Things to do in The Hague

The Mauritshuis

Tel. + 31 70 302 3456 The Mauritshuis is a 17th century palace in the heart of The Hague. The museum houses a world-famous collection of paintings by such old masters as Rembrandt, Vermeer, Jan Steen and Frans Hals. The collection of The Mauritshuis reveals a lot about the history and culture of the Netherlands. The oldest part of the collection consists of the paintings owned in the 18th century by the stadholder, Prince Willem V of Orange-Nassau. In 1815 his son, King Willem I handed over these paintings to the Dutch state, thus providing the basis of the Royal Cabinet of Paintings, now called the Royal Picture Gallery. Though he inherited some of the collection, he purchased many paintings when still quite young. His collection was exhibited in the Prince Willem V Gallery in a building on the Buitenhof. Many important paintings in The Mauritshuis came from this collection, such as The Bull by Potter, The Young Mother by Dou, The Garden of Eden by Brueghel and Rubens, and Holbeins Portrait of Robert Cheseman. In the last 200 years the collection of the Mauritshuis has grown considerably. In 1822 the museum housed around 200 paintings; now it has nearly 800. The Mauritshuis itself is a unique building and one of the most beautiful examples of Dutch classicist architecture. It is based on the principles of classical Greek and Roman architecture. It was built in what was then one of the most fashionable neighbourhoods in The Hague. In its immediate vicinity were the citys most beautiful homes, as well as the Binnenhof the centre of government with the stadholders quarters. The Great Hall on the upper floor is the grand finale of a tour of the building. The ceiling of this hall boasts a cupola with a walkway around it, where musicians could sit and play. Tours are available and there is a shop and cafe on site.

Gemeentemuseum Den Haag

Tel: + 31 70 338 1111 The Gemeentemuseum (municipal museum) owns extensive collections of modern art, the applied arts, fashion and music. The modern art collection provides a varied overview of developments in the fine arts since the early 19th century. Charley Toorop's piercing eyes and Floris Verster's bowl of eggs are displayed alongside works by leading foreign artists, including Picasso and Monet, plus an extensive collection of German Expressionist pieces. Outstanding features in the collection are the Hague School paintings and a marvellous series of works by Mondrian, ranging from Dutch landscapes to the Victory Boogie Woogie. The Modern Art Departments print room has a large collection of drawings, prints and posters dating from the 19th and 20th century. Most are by Dutch artists, but there are also major groups of foreign works. These include a fine collection of 19th century French graphic art with an emphasis on work by Bresdin, Redon and Lautrec. The museum also has one of the world's leading collections of fashion items. It includes both historical costumes and contemporary designs. Exhibitions focus not just on changing fashions in the Netherlands, but also on landmark designs from abroad. The present-day music collection includes an extensive collection of instruments, illustrative visual materials and a splendid music library, which together document the history of (mainly European) music. The decorative arts collection includes ceramics from the Far, Middle and Near East. In addition, there are several complete room interiors and no fewer than five period rooms. There is a regular programme of extra activities relating to exhibitions, research and restorations. These include lectures, concerts and fashion shows.

Museum Bredius Den Haag

Tel. +31 70 362 0729 Abraham Bredius was mainly known as a Rembrandt expert, collector and director of the Royal Picture Gallery in The Hague from 1895 to 1922. He was also a scientific investigator of historical archives. In 1922 he left Holland and sold his house at Prinsegracht to the municipality. He gave his vast collection of 17th century art on loan with the promise that he would bequeath it to them when he died. Upon Bredius' death in 1946 the municipality of The Hague owned the collection and the Bredius Museum was born. In 1985 the old museum was closed for economic reasons. Shortly afterwards a foundation was established with the intention of making the collection available to the public again. Several sponsors were found and after a thorough restoration, the new Bredius Museum was opened in November 1990.

The Hague Historical Museum

Tel +31 70 364 6940 The historical museum of The Hague, the Haags Historisch Museum, is located in the heart of The Hague near the Binnenhof. The museum is housed in the former archery house of St. Sebastians guild and dates from 1636. It is built on the spot of a gatehouse that was used by the civic guard. Parts of its cross-vaulted basement have been incorporated in the new archery house and can still be seen today. Since the late 18th century, after the dissolution of the civic guard, the building has been used as a hotel, court house and museum. Numerous paintings and artefacts from the museum's collection illustrate the history of more than seven centuries of The Hague. Dutch history is brought to life by a wealth of interesting objects, including Van Oldenbarnevelts walking stick, treasures from the Silver Fleet, the first Dutch kilogram and Willem Dreess desk. A spectacular, nearly 5-meter wide View of The Hague by Jan van Goyen is on display, as well as other pieces by such artists as Jan ten Compe and the artistic family La Fargue. The museum also displays church silver from the late Middle-Ages, furniture and scale models. In the basement the exhibit covers recent archaeological excavations in The Hague.

Madurodam

The Madurodam is a miniature city located in Scheveningen. It is a model of a Dutch town on a 1:25 scale, composed of typical Dutch buildings and landmarks, and set in beautiful gardens. This major Dutch tourist attraction was built in 1952 and has been visited by tens of millions of visitors. The miniature city was named after George Maduro, a law student who fought the Nazi occupation forces and died as a prisoner in Dachau. Madurodam features more than 700 buildings, windmills, bridges, trees, trains etc It is constantly developing and every year a few new buildings and several objects are added to the city, plus some human figures and other small items.