The Hague City Archives presents the exhibition The Briefest History of Scheveningen from October 6 until November 15 in the Atrium City Hall. This exhibition is part of the Museum Night in the Atrium City Hall which is organized on Saturday, October 11.

The Hague’s ability to promote itself as a “City by the Sea” is thanks to Scheveningen. The original fishing village was never an independent municipality, but Scheveningen residents certainly feel that way. It’s no coincidence that Scheveningen has had its own coat of arms since 1984.

Fishing was Scheveningen’s foundation. Until the early twentieth century, the “pinken” (pinches) and “bomschuiten” (boats) were pulled onto the beach here. Fish was traded there, and women departed for The Hague with baskets full of fish on their heads to sell them, either door to door or at the fish market in the centre of town. In 1903, the village acquired its own harbor with an indoor fish auction.

In the nineteenth century, the fashionable seaside resort of Scheveningen emerged alongside the fishing village, attracting wealthy tourists from both home and abroad, who propelled its cultural life to new heights. World War II put an end to this heyday. After the war, the resort increasingly became the domain of day trippers and the slow but steady rise of mass tourism.

The Hague Municipal Archives launched the #HaagsDNA project in 2021. Each school year, the archive focuses on a particular district of The Hague. From Ocotber 6 until November 17 it’s Scheveningen’s turn with an exhibition. This exhibition is based on the Hague Municipal Archives publication of the same name: The briefest History of Scheveningen.

haagsgemeentearchief.nl