| The Hague |
| Madurodam Inspried by a miniature city in Beaconsfield England. Madurodam, Holland's smallest city, opened it’s doors in 1952 for two reasons: a monument to celebrate George Maduro, who died in February 1945 as a prisoner of war and a Sanatorium, were sick students could recover while continuing to study. These days Madurodam is a charity fund foundation supporting youth oriented charities. The ideal place for a day trip, as you can see everything the Netherlands has to offer, from the red light district of Amsterdam to the Esso oil refinery of Rotterdam, all replicated in minute detail on a 1:25 scale and it’s a worthy cause as admission fees are used to support youth projects! |
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| The Hague An appealing city displaying some of the finest architecture Holland has to offer. It’s a place full of art, shopping, history and royalty. The centre of this city has a park and many important buildings, which have all played their part in the history of Holland throughout the years. This is probably one of a few major cities in the world that owes it's existence to a forest. Count Floris IV built a house here in 1230, so he could take a rest after hunting deer. Because of this a little village came to exist near by and grew from a handful of people to 450.000 in a little over 750 years. This forest exists today, however it is much smaller and amazingly you can still see the deer roaming free. Haagse Bos (Forest of The Hague) is the only natural forest left in Holland all the others have been manipulated by man. |
| Noordeinde Palace Home to the reigning monarchs until the 17th century, when Frederik Hendrik and Amalia van Solms had Huis ten Bosch Palace built. Huis ten Bosch Palace This Palace was originally built as a summer residence for Amalia, but sadly, her husband died while still building it, so she had the place turned into a mausoleum, in his memory. The First World Peace Conference was held here during 1899 and Queen Beatrix choose this Palace to be her home. Lange Voorhout Palace A small 18th-century palace in the heart of the old city and was the home of Emma, the Queen Mother, from 1901 to 1934. These days it is open to the public as the Municipal Museum (Gemeente museum) organizes temporary exhibitions here. Binnenhof This is a medieval castle, the oldest part of this being the Knights’ Hall and the ‘Rolgebouw’ dating back to the 13th century, however it has been renovated and expanded continuously over the centuries. |
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| Delft A great place for historians, dating back to the House of Orange. November 1572, marks the beginning of a union between the Dutch royal family and Delft. Without doubt, Delft is one of the oldest and best preserved towns in Holland. The city got its name from the word 'delving' (digging) the Oude. This city is a maze of canals, lined with trees and bridges. It is also the place where famous painter Johannes Vermeer was born (1632-1675), he lived almost all his life here and was inspired by these beautiful surroundings to create many of his unrivalled masterpieces. Delft is also well-known for ceramics, they have been produced here for many centuries. These days only a few companies still produce entirely hand painted traditional Delftware. You can take a tour which will explain the production process and how to avoid the cheap imitation products on sale all over Holland. |
| TOP TIPS Start your holiday with a visit to Madurodam, here you get to see every detail in small scale. This way you can judge for yourself what you’d like to see more of. Interested in seeing the bulb fields in full bloom book your visit during spring. Take good walking shoes, your sure to walk lots while you’re here. It’s recommended to pay for the audio tour when visiting any museum. The Dutch prefer to shop in the Hague. Schipolo airport is a plane spotter’s delight. Avoid back allies and don’t use your camera in the red light area of Amsterdam! Drinking alcohol and smoking cannabis do not mix! You’d like some cannabis but your not sure how to roll one, buy pre-rolled joints readily available in most coffee-shops. You’d like some cannabis but you’re a non smoker, try the hash cakes or hash teas also available in most coffee-shops. These products can take up to an hour to work, so be patient! |