Den Haag: A Cultural Perspective

Posted by Jeff  Tanaka

The stork is very culturally significant in The Hague

The Hague lies approximately 50 kilometers Southwest of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Serving as the seat of the Dutch government, The Hague is home to over 150 international organizations. Furthermore, it houses the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court giving it its nickname as the ‘City of Peace and Justice’. In 1899 The Hague served as the setting for the First Peace Conference, which involved 26 nations and led to the creation of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. Since then many other peace conferences have been held The Hague and it has become the fourth city of the United Nations.

While other posts will cover the structure and significance of the organizations in the Hague, this one will focus on some of the city’s cultural elements.

Located near the coast, The Hague is also home to Scheveningen one of the most popular beaches in the Netherlands. It is on this beach that Flag Day – or Vlaggetjesdag as it is locally known- is celebrated with the arrival of the first herring. The celebration involves the decoration of fishing boats and a variety of children’s games. The importance of herring as a food source is also reflected by the fact that the stork is a symbol of The Hague. These birds were domesticated by the Dutch to clean the remains from fish markets and have since been seen to be harbingers of luck and prosperity.

Aside from herring in all of its forms, another local specialty is the haagse hopje, a coffee flavoured hard candy. It is said that in the 1700s Hendrik Hop kept a cup of coffee by the fire overnight and in the morning it had hardened – he tasted it and it was much to his liking. Speaking with the baker he asked for the candy to be mass produced. Today, the haagse hopje candy still exists and is enjoyed by every Dutch child.