Hague has quite some canals. Although many of them have been closed in the past, it is still possible to explore the city by boat.
Have you ever been to The Hague?
