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The Hague(thehague)
IntroductionThe Hague ( Dutch : Den Haag, or officially's-Gravenhage) is the administrative capital ofthe Netherlands , located in the west of the country, in the province South Holland of which it is also the capital. With a population of 469,568(01-01-2004) (700,000 in the metropolitan area) and an area of approximately 100 km², it is the third-largest city in theNetherlands 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 SupremeCourt and many lobby organisations. As one of the capitals of the United Nations , The Hague is host toseveral institutions of the UN:
HistoryOriginally a hunting location, the counts of Holland used it as their administrative center; all cities had their rights and 'kapsones'. 'Des Graven Hage'literally means "The counts' hedge" or "The count's private enclosure". The stork is thesymbol 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 buta village. Until the 19th century The Hague was little more than a small town. Itwas 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 growingquickly when the government started playing a more prominent role in Dutch society. The older parts of the city are thereforemostly 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 tobe torn down by the Germans. On March 3rd, 1945, the Royal Air Force bombarded the Bezuidenhout . Thetarget was an installation of V2 rockets in a nearby park. Due to navigation errors, the bombs fell on a heavily populated partof 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 andmost of all Zoetermeer . This has led to the traditional pattern of animpoverished inner city and more prosperous suburbs. Attempts to include parts of the suburbs in The Hague are highlycontroversial. Subdivisions
The cityCity life concentrates around the Hofvijver and the Binnenhof , which is where the Parliament islocated. The beach resort Scheveningen , in the northwestern part of the city, is another popular destination for tourists and youngpeople to go out. Kijkduin is another beach resort, more to the southwest. 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 "Indisch" (i.e. mixed Dutch-Indonesian)community. After the loss of these Dutch possessions in December 1949, "Indisch" 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 morethan 3 floors), and quite elegant. The layout of the city is more spacious than other Dutch cities. There are almost no canals inThe 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 wealthierareas are generally located west of the Laan van Meerdervoort. The poorer areas can be found in the southern and eastern parts ofthe city. This division is reflected in the local accent. The more affluent citizens are usually called "Hagenaars" and speakso-called "bekakt". This is contrasted with the "Hagenezen", who speak "plat Haags". There is relatively little socialinteraction between these groups. Population
1796: 41,300 inhabitants
BusinessProfessional life in the city is dominated by the large number of civil servants working there. Government ministeries andpublic organizations are almost all located in The Hague. Added to that several large businesses have their headquarter in TheHague.
There has never been a large industrial base in The Hague, with perhaps the exception of the fishing harbour of Scheveningen . CultureThe Hague does not have a reputation for a bristling night life. It does have its share of good museums and culturalinstitutions.
SportThe local football club is called ADO Den Haag . Famous sportsmen from The Hague include:
Annual events
TransportationPublic 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, although construction of a tramtunnel through the center of the city isscheduled to be finished in late 2004, despite several setbacks. A lightrail system called Randstadrail [2] is under construction,connecting The Hague, Rotterdam, Zoetermeer and suburbs. There are two main train stations : Den Haag Hollands Spoor (gv) andDen 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 Netherlandswith direct train connections. The nearest airport is Rotterdam Airport . Nearby townsExternal links
South Holland -- The Hague = 18 Mapquest interactive map of South Holland basic data of The Hague 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 Capelleaan 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
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