The Hague

The Hague ( [dɛnˈɦaːx], older and officially also 's-Gravenhage ( [ˈsxraːvə(n)ˌɦaːɣə]), German (obsolete) der Haag, des Haags, im Haag, Haag, English The Hague etc.) is the seat of parliament and government of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the capital of the province of South Holland. Since 1831, the city has been the residence of the royal house, but the capital of the Netherlands is Amsterdam.

The municipality of The Hague is the third largest city in the Netherlands, with 547,757 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2021) in an area of just 98.12 square kilometres. The surrounding area of the city region is called Haaglanden and has around one million inhabitants on 405 square kilometres with a further eight municipalities.

Name and status

Since ancient times, the place name Die Haghe or Den Hag(h)e was used. Since 1602/1603 the municipality officially used the name 's-Gravenhage (Engl. "of the Count Hag"), which was considered more distinguished. The place was originally a hunting seat of the Counts of Holland.

Since 1990, the municipality has consistently used the name The Hague instead of 's-Gravenhage, partly because of the internationalization of the city - The Hague is considered the world capital of jurisdiction - and to emphasize the kinship with spellings in other European languages: English The Hague, French La Haye, Danish Haag, German Den Haag (formerly also: der Haag, mante im Haag), Italian L'Aia, Polish Haga, Russian Гаага Gaaga, Spanish La Haya, Turkish Lahey, Hungarian Hága.

In 1990, however, the proposal to officially rename the city The Hague was rejected. Since then, both names have been valid in parallel. Identity cards, passports and official documents of the city contain the name 's-Gravenhage, while for example the Dutch Railways or the Cyclists' Association use the shorter name Den Haag in plans and on signs.

The Hague is not officially a city, as it never received city status in the Middle Ages, and in the 19th century the distinction between village and city became administratively obsolete.

Situation and economy

The Hague is located in the west of the Netherlands. The city centre is about 6 km from the North Sea. The districts of Scheveningen and Kijkduin are located directly on the sea.

The city is part of the Randstad conurbation. In the immediate vicinity are other major cities, such as Rotterdam (20 km), Leiden (15 km) or Delft (8 km). The satellite town of Zoetermeer, founded in the 1970s, is located about 10 km east of The Hague.

South of the city, extending to the mouth of the Rhine at Hoek van Holland, is the Westland, about 20 by 20 km in size, a vast, continuous greenhouse landscape where vegetables and flowers are grown.

The city is rich in small and medium-sized commercial and industrial enterprises. It is obvious that the service sector with many offices of all kinds is an economic focus for a seat of government; in The Hague this is also the case. The "New Babylon" office complex in the centre is located in the immediate vicinity of the Central Station and its iconic design makes it one of the defining buildings of The Hague's skyline.