Guided Tours of The Hague

 

Scheveningen has a long sandy beach, a boulevard, and fairytale sculptures

The beach is popular for water sports such as windsurfing and kiteboarding. The harbor is used for both fishing and pleasure. 23 fairytale sculptures by the artist Tom Otterness, are free to touch and climb on at this modern seaside resort.

 

The name 'Scheveningen' goes back to around 1280. It was used as a test during World War II to identify German spies: they would pronounce the initial "Sch" differently from Dutch native speakers. For the first inhabitants fishing was the main source of food and income.

 

A road to neighbouring The Hague (also known as Den Haag) was constructed in 1663 (based on a design by Constantijn Huygens) and arguably the first motorway in the world ! Tour The Hague likes showing you the view of the start of the road even today as it is to be seen just by the Peace Palace which can be on your Tour of The Hague.

 

The road had different lanes (at different prices as it was a toll road) for those who walked, on horseback or went by carridge. The fisherfolk were allowed to use it for free so that they could carry their fish to town without having to walk across the difficult dunes. It was also used by the Royal Dutch Cavelry to quickly get to the beach where they would exercise and in fact it was only for this reason that the plan to lay such a revolutionary road was finaly accepted.

 

In 1470, a heavy storm destroyed the church and half the houses. The village hit by many storms after a storm in 1894, the villagers decided to build a harbour and it was completed in 1904. Until then, the nearly 200 fishing boats had mostly had a flat bottom (bomschuiten), and were pulled up onto the beach by horses.

 

In 1818, Jacob Pronk constructed a wooden building on a sand dune, from where people could bathe from separate rooms. It marked the start of Scheveningen as a bathing resort which created a whole new industry for people who lived there. Since then, Scheveningen has attracted numerous tourists from all over Europe, notably from Germany.

 

One of the most famous hotels in Scheveningen is the hotel and restaurant called the Kurhaus and it was opened in 1886. Not only close to the sea, it has a fantastic ballroom/restaurant that has been played in most notably by the Rolling Stones in 1964 which ended in a riot ! Great place to pop into for a coffee (not cheap I’m afraid) but well worth a look when Touring The Hague.