Architecture enthusiasts won’t be disappointed. At Madurodam Holland’s best buildings are celebrated in the shape of a maquette-sized showcase. For the real thing visit the new City Hall (Spui) with its floating walkway, designed by Richard Myers. Dubbed the ‘Ice Palace’ by locals, this white structure forms the core of The Hague’s new centre, covering most of the area between The Hague’s Central Station and the Spui. It even featured in Ocean’s twelve.

The Hague's extensive and impressive collection of paintings by 'old' and ‘contemporary’ masters represents five centuries of the art of painting, including famous works by Vermeer, Van Gogh and Mondriaan.

Squares, statues and architecture

The Hague is a city of many faces. When entering the city by car, the first thing you see is The Hague’s imposing and impressive skyline. In the future, more buildings will be added, which will give the city’s business centre a modern and sleek look. Near the big white city hall, designed by Richard Meijer, lies the modern centre for Business & Government with its high buildings and modern squares. Lovers of historical architecture can enjoy The Hague to their hearts' content in the grand old streets near the Binnenhof and the Noordeinde Palace. The architect H.P. Berlage also built a number of striking buildings in The Hague, including the Gemeentemuseum The Hague.

A rt and Antiques walk

The 'Art and Antiques Walk The Hague' takes you on a discovery of the world of art and antiques in The Hague. It promises to be a special tour of the many antique shops, galleries and auctioneering firms (available in Dutch and English). You can buy this walking tour at the Tourist Office Information in the city centre of The Hague (Hofweg 1, opposite the Binnenhof).

The Hague - state of the art in dance

Home to the Nederlands Dans Theater, the Holland Dance Festival, The Korzo Theatre & Production House and its CaDance festival and several venues specialised in dance, The Hague can truly be considered a leading city in contemporary dance at an international level. The internationally acclaimed Nederlands Dans Theater performs all over the world.

The Hague Art City

In 2009, 2010 and 2011, the four biggest Dutch cities combine forces for a mega project in the field of art: Holland Art Cities. For a period of two years, 10 top museums will synchronise their programmes surrounding four different themes.

The Hague, under the name of The Hague Art City, is the scene of an explosion of arts. The following “highlights” have already been announced:

Theme cluster 1: January 2009 - 31 August 2009: International Influences                                                  
                           

 

From February 2009 to the end of thisyear, the Imax-film “Van Gogh, bigger than painting” will be shown in the large screen cinema Omniversum. His paintings will come to life on the enormous IMAX screen and show us Van Gogh’s beautiful use of colour and painting techniques. We follow the life of Vincent van Gogh and rediscover the places and landscapes that inspired him for his main works. The film takes us to France, where Van Gogh developed his famous yellow tints and to Auvers, where he produced 70 master works and created an incredible number of no less than 600 paintings in a mere decade.