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's-Gravenhage |
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| Country | Netherlands |
| Province | South Holland |
| Area - Land - Water |
98.22 km² 82.68 km² 15.54 km² |
| Population (2004) - Density |
469,059 5674/km² |
The Hague (Dutch: Den Haag, or officially 's-Gravenhage) is the administrative capital of the Netherlands, located in the west of the country, in the province South Holland of which it is also the capital. With a population of 469,059 (01-01-2004) (700,000 in the metropolitan area) and an area of approximately 100 km², it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands after Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
The Hague hosts the Eerste Kamer and the Tweede Kamer, respectively the Senate and the House of Representatives, forming the Dutch parliament. Also the Dutch Queen Beatrix lives and works in The Hague. All foreign embassies and government ministries are located in the city, as well as the Supreme Court and many lobby organisations.
As one of the capitals of the United Nations, The Hague is host to several institutions of the UN:
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Originally a hunting location, the counts of Holland used it as their administrative center; all cities had their rights and 'privileges'. 'Des Graven Hage' literally means "The counts' hedge" or "The count's private enclosure". The stork is the symbol of Den Haag.
The oldest building, the Ridderzaal (Knights' Hall) was built in 1236. It is still in use for political events.
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.
Until the 19th century The Hague was little more than a small town. It was undefended by city walls because of its political status. It lacks a large historical inner city like the nearby cities of Leiden and Delft. The Hague started growing quickly when the government started playing a more prominent role in Dutch society. The older parts of the city are therefore mostly from the 19th century and the early 20th century.
The city sustained heavy damage during World War II. The Atlantic Wall was built right through the city, causing whole neighbourhoods to be torn down by the Germans. On March 3rd, 1945, the Royal Air Force bombarded the Bezuidenhout. The target was an installation of V-2 rockets in a nearby park. Due to navigation errors, the bombs fell on a heavily populated part of the city. Over 500 people died and the scars in the city are still to be seen today.
After the war The Hague was at some point the largest building site in Europe. The city expanded massively in the southwest. The destroyed areas were also quickly rebuilt. The population peaked at 550.000 inhabitants around 1970.
After that the mostly white middle classes moved to the suburbs like Voorburg, Leidschendam, Rijswijk and most of all Zoetermeer. This has led to the traditional pattern of an impoverished inner city and more prosperous suburbs. Attempts to include parts of the suburbs in The Hague are highly controversial. However, in the 1990s, after consent of Dutch Parliament, The Hague did succeed in annexing fairly large amounts of ground from its neighboring towns on which complete new residential areas were built and are still being built.
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The Hague has eight official parts (stadsdelen)[1] (http://www.denhaag.nl/smartsite.html?id=22281):
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City life concentrates around the Hofvijver and the Binnenhof, which is where the Parliament is located.
Its unique location makes it the largest Dutch city by the North Sea. The Hague comprises two distinct beach towns. The main beach resort Scheveningen, in the northwestern part of the city, is a very popular destination for tourists and young people to go out. In fact, with 10 Million vistors a year it's by far the most popular beach town in the Benelux. It's perhaps for this reason that many people, even Dutch, mistakenly believe Scheveningen is a city in its own right. That is not the case: Scheveningen is just one of The Hague's eight districts ("stadsdelen"). Kijkduin is the other beach resort of The Hague, in the southwest, a lot smaller and attracting mainly local people.
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 "Indische(e)" or "Indo" (i.e. mixed Dutch-Indonesian) community. After the loss of these Dutch possessions in December 1949, "Indisch(e)" or "Indo" 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.
You can find some of the most properous and some of the poorest neighbourhoods of The Netherlands in The Hague. The wealthier areas are generally located west of the Laan van Meerdervoort. The poorer areas can be found in the southern and eastern parts of the city. This division is reflected in the local accent. The more affluent citizens are usually called "Hagenaars" and speak so-called "bekakt" (Dutch for 'that which has been shit upon') This is contrasted with the "Hagenezen", who speak "plat Haags". There is relatively little social interaction between these groups.
1796: 41,300 inhabitants
1830: 56,100
1849: 63,600
1879: 113,500
1899: 206,000
1925: 394,500
1970: 550.000
1990: 440.000
2003: 463,800
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.
There has never been a large industrial base in The Hague, with perhaps the exception of the fishing harbour of Scheveningen.
The Hague does not have a reputation for a bustling night life. What night life there is centres around the luxurious Pathé Buitenhof cinema and a handful of bars and restaurants in its immediate vicinity. A similar pattern of night life centering around a cinema is present in Scheveningen. The Hague does however have its share of good museums and cultural institutions.
The local football club is called ADO Den Haag.
Famous sportsmen from The Hague include:
Public transportation in The Hague consists of a sizable number of tram- and buslines, operated by the Haagsche Tramwegmaatschappij, or HTM. Plans for a subway were shelved in the early 1970s. However, since 2004 there is a tunnel with two underground tram stations (Spui and Grote Markt) in the city centre; it is shared by tram lines 2, 3 and 6.
A light rail system called Randstadrail [2] (http://www.randstadrail.nl) is under construction, connecting The Hague, Rotterdam, Zoetermeer and suburbs.
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. The Thalys Paris - Amsterdam stops at Den Haag Hollands Spoor. Central Station connects The Hague to every major city in The Netherlands with direct train connections.
The nearest airport is Rotterdam Airport, but it is not easy to reach by public transport. With four trains per hour going directly from Hollands Spoor or Centraal to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, most travellers for The Hague fly to Schiphol.
Major highways near The Hague are the A12, running to Utrecht and further to the border with Germany and the A4, connecting Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam with the Belgian cities of Antwerp and Brussels
South Holland -- The Hague = 18
Mapquest map of The Hague (http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?city=The_Hague&country=nl) interactive map of South Holland (http://www.sdu.nl/staatscourant/gemeentes/gemprovin.htmZH) basic data of The Hague (http://www.sdu.nl/staatscourant/gemeentes/gem108zh.htm)
1 Alblasserdam | 2 Albrandswaard | 3 Alkemade | 4 Alphen aan den Rijn | 5 Barendrecht | 6 Bergambacht | 7 Bergschenhoek | 8 Berkel en Rodenrijs | 9 Bernisse | 10 Binnenmaas | 11 Bleiswijk | 12 Bodegraven | 13 Boskoop | 14 Brielle | 15 Capelle aan den IJssel | 16 Cromstrijen | 17 Delft | 18 Den Haag (The Hague) | 19 Dirksland | 20 Dordrecht | 21 Giessenlanden | 22 Goedereede | 23 Gorinchem | 24 Gouda | 25 Graafstroom | 26 's-Gravendeel | 27 Hardinxveld-Giessendam | 28 Hellevoetsluis | 29 Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht | 30 Hillegom | 31 Jacobswoude | 32 Katwijk | 33 Korendijk | 34 Krimpen aan den IJssel | 35 Leerdam | 36 Leiden | 37 Leiderdorp | 38 Leidschendam-Voorburg | 39 Liemeer | 40 Liesveld | 41 Lisse | 42 Maassluis | 43 Middelharnis | 44 Midden-Delfland | 45 Moordrecht | 46 Nederlek | 47 Nieuw-Lekkerland | 48 Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel | 49 Nieuwkoop | 50 Noordwijk | 51 Noordwijkerhout | 52 Oegstgeest | 53 Oostflakkee | 54 Oud-Beijerland | 55 Ouderkerk | 56 Papendrecht | 57 Pijnacker-Nootdorp | 58 Reeuwijk | 59 Ridderkerk | 60 Rijnsburg | 61 Rijnwoude | 62 Rijswijk | 63 Rotterdam | 64 Rozenburg | 65 Sassenheim | 66 Schiedam | 67 Schoonhoven | 68 Sliedrecht | 69 Spijkenisse | 70 Strijen | 71 Ter Aar | 72 Valkenburg | 73 Vlaardingen | 74 Vlist | 75 Voorhout | 76 Voorschoten | 77 Waddinxveen | 78 Warmond | 79 Wassenaar | 80 Westland | 81 Westvoorne | 82 Zederik | 83 Zevenhuizen-Moerkapelle | 84 Zoetermeer | 85 Zoeterwoude | 86 Zwijndrecht
edit this list (http://en.BambooWeb.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Province_South_Holland_2p&action=edit)
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