From October 7 until October 31, the Hague Historical Museum is hosting an exhibition in the Atrium about the painter Jan van Goyen and his era. A special program will be held during Museum Night The Hague and international children’s art festival The Enchantment.

Landscape Painter
Jan van Goyen is one of the most famous landscape painters of the 17th century. His paintings hang in the world’s major museums, but his largest painting – View of The Hague – has always been on display in The Hague. With swift brushstrokes and subtle colors, Jan van Goyen perfectly captured the atmosphere of the Dutch landscape. This made him a celebrity even in his own time. In October, an exhibition in the Atrium will explore the life of this prolific painter, his family, his role in the Hague artists’ guild, as well as his risky tulip trade and house speculation. The exhibition brings Jan van Goyen to life, as well as The Hague around 1650.

The panoramic View of The Hague from 1651 plays a central role in the story. Who commissioned it? What inspired this enormous painting, and where did it originally hang? And above all: what does it depict? From windmills, boats, and dignified people to farmers in the fields and the Hague stork in the center – every detail tells us something about life in Holland in the 17th century.

The Hague Historical Museum is temporarily closed for a major renovation. The monumental city palace is being renovated, expanded, and made more accessible. Parts of the collection can be seen at various locations in The Hague. Since early 2025, the masterpiece from the Hague Historical Museum’s collection has been on display in the Atrium: the monumental painting View of The Hague by Jan van Goyen. This landscape painting is an impressive 4.6 meters wide.

Museum Night The Hague
During Museum Night, the Atrium will be transformed into a RollerSKateDisco. This year, the City Painter Jan van Goyen exhibition will be on display for the first time. Go on a speed date with Jan van Goyen and his maid Hermien, step into a photo booth and imagine yourself in the 17th century, or come and create a new cityscape of The Hague during Museum Night in the Atrium. For more information, go to Museumnight The Hague.

The Enchantment: Craft Workshop What does your dream The Hague look like?
Imagine: a ball pit in the Binnenhof, a slide from the Hague Tower, or watching fish in a large aquarium in the Hofvijver. Sounds cool, right? In the Atrium stands a super-sized painting: View of The Hague.  On October 21, 23, or 24, you can participate in the Craft Workshop What does your dream The Hague look like? in the Atrium during international youth art festival The Enchantment. For more information, go to The Enchantment.

For more information about The Hague Historical Museum, go to haagshistorischmuseum.nl.