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M A L A K K A S T R A A T

Garage sale in Malakkastraat

On Saturday 28 Augustus 2010 the garage of the De Waard family in Malakkastraat became the venue for the sale of second-hand clothes, furniture, crockery and various utensils. The garage – where earlier vintage cars were repaired – attracted a lot of attention.

Photos: Alexandra Gabrielli

Something like a hundred local residents turned up, some out of curiosity, others to buy something or just, as quickly became apparent, for an impromptu chat.

Going by the comments the garage sale was clearly popular:

"What a pleasant outing."

and

"Can’t you do this more often?"

Sound of barrel organ music

in Malakkastraat

Just for a while in the afternoon on Saturday 21 August it sounded as if time had turned back in part of Malakkastraat. An inviting melody of organ notes softly reverberated through the street.

On looking outside, we saw a sprightly gentleman of a certain age playing a charming, antique barrel organ.

Farewell to Archipelbuurt

At the end of every school year the pupils of class 8 of the Archipel Primary School say farewell to their school and often to our neighbourhood too.

The theme of the last week is all about farewell. As well as a concluding musical and other fun activities there is always the traditional breakfast on the school playground for these children who are about to move an to another phase in their lives. One of the indispensable ingredients to the success of this event is the delicious sandwiches supplied by the Baguetterie and of course the beautiful weather we have enjoyed for so many years on this very special morning at our school.

Time certainly moves on quickly because this week the children from class 8 started at their new schools. We wish them lots of pleasure and success.

Luce Gelling, 27 August 2010

So far, so good …

Local kids doing their bit for Haiti

21 January 2010 - Lloyd, Warner and Walt have been going house-to-house in our neighbourhood collecting empty returnable deposit bottles as a way of raising funds to help the people of Haiti.

All three go to the Schoolvereniging Wolters on Utenbroekestraat. The disaster on this island on the other side of the world has touched them in a particularly personal way: one of their schoolmates has lost a member of her family in the disaster.

Webteam

House catches fire in Celebesstrat

Verzonden: dinsdag 5 mei 2009 11:32
Onderwerp: bike stolen in front of the police station

Just a statistic

Not sure if this is newsworthy at all, but I guess I can find some relief in sharing my experience

What? Well I am slightly ticked off due to the fact that someone stole my bike (2 locks) on Saturday 2 May, which was parked outside the entrance of Couperus Duin I, right opposite of the police station! You would think it would be safe there.

It was only parked there 2 hours (!) as I usually park it in my cellar.

When I tried to file a report at the Police Station, they indicated that this was very unfortunate for me, but there was not really anything they could do for me (mere statistics). I do understand that the police have more important things to do, but I thought we pay taxes for this? The police administrator indicated that unfortunately some people do not have the same values with regard to the belongings of other people and simply do not care and are not afraid to steal, even in front of a Police Station.

Well, I have learned my lesson and will not park my bike outside my house anymore.  

Kind regards,

Madeleine

Clinker miracle in Timorstraat: councils listens

5 Februay 2010 – A miracle! I had a quick word with the paviours and realized I’d got the wrong end of the stick.

At the insistence of the residents of the apartment complex on Timorstraat, the council had arranged for clinkers from elsewhere be used to replace the recently installed concrete paving stones. My jaw dropped.

And now just the ugly section in the direction up to Burgemeester Patijnlaan, and the south side of Timorstraat will again be back to how it ought to be.

Have a good weekend,

Walther Wind

Again council replaces old Waal bricks in Timorstraat with ugly, concrete pavers

Monday 1 February 2010 – The Hague Municipal Council has once again plundered the old Waal bricks from a stretch of pavement in Timorstraat, replacing them with grey, concrete paving stones. (See article from March 2009.). What is noteworthy is that within a council designated Beschermde Stadsgezicht (conservation area), next to the Jewish Cemetery, which is a national monument, and in one of the Archipelbuurt’s most majestic streets, the council’s planning department officers are alert to every small detail when it comes to renovations and interior and external alterations to all private properties, but choose to ignore their own regulations when it suits them.

The Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission, who scrutinizes everything down to the last nail and screw in the district, knows about the plundering but does not intend to take any action. Too bad, our Administrators are again causing irretrievable damage to a piece of The Hague against the wishes of the citizens affected.

I would also like to bring to your attention the fact that at the behest of the government and without any consultation or notification, measuring instruments have been permanently anchored in the walls of privately owned properties and the Jewish Cemetery. Here too, the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission is aware of what is going on but says (as do all other council departments) that there is nothing it can do because the perpetrators cannot be identified. 
 

Walther W.P.H.M. Wind

Malakkastraat 147

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RE: stoep Timorstraat
Datum: Mon, 23 Mar 2009 09:17:49 +0100

Pavement clinkers in Timorstraat claimed for Lange Voorhout

On 11 and 12 March 2009, some overzealous council labourers removed an area of pavement adjoining the Jewish cemetery wall in Timorstraat. At first we thought they were going to fell a tree because the container they had with them was extremely large. But imagine our surprise when the next day they began to refill the gap with very ordinary, grey square paving stones. After making enquiries at the road maintenance authority, we learnt that the old clinkers (Waal bricks) were needed elsewhere in The Hague: in fact on Lange Voorhout where a hole had to be filled at very short notice. It had not been possible to arrange delivery in time (of course, they have only been working on the street for how many months was it again!) It wouldn’t surprise me if it had something to do with the CPC ...

The council authority assured me that no more clinkers would be removed (I bet) but in the meantime we look out precisely on the changeover from old to new. They started the same kind of “improvement” on Burg. Patijnlaan and in the last section of Timorstraat just before Ary van der Spuyweg: slowly but surely the council is making our lives greyer and more ordinary. In the meantime I have reported the incident to Monumentenzorg (Historic Buildings Trust), which will look into what they can do…

Kind regards from a sombre resident,

Alexandra Boucher, Timorstraat 131

The Vrienden van Den Haag (Friends of The Hague) club is calling upon the municipal government to add English to the descriptions of the historical monuments in The Hague.

Message from Parijs

Date: Fri, 5 Dec 2008 13:28:28 +0100

To: <website@archipelbuurt.nl>

Your site was totally new to me and I am very impressed. I used to live in Malakkastraat and Javastraat and stayed with a titled Lady in the Alexanderhof and a friend in Malle Molen, opposite where Lottie vd Gaag lived. I also knew Baronesse Snoeckaert van Schouwberg (Javastraat) very well or Mrs. Stegeman, the painter Theo Bitter and several other people. All between 1959 and 1970.

If you have a digital newsletter, I would like to receive it!

Kind regards,

Eduard Danser

Paris