Primorsky Scheveningen is officially considered one of the eight districts of The Hague, and unofficially the best seaside resort in the Netherlands. Tourists, who in principle did not know that there are sea resorts in the country, will be surprised by the local infrastructure and opportunities for recreation. Of course, the North Sea is not the Caribbean, but there is something to do, for example, windsurfers and kiteurs who do not want to go too far from Mother Europe.

In the sense of cultural and historical attractions, the area can also offer a lot. It's nice to walk around its old streets - for example, to admire the old church of the 15th century, to flank along the promenade, looking at the numerous shops, to photograph the lighthouse of 1875 built and to have supper in the restaurant on the pier

The most famous resort hotel - the five-star "Kurhaus" - deserves special attention. The hotel was built in 1885 on a German project and originally combined a hotel with a concert hall. Literally the next year after the construction, he was seriously damaged by the fire and began to rebuild. Externally impressive, like the royal palace or summer residence, the Kurhaus was as richly trimmed from the inside as well: the ceiling was painted by an artist from Brussels, Van Hook.

In the days of the greatest prosperity of the hotel, people of royal blood and significant politicians, and in the concert hall there were indisputable stars. The last concert in "Kurhaus" was made in 1964 - on the stage were the Rolling Stones. But then the hotel business finally shook, in 1969 it was closed, and only listing in historical buildings in 1975 saved the "Kurhaus" from demolition. The hotel was re-opened in 1979, and today the hotel chain "Steigenberger" owns an amazing building.

More earnest hunters of cultural treasures can visit the Scheveningen Museum, which occupies the old school building, completely restored in 1877. Here you can learn more about the development of the former fishing village to the famous resort, and also get acquainted with the underwater world of the area. The permanent exhibition includes artifacts related to the life of fishermen and the popularization of sea bathing, restored old interiors and assembled models of ships and original boats.

The sculpture museum by the sea occupies a building overlapping its form with a sea shell . From the facade it does not look very attractive, but inside, in the halls and outside, visitors can see a huge number of sculptures distributed in approximately 12 exposures. These works of art demonstrate a unique collection of impressions that modern sculptors associate with the sea. Among the authors are Fernando Botero and Tom Claassen

On the Boulevard Scheveningen, behind the harbor, is F.A.S.T. This is a unique and colorful surf village, where there is a youth hostel, a place for camping, a bar, a restaurant, an art-playground, a store of equipment, a surfing school, a storage space for inventory and many like-minded beach people.

Scheveningen Events

Here, at the seashore, there are many traditional annual events and amusements. First of all, this is an international festival of fireworks - Vuurwerkfestival, which is organized with the beginning of the second half of August. The festival attracts more than 150 thousand spectators

The name of the happy holiday Vlaggetjesdag is translated as "Flag Day". Initially, ship flags were in mind, but later the holiday turned into Fisherman's Day, and then it was transformed into Herring Day: the large-scale June festival opens the annual fishing season. Also in Scheveningen, since 1993, there has been the Winterense Open - the Hague Tennis Championship, not too widely known, but quite prestigious.

The famous New Year bathing suit not only in the Netherlands, but in this country the most participants are going to this bold affair as once on the beach. Tradition dates back to the 1960s. In 2013, out of 40,000 brave Dutch bathers, 10,000 climbed into the water on January 1. in Scheveningen.

Practical information

Scheveningen trams number 1 and 9 from the center of The Hague (stop Scheveningen Noorderstrand). By bus number 22 you can reach the northern beach from the central railway station. Tram number 11 runs between the second largest station in the city (Hollands Spoor) and Zuiderstrand

Scheveningen Street

Scheveningen

Scheveningen at night

Scheveningen Beach

Scheveningen embankment