On July 1, 2023, it will be one hundred years since the independent municipality of Loosduinen ceased to exist. On this day, Loosduinen was annexed by the municipality of The Hague. To commemorate this event, the Exhibition Loosduinen 100 years near The Hague will be held in the Atrium to June 9.

The population grew sharply throughout the Netherlands. For example, the population of Loosduinen had increased in the last ten years of the nineteenth century from 3741 to 6237 inhabitants. The population of The Hague had risen from 40,000 to 200,000 in the 19th century. The growing number of residents needed a roof over their heads. Around 1900, the buildings in The Hague had come close to the Beeklaan and that caused all kinds of problems because housing was also being built there on the territory of Loosduinen. For example, The Hague refused to make its sewage system available for the Loosduinen buildings. Loosduinen had to arrange that through Loosduinen’s canal. Another argument for annexation was the fact that those residents of Loosduinen, living on the Beeklaan, worked in The Hague and also benefited from the facilities in The Hague.

In the year 1903 the time had come. The municipality of Loosduinen was obliged by law to cede approximately 800 ha of its territory to the municipality of The Hague. The new border was located from beach post 104 along the cemetery Nieuw Eikenduinen towards the current intersection Erasmusweg-Loevesteinlaan. But the battle for territory between the village of Loosduinen and the city of The Hague was far from over. The city council of The Hague continued to bombard the Provincial Council of South Holland with requests to annex Loosduinen in whole or in part. Many maps were drawn on which pieces of the area of Loosduinen were indicated suitable for annexation by The Hague.

On January 4, 1923, the council decides by 7 against 6 votes (five Catholic votes and one AR against) to merge after all. The date was set for July 1, 1923. In order to still get someone from Loosduinen on the council of Greater The Hague, actions are taken by private individuals. For example, after a major campaign in which leaflets are distributed at all churches in The Hague on Sunday the 24th of June, the Nederpel list manages to get enough votes. On July 1, 1923, mr. Patijn, the mayor of The Hague, personally takes possession of the annexed Loosduinen (Source: Loosduins Museum).

100 years of Commission Loosduinen
In connection with the celebration of ‘Loosduinen 100 years near The Hague’, the Loosduinen Commission is organizing a 3-week jubilee party with various sporting, cultural and social activities for all residents of this district (50,000). The programming or organization involves residents, schools, entrepreneurs and volunteers, from young to old, and with different migration and cultural backgrounds or of various sexual orientations and gender identities. The Loosduinen Committee sees the holding of this jubilee celebration as an excellent opportunity to strengthen social cohesion within this district for all residents of Loosduinen, wherever they come from.

Commission Loosduinen
“The city council of Loosduinen has spoken out in favor of the amalgamation of The Hague and Loosduinen,” can be read in a short news item from ‘De Nederlander’ of January 5, 1923, at the time a newspaper that was distributed nationwide. Officially, the connection succeeded on July 1 of that year and agreements were made to ensure that it went as smoothly as possible. One of those agreements was that a committee would be set up, appointed by royal decree, to represent the interests of farmers and horticulturalists. Understandable, because Loosduinen was mainly home to market gardeners and farmers. After the Second World War, the vision of that committee changed and the interests of the entire population of Loosduinen were increasingly represented. For example, the Commission has the right to provide solicited or unsolicited advice to the municipal council. In addition, the Municipal Executive is obliged to inform the Commission about their plans with regard to Loosduinen.

Composition
The Committee consists of representatives of the 6 district councils (Nieuw Waldeck, Kom Loosduinen, Houtwijk, Kraayenstein, Bohemen/Waldeck/Kijkduin and Vroondaal). In addition, there are members of the Haaglanden/Loosduinen police, the business community and the district director on the commission. Executively, the Commission is an organization with easy access to various actors who are able to monitor the public space or successfully supervise events. Incidentally, the Commission currently consists of 12 members who have been appointed for the period 2022-2026, a period that coincides with the term of office of the municipal council.

For more information, go to www.Loosduinsmuseum.nl.