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| Getting to know
The Hague |
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| With its 450,000 residents,
The Hague is the third largest city in the Netherlands. It is often
called the ‘courtly capital’ because the Dutch royal
family lives here. Furthermore, it is the seat of the Dutch houses
of parliament, which meet in the Binnenhof complex, where the museum
conference is being held. All the major Dutch ministries are housed
in The Hague as well as many foreign embassies. The Hague is internationally
known for its Peace Palace, and is presently the home of UN bodies
as the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the International Court
of Justice (both housed in the Peace Palace) and the International
War Crimes Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). |
| The city’s historic heart is formed
by the charming old buildings in and around the Binnenhof complex.
A stone’s throw away is a lively shopping centre, a variety
of excellent restaurants and Dutch ‘pubs’. |
| A striking feature of the city are its
many parks and wooded areas. It lies within easy reach of the coast
and is bordered by picturesque duneland that fringes the North
Sea. The beaches and dunes form an extensive recreational area
close to the city. |
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The Binnenhof complex
The Mauritshuis
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| Gemeentemuseum |
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| The
Hague has an excellent public transport system consisting of trams
and busses. It takes about an hour by train
to reach other major Dutch cities such as Amsterdam and Rotterdam,
as well as charming historic towns like Leiden, Delft and Gouda.
The international airport Schiphol Amsterdam connects with The
Hague by
train; there are frequent trains and the journey takes about
half an hour. |
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| The
Hague’s major museum is the Mauritshuis,
once a stadtholder palace, now housing a world-famous collection
of Dutch paintings from the 17th and 18th century. This includes
pictures by Rembrandt and Vermeer and other outstanding masters.
To see more recent work you can visit the city’s municipal
museum, the
Gemeentemuseum which has the world’s largest collection
of the 20th-century Dutch artist Piet Mondrian. In addition, the
city offers a range of fascinating art galleries and antique dealers. |
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