Sights in Den Haag
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Binnenhof
Adjoining the Mauritshuis, the Binnenhof is surrounded by parliamentary buildings that have long been at the heart of Dutch politics, though parliament now meets in a modern building on the south side.
The central courtyard looks sterile now but was once used for executions. A highlight of the complex is the 13th-century Ridderzaal (Knights' Hall). The Gothic dining hall has been carefully restored.
The North Wing is still home to the Upper Chamber of the Dutch Parliament, in 17th-century splendour. The Lower Chamber used to meet in the ballroom, in the 19th-century wing. It all looks a bit twee and you can see why the politicians were anxious to decamp to the sleek new ex…
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Scheveningen
The long beach at Scheveningen, pronounced – if possible – as s’CHay-fuh-ninger, attracts nine million visitors per year. It’s horribly developed: architects who lost hospital commissions have designed all manner of modern nightmares overlooking the strand. It’s tacky, but you might just find pleasure in the carnival atmosphere.
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Mauritshuis
For an introduction to Dutch and Flemish Art 101, visit the Mauritshuis, a small museum in a jewel-box of an old palace. Highlights include the Dutch Mona Lisa: Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. Rembrandts include a wistful self-portrait from the year of his death, 1669, and The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp.
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Escher in het Paleis Museum
The Lange Voorhout Palace was once Queen Emma’s residence. Now it’s home to the work of Dutch graphic artist MC Escher. Escher in het Paleis Museum is a permanent exhibition featuring notes, letters, drafts, photos and fully mature works covering Escher’s entire career, from his early realism to the later phantasmagoria. There are some imaginative displays, including a virtual reality reconstruction of Escher’s impossible buildings.
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New Town Hall
The huge new town hall is the hotly debated work by US architect Richard Meier. The ‘official’ nickname of the building is the ‘white swan’, but locals prefer the ‘ice palace’. If allowed, take the elevator to the town hall’s 11th floor and look at the complex that has two pointed towers at one end and a dome-topped round tower at the other.
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Vredespaleis
The UN International Court of Justice is housed in the Vredespaleis. The grand building was donated by American steel maker Andrew Carnegie for use by the International Court of Arbitration, an early international body whose goal was the prevention of war. Sadly, WWI broke out one year after it opened in 1913.
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Gemeentemuseum
Admirers of De Stijl, and in particular of Piet Mondrian, mustn’t miss the Berlage-designed Gemeentemuseum. It houses a large collection of works by neoplasticist artists and others from the late 19th century, as well as extensive exhibits of applied arts, costumes and musical instruments.
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Panorama Mesdag
The Panorama Mesdag contains the Panorama (1881), a huge 360-degree painting of Scheveningen that was painted by Hendrik Willem Mesdag. The panorama is viewed from a constructed dune, with real sand and beach chairs; birdsong and wave sounds are piped through.
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Madurodam
Complete with 1:25 scale versions of Schiphol, Amsterdam, windmills and tulips, Rotterdam harbour and the Delta dykes, Madurodam is a miniaturised Netherlands. It’s an enlightening example of the Dutch tendency to put their world under a microscope.
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Galerij Prins Willem V
The Galerij Prins Willem V was the first public museum in the Netherlands when it opened in 1773. Paintings are hung in the manner popular in the 18th century. The gallery is also part of the Gevangenpoort renovations.
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Gevangenpoort
The Gevangenpoort is a surviving remnant of the 13th-century city fortifications. It usually has hourly tours showing how justice was dispensed back then, but is under renovation throughout 2010.
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Grote Kerk
The Grote Kerk, dating from 1450, has a fine pulpit that was constructed 100 years later.
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Paleis Noordeinde
The Renaissance formality of the structure bespeaks regal digs. It's not open to the public.
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