Host City Hotspots: The Historical Museum of The Hague

The Hague, Netherlands, April 22, 2015 - If you are planning a trip to the Netherlands this summer for the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships, look out for our weekly features on what to do in The Hague, Amsterdam, Apeldoorn and Rotterdam. This week, we take you to The Historical Museum of The Hague.

The Historical Museum of The Hague

For people who like both arts and sports, The Hague is definitely the place to be between June 26 and July 5. The stadium for the Beach Volleyball World Championships is located between two of the city’s finest museums. The famous Mauritshuis art museum is on one side of the venue, and the fabulous Historical Museum of The Hague on the other. Exiting the stadium, you will find the latter just across the road. It is the perfect place to find some tranquillity after another exciting match.

The Historical Museum of The Hague overlooks the Hofvijver and was once home to the gunmen of the Guild of Saint Sebastian. Today, it houses beautiful cityscapes by Jan van Goyen and PC La Fargue, which bring the city's history to life. A digital display also charts the development of this intriguing city.

During the Beach Volleyball World Championships, the museum will organise a special exhibition on dunes called ‘Dune Faces and Dune Poems’, in collaboration with the Literary Museum. Over 80 pieces of art will show how dunes are a popular source of inspiration for painters and poets. The link between The Hague and its dunes is inextricable - dunes are a feature of the Dutch coast and have long been depicted and celebrated in art and poetry. Work by Jacob van Ruisdael and Jan Toorop will feature alongside displays by contemporary artists and poets like Constantijn Huygens and Bernlef. The exhibition will also feature surprising combinations of artwork and poetry.

School programmes
The Historical Museum of The Hague and the Prison Gate Museum are organising a special educational programme for school kids during the World Championships. Every day, 300 pupils will visit both the museum and matches at the stadium on the Hofvijver. In the museum, the children will learn about how the Hofvijver was used in the past - how the lake was used to play jousting games, and how the wealthier inhabitants of The Hague considered swans from the Hofvijver a real delicacy.

Details
The Historical Museum of The Hague
Korte Vijverberg 7, The Hague

Exhibition: Dune Faces and Dune Poems (April 7-September 15, 2015)

Open:  Tuesday - Friday: 10.00-17.00
Saturday - Sunday: 12.00-17.00

Admission: € 7.50
Children (6- to 18-year-olds): € 2.50
Museum Card and children up to the age of five: free

www.haagshistorischmuseum.nl