In 2025, the city hall and library complex on the Spui and the attached Forum building on the Kalvermarkt will celebrate their 30th anniversary. Thirty years ago, the Atrium City Hall Foundation was also established. Especially for the 30th anniversary, the exhibition 30 Years: The Hague City Hall x Atrium City Hall is produced. The exhibition City Halls The Hague can also be seen in the poster wall of the Hague Municipal Archives. These exhibitions are part of the Open Monument Days 2025.

30 Years Memorable Moments
The exhibition 30 Years: The Hague City Hall x Atrium City Hall takes visitors back to 1986, the year the initiative was launched to build a new city hall in the centre of The Hague. The choice of location and the building’s design sparked excitement and political debate. After a design competition, the winning design by American architect Richard Meier was selected. The building was officially opened on September 8, 1995, by Queen Beatrix and Mayor Ad Havermans. This exhibition offers insight into the design and construction process, the involved decision-making. Watch the highlights of many memorable moments from the past 30 years of the foundation in the Documentary 30 Years Atrium Foundation produced by Cue Creative which only can be seen in the Atrium.

A Challenge for Visitors
Visitors are invited to look at the Atrium of the City Hall through mirrors. This allows them to see Richard Meier’s design in a completely different light and take some truly special selfies!

“My architecture is about the relationship between people and the places where they work, communicate, and meet with others. My intention is to create spaces where all of this becomes possible while being aware of the light and its changes throughout the day and the seasons,” says Richard Meier.

Exhibition Poster Wall The Hague Municipal Archives: City Halls The Hague
Especially for the 30th anniversary, the exhibition City Halls The Hague can be seen in the poster wall of the Hague Municipal Archives from August 11 until October 6, compiled by the Hague Municipal Archives in collaboration with the Department of Monuments and Prosperity. This exhibition paints a picture of the city halls and council chambers of the past from the year 1248 until 2025. This exhibition is in Dutch only.

30 Years on Fotoexpositie.nl
Watch a part of all the highlights in the past 30 years of Foundation Atrium on fotoexpositie.nl.

Organisation exhibition
The exhibition 30 Years: City Hall The Hague x Atrium City Hall is an initiative of Atrium City Hall, the foundation that organizes and coordinates all activities since the opening in the Atrium of The Hague City Hall. The curators of this exhibition are Corien Bakker and Laura Wijninga, the design is by Meta Menkveld and the exhibition builder is LetterZDesign.

Special thanks to: Tanja ten Berge, Photographer Jos van Leeuwen and Marianne van Leeuwen, Liesbeth Janson, The Hague Municipal Archives, department of Monuments and Prosperity, department Facility and Housing, Hague Historical Museum, Kunstmuseum, Joop ten Velden and Nieuwe Instituut.

30th Anniversary Celebration of the Atrium City Hall Foundation
On Monday, September 8, 2025, it was exactly 30 years since the opening of City Hall on September 8, 1995. This was celebrated extensively at the anniversary celebration of the exhibition 30 Years of The Hague City Hall x Atrium City Hall, initiated by the Atrium Foundation. It was a festive gathering with inspiring and amusing stories from the past 30 years, presented by current chairman of the Atrium Foundation, Theo Heere, architect Rijk Rietveld, and former alderman and chairman of the Atrium Foundation, Henk Kool. Mayor Jan van Zanen opened the exhibition. See photos from De Schaapjesfabriek – Tessa Veldhorst of this special day below.