For those arriving in the Archipel from the direction of Scheveningen, the Bankastraat forms a majestic entry into the neighbourhood. It takes its name from the island of Bangka, north-east of South Sumatra, which marks the transition between the South China Sea and the Java Sea. In other words, it serves as a kind of gateway to Indonesia. The island became famous when Sukarno was interned there in 1948, during Indonesia's struggle for independence from Dutch colonial rule.

The (literal) high point of the Bankastraat (spelled without the 'g') used to be the Beau Séjour hotel, built in 1882. To avoid spoiling the view towards the city centre, the back of the hotel was taken as the building line for the houses further up. They were among the most expensive in The Hague and were always the preserve of a wealthy élite. In 1910, their rental value was as much as 1000 guilders a year....

Some people think that the Archipel used to be an all-Dutch neighbourhood and that expats are a new phenomenon, but in fact the Bankastraat has always been extremely international. In 1895, only 16% of the population was Hague-born - a smaller proportion than those from the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). A big difference was that three-quarters of the families in the neighbourhood then had live-in staff. Most of the working population were in class 1 occupations: a category that included senior civil servants, bankers, lawyers, company directors, missionaries and - strangely enough - magnetisers (the forerunners of today's alternative therapists and medical practitioners).

These days, the Bankstraat is the heart of the Archipel: the place to go for a sociable drink or a quiet dinner, or to do your shopping on a Saturday, in the certain knowledge that you'll bump into a host of local friends and acquaintances while you're at it.

'A playboy and a drunkard'

In the 1920s, one of the distinguished gentlemen residents of the "upper" Bankastraat used to receive regular visits from a close friend: Prince Hendrik, consort of Queen Wilhelmina and grandfather of the present queen. Prince Hendrik is described in Wikipedia as 'a playboy and a drunkard'. Apparently, the house in the Bankastraat was one of the places to which he used to escape for a good time behind closed doors. According to local legend, another part of the Bankastraat was also the scene of numerous escapades on the part of this royal boozer. Look carefully at the side wall of Café Banka and you may still be able to make out the shape of a door which allowed him to slip away unseen when threatened with discovery during one of his drinking sessions.

A/W Community Newspaper, December 2005

Translation JT
This text may not be used or reproduced in any publication or other form of media without prior permission. Contact linda@archipelbuurt.nl

Couperusduin on Burgemeester Patijnlaan

Couperusduin was designed by Sjoerd Schamhart (1919-2007) in collaboration with Hans van Beek (Atelier PRO in the Archipel) and is named after the author-poet Louis Couperus who lived in the lively and artistic Archipelbuurt in the 19th century.

Closeby to the Peace Palace and surrounded by greenery, the Couperusduin apartment complex has always been seen as a timeless example of comfortable living. This striking complex was built on the former site of the demolished Alexander Barracks in 1973. Schamhart’s philosophy was not to build for the “average man” but for people, and every person is different. He identified the common points of departure for each situation and was able to create the appropriate types of living environments. This led to six different basic apartments but everyone one of the 289 living areas in the complex is different.

MalakkaSTRAAT

A shelter in the Amsterdam style

Photo: Walther & Marian Wind

In mid-September 1939, the government mobilized the Dutch army as the threat of armed conflict with Nazi Germany loomed steadily closer. The Rinkhuizen family lived on the corner of Timorstraat and Malakkastraat in a beautiful urban villa. They were thinking about a safe refuge because a house was likely to collapse in an air raid. That is how an air-raid shelter came to be built in the furthest corner of the garden. It became known as a bunker later in the Second World War.

There is no sign of it now. On the side facing the garden there is a delightful wooden summerhouse painted white. Facing the street, a structure of red brickwork with recessed pointing and dark-green weatherboarding. The architect’s design is in the style of the Amsterdam School. The railings on either side are also worth a look.

There is certainly more information to be had about this lovely summerhouse. Was the shelter ever used? Are the remains of the bunker hidden under the ground? The editorial team will investigate further!

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Malakka - here and there

After filling in a great number of ditches and waterways in the second half of the 19th century, manufacturer De Lint and developer Duinweide built the streets Soenda and Borneo (1878), Billiton, Madoera and Riouw (1879) and the Malakka (1880) in rapid succession. The neo-classical Vredeskapel was the first building to appear in the Malakkastraat. Thereafter building work took place as required, which meant that sometimes it took several years before each of the streets was actually 'full'.

As far as the name is concerned, it is the odd one out: Malacca (as it is actually spelled in the atlas) lies on the south west coast of the Malay Peninsula. At the time when the streets in the Archipel were allotted their names, it wasn't officially part of the Dutch East Indies, although the Malacca Strait between Malaysia and the island of Sumatra was very well known.

Malacca
Malacca is a small very strategically positioned federal state. There is lots to tell about its history but in brief: a certain refugee Hindu Prince Paranmeswara transformed the main town that had been established in the 14th century into a prosperous seaport. The Portuguese occupied the town and surrounding area in 1511, but the Dutch (East India Company) relieved it in 1641. They lost it again to the British who held it from 1824 until its independence in 1957. Consequently, the population of Malacca became a fascinating mishmash: Malays, alongside Chinese, Indonesians, and the so-called Straits-born Chinese who couldn't speak a word of Chinese. Descendants of the Portuguese also lived here and spoke the old Christao language as the early Portuguese called it. Eurasians, Arabs and Europeans complete this human hotchpotch. Unsurprisingly, the capital city too, also called Malacca, has a mixture of architectural styles founded on what previous occupiers left behind.

Have the origins of the name perhaps been an example for this street in our neighbourhood? Interesting people have certainly lived and do live here. According to some reports for example, actress Enny Mols-de Leeuwe rehearsed her lines out loud on a balcony here with Ko van Dijk, and socialist leader Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis lived in the 'hofje'. However, there are different opinions about the merits of the architecture. In 1893, one Johan Groen remarked in 'Haagsche Schetsen' (Hague Sketches), "One cannot stifle a yawn when traversing the so-called new quarters of the Heldenwijken, the Indische Archipel and the Celebes, Borneo, Atjeh or Riouw streets. They all look alike, absolutely uniform resembling a row of orphans, they breathe boredom, soul-destroying boredom".

At least the exceptional house standing on the corner with Timorstraat - no. 147, emanates something of the 'colonial' decadence of the East that can probably still be found in Malacca. Ironically a shelter for neglected infants was established here in 1916.

A/W Community Newspaper, October 2003 - M.O.

Translation LN
This text may not be used or reproduced in any publication or other form of media without prior permission. Contact linda@archipelbuurt.nl

Monchyplein getS new ornament

Another artwork by Dirk Bus has been added to Monchyplein this summer. It is an ornament depicting The Hague’s coat of arms from the old town hall. Easy to spot, mounted on the wall between Olympus and Megaron where most people enter on the sunny side of the complex.

Also see: Wikipedia - Monchyplein

Pauline L. van Till

2 August 2010

It is difficult to choose which house in the 112-year-old Javastraat is most worthy of contemplation. The Museum van de Kanselarij der Nederlandse Orden (Museum of the Chancellery of Dutch Orders) used to be at number 50, the Koninklijke Nederlandse Kantwerkschool (Royal Netherlands Lace-work School!) at number 68, the International Persmuseum (Press Museum) at number 32 and - no less 'Haegsch' – a branch of the famous Krul’s patisserie chain.

The funny thing about the Louis Couperus Museum at number17, is that Couperus regularly passed by but never actually lived there. "House, barn and garden" were bought by H.E.W. Rodi de Loo, lieutenant-colonel of the General Staff in 1876. At that time, Javastraat was still very much a high-class residential street, but as the neighbourhood expanded, including even public housing, the street devalued somewhat. As the town guide of 1894 put it: Javastraat "though very decent as yet" had become increasingly a shopping street.

The second occupier was W. Denick Patijn. He installed a stately mantlepiece in his rear drawing room over which he hung a floral still life by a certain Ten Hove. It’s highly likely that an Italian fine-art forger worked under that name. In the thirties, a dental practice started on the first floor, and in the early sixties a Gallery was opened on the ground floor by reciter Albert Vogel and art dealer Leo Verboon. Later on, the gallery was named OREZ, ZERO in reverse, and exhibited work by ZERO-artists like Schoonhoven, Peeters, Henderikse and Armando. The gallery became well-known internationally, with famous artists like Panamarenko and Lucio Fontana exhibiting there, too. Apparently 'wild happenings' taking place there. In 1965 an exhibition of erotic art created a commotion in The Hague. Although the exhibition was restricted to persons above the age of 18 who clearly rejected the notion that "erotic art was dirty', it was mainly the parents of young dental patients visiting the first-floor who had the biggest problem with this.

From 1971 until 1985, Albert Vogel continued to run the gallery, now named 'Ornis', and after his death, in 1982, his stepdaughter Caroline de Westenholz took over. Inspired by the Louis Couperus Society, Westenholz decided to found a Couperus Museum which, after renovation of the building, was opened by Frits Bolkestein in 1996.

A/W Community Newspaper, April 2003 - E.S.
(source: ‘Louis Couperusmusem 1996-2001’)

Translation Y H
This text may not be used or reproduced in any publication or other form of media without prior permission. Contact linda@archipelbuurt.nl

Kerkhoflaan

Angels' wings and hour glasses -

Next time you walk past the Roman Catholic cemetery on Kerkhoflaan, look out for these symbols of mortality decorating the tops of the pillars marking the entrance. And if you take the time to wander into the cemetery itself, you’ll find a variety of quirky tombstones and monuments amid the regimented rows of graves.

They stretch out in neat rows around the central chapel (built in 1838 to accommodate the tombs of the clergy), their arrangement reflecting the class-based society of the 19th century. The most distinguished are to be found in the inner circle surrounding the chapel, where the inmates could hope to head the queue on Judgement Day and hold a first-class ticket to resurrection. Further back are the graves of more ordinary folk. Some are topped by simple grey tombstones, while others display elaborate glass or ceramic ornaments. Many are decked out with lamps, plants and pine branches, proving that their quiet occupants are not forgotten. You can spot some famous names among them: business families like Brenninkmeyer (C&A), Peek and Cloppenburg, Vroom and Dreesman, and Krul (once famous for their cakes and tearooms); politicians (Luns, Cals and Kolfschoten) and celebrated practitioners of the arts: writer Dimitri Frenkel Frank, music impresario Paul Acket, cartoonist Jaap Vegter, painter Jan Toorop, and composer Jurriaan Andriessen.

Then there are four sisters of charity, all buried together under a simple cross, and part of the cemetery is even a Commonwealth War Cemetery holding the graves of three English soldiers who were detained in the Netherlands during the First World War (when the country was neutral) and died in 1918, probably in the Spanish flu epidemic.

A little bit of history

The St. Petrus Banden (St. Peter in Chains) Roman Catholic cemetery was consecrated in 1831. It must have been extremely difficult to reach at that time, when there was no road to it. The Algemene Begraafplaats (on the right at the head of the Bankastraat) could be accessed via the road along the Haringkade canal, but funeral corteges heading for the RC cemetery had to approach from the Scheveningseweg and plough through mud or loose sand to reach their destination. The name of the cemetery refers to the story of St. Peter’s release from prison an angel.

The Neo-Romanesque gallery at the back of the cemetery dates from 1885 and, like the rest of the cemetery, is a listed building. It still shelters family chapels and vaults. But the buildings and monuments are not the only reason to visit this remarkable cemetery. On a sunny day, it is a green and pleasant place to stroll around and admire its collection of rare coniferous and deciduous trees. One regular visitor who comes to tend the grave of his eleven-year-old daughter finds the overhanging branches rather too much of a good thing. But most people will find the cemetery a pleasing and appropriate transition from the urban architecture of the Archipelbuurt to the more natural environment of the Scheveningen woods.

M.O.

A/W Community Newspaper, February 2005 -

Translated by JT
This text may not be used or reproduced in any publication or other form of media without prior permission. Contact linda@archipelbuurt.nl

Book about the “Grote kerkhof bij de Bosjes”

Our district boasts three impressive cemeteries: the 300-year-old Jewish graveyard bordering Timorstraat and the Roman Catholic cemetery and municipal cemetery (Algemene Begraafplaats) on Kerkhoflaan. A book has recently been published about the last of these, entitled “Het grote kerkhof bij de bosjes” (the large cemetery next to the woods).

The tranquility and beauty of the Algemene Begraafplaats.	Representatives of Die Haghe and de Vrienden van Den Haag receive the first copy of the book.

The municipal cemetery was established in 1830. It is the resting place of scores of famous Netherlanders including Cornelis Lely, the greatest Dutch hydraulic engineer and governor of Suriname for many years. “Ordinary” people from The Hague and Scheveningen too are buried here among the centuries-old trees. A number of the graves have listed monument status. The book describes the rich history of the cemetery as well as the lives of the extraordinary people buried here.

Alderman Baldewsingh presented the first copies of the book to representatives of the Historical Society Die Haghe and Vrienden van Den Haag, two associations that, in the words of the Alderman, play an instrumental role in the preservation of the cultural heritage of The Hague.

Highly recommended for those interested in the city’s history!

Eveline Blitz

April 2008

Prinses Mariestraat

Why the ‘Prinses Mariestraat’?

The minutes of the 16th meeting of the Hague City Council, held on Tuesday 17 May 1881 include an item headed ‘naming of a new street’. It records that the chairman, Burgomaster (mayor) F.G.H. Gevers Deijnoot, informed the council that the new street running from the Schelpkade to Frederikstraat, parallel to Mauritskade, was to be known as Prinses Mariestraat. So who exactly was Princess Marie?

Princess Marie (Wilhelmina Frederika Anna Elisabeth Maria, Princess of Oranje-Nassau) was a daughter of Prince Frederik (brother of Willem II) and his wife, Louisa of Prussia. She was born on 5 July 1841 on the De Pauw country estate in Wassenaar and was her parents’ fourth child. As a small child, she played with her brother Frederik, who was 5 years older. However, he died when he was only 10. Her sister Louise was then aged 18. Marie was brought up by governesses, although she appeared in society with her parents and accompanied them on their travels.

Marriage and right of succession
Although marriage to the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) was considered, it was a German Count, Wilhelm Adolph Maximiliaan Carel Von Wied, whom Princess Marie eventually married on 18 July 1871, at the age of 30. The wedding took place at the village church in Wassenaar.

The young couple set up house in his ancestral home in Neuwied, but frequently returned to the Netherlands to visit Princess Marie’s father at De Pauw. By that time, he was a widower and she was his only surviving child. Moreover, Princess Marie retained her right of succession to the Dutch throne after her marriage. This meant that her husband Wilhelm was expected to learn to speak Dutch and to familiarise himself with Dutch culture.

Wilhelm eventually died in 1907. Princess Marie outlived him by three years and was the only surviving princess of Oranje to attend the christening of Princess (later Queen) Juliana in 1909. She died on 22 June 1910 at Monrepos, Amt Heddersdorf (Germany). Her descendents, the Von Wieds, continued to regard themselves as candidates for the Dutch throne and her second son was actually King of Albania for a few months in 1914. Their frequent visits to Wassenaar and The Hague made them well known figures in the locality and indeed quite popular, but in 1922 they lost their claim to the Dutch throne when a law was passed confining the right of succession to descendents of Queen Wilhelmina (grandmother of the present queen).

(For an unexpectedly racy version of the story,
visit http://flagspot.net/flags/nl-royal.html#mw)

Prinses Mariestraat: a two-way street

From a project report on the listing of Hague historic buildings from the1850-1940 period:

"The buildings on the even-numbered side of Prinses Mariestraat, backing onto the Mauritskade canal, are very remarkable. Due to their prominent position, unusual attention was paid to the rear elevations of these properties. Some of them display cornices with carved consoles and moulded window surrounds. The quality of an 1883 Neo-Renaissance style property built onto the back wall of number 6 actually exceeds that of the Prinses Mariestraat frontage.”

The copious ornamental plasterwork on the building directly opposite number 6, on the odd-numbered side of Prinses Mariestraat, is also worth a look.

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Prinses Mariestraat: home to the Crossing Border festival

Talk to local people about Prinses Mariestraat and they’ll say: Oh yes, that quiet street just this side of the Mauritskade, full of smart houses …. The image may have been slightly dented by news of a recent police raid on a cannabis plantation there, but it was still a surprise to hear that the street houses the headquarters of the well-known Crossing Border festival. In my innocence, I rang to ask for an interview. "Not a chance!”, sighed logistics and production officer Linda van Veldhuizen, “We’re right in the middle of the run-up to this year’s festival. Not a moment to spare.”

Crossing Border festival
Since then, the 2003 festival has come and gone, attracting wide media coverage. It had just moved back to The Hague after three years in Amsterdam, where – strange as it may seem – it became the victim of its own success. There were just too many visitors and too many different venues. People flocked to it for the music alone and another equally important feature of the event, the fusion with literature, was getting overshadowed.
Here in The Hague, the main two venues for the 2003 festival were the Koninklijke Schouwburg and the Grote Kerk. The organisation of the event was in the hands of Louis Behre (artistic director) and Cees Debets (festival administrator). They attracted not only foreign crowd-pullers like Germaine Greer and Lou Reed (who read aloud from the works of Edgar Allen Poe) and domestic stars like artist-novelist Jan (Turkish Delight) Wolkers, but also debutants like DBC Pierre (who then promptly won the prestigious Booker Prize for his novel Vernon God Little). And this year they also catered for the next generation of culture-vultures with a Saturday afternoon "Borderkids" event.

The most recent Crossing Border festival has just taken place (see www.crossingborder.nl/uk.start.php).

Associated events
Another happening organised each year from Prinses Mariestraat revolves exclusively around music: called "Music in my Head", it takes place in the city-centre Theater aan het Spui. (see www.themusicinmyhead.nl).

Since May 2002 occasional ‘literary salons’ have also been held in Prinses Mariestraat itself. When internationally famous authors publish new works, attempts are made to get them to come to The Hague to take part in these informal gatherings. Writers who have done so include Michel Houellebecq, T.C. Boyle, Shalev and Michel Faber (who was actually born in The Hague and ended up in Scotland via Australia). Because evenings like these are organised on an impromptu basis, they are rarely publicised in the press. Yet another reason to keep a close eye on this website!

 

A/W Community Newspaper, December 2003

Translated by JT
This text may not be used or reproduced in any publication or other form of media without prior permission. Contact linda@archipelbuurt.nl

15 March 2009 - The international Japanese - American - Dutch sculptor Shinkichi Tajiri died this Saturday on 15 March 2009. He created the sculpture “Watchman” on Nassauplein. It was commissioned by the Ministry of Defence to mark the abolition of compulsory military service in the Netherlands. Tajiri is perhaps best known for his large statues of knots, like the large white one at Schiphol entitled “Meeting Point” and the one hidden behind the bus stop (as is the Watchman) outside the Shell headquarters on Carel van Bylandtlaan.

After leaving the US, where he had been interned with his parents, he met members of the COBRA group in Paris, who persuaded him to come to the Netherlands.

                       Photo: Ellen Struick

At first he settled in Amsterdam, but was later looking for a studio and accommodation elsewhere. He was given the use of a dilapidated castle in Baarloo thanks to a former mayor of The Hague Mr. F.G.L.L. Schols, who had also been mayor of the village of Baarlo in Limburg.

More information about Tajiri and his work:

www.24oranges.nl

ogendicht.blogspot.com/2007/06

www.cobra-museum.nl

www.shinkichi-tajiri.com

“Princes’ Finching Park”

The name Prinsevinkenpark translates literally as “Princes’ Finching Park”. It commemorates the fact that the area once belonged to the Princes of Orange, who used it as a vinkenbaan: a place to net finches. In the 17th and 18th centuries, this was a popular pastime among the elite. They set up nets in the wooded areas fringing the dunes and caged finches were positioned round about to attract wild birds by their singing. The caged birds were blinded to improve their song. The sound of their singing attracted flocks of thousands of wild finches, which passed through the area every autumn on their migration from Scandinavia to Great Britain and Ireland. A quick tug on a cord brought the net down over the flock. In 1848, D. Ruygrok opened a simple café next to the vinkenbaan and called it the Prinse Vinkenhuis. It became a popular rendezvous of painters and poets.

In 1886, W.B. van Liefland produced a spacious design for a new group of villas on the land. The oval lay-out was in strong contrast to the rectangular grid pattern of the rest of the neighbourhood. On 22 January 1886, the first trees were felled to make way for the houses. The area acquired its present name in 1888. It was the last new area of building in Duinweide, as the entire Archipelbuurt was then known. (Translated from: De Archipel een buurt in druk, 2nd edition, 1979, with extra details from I. Matthey, ‘De vinkenbanen van de Hollandse buitenplaatsen’, Historisch geografisch tijdschrift 22 (2004) 1 - 9).

Richly decorated

Most of the houses have richly decorated Neo-Renaissance style gables designed by various well-known architects of the day, such as J.J. van Nieukerken and Z. Hoek. However, some of them were built only in the 20th century. For example, number 42 was designed in 1913 by H.P. Berlage (architect of the Gemeentemuseum and the Amsterdam stock exchange now known as the ‘Beurs van Berlage’) and displays his rationalist style. Number 2, formerly the offices of Uitgeverij Succes and now converted to apartments, is another 20th-century addition, as are the offices of the Dutch Federation of Agricultural and Horticultural Organisations (Land- en Tuinbouw Organisatie or LTO). The latter sticks out like a sore thumb, though the later extension (built in 1986) is rather more sympathetic in style (see LTO below).

Famous resident

A resident of the Prinsenvinkenpark who enjoyed a great deal of local fame was Dirk Bus (1907-1978). On his 70th birthday (5-12-1977) he was decorated by the municipality for his services to the city, not only as chairman of Pulchri but also as the artist responsible for a number of war memorials and sculptures on public display around the city. These include the monument to the grenadiers and chasseurs beside Zorgvliet park (opposite Sorghvliet Lyceum), the war memorial in the Algemene Begraafplaats (the non-denominational cemetery on the right at the top of the Bankastraat) and the sculptures that used to adorn the old town hall on Burg. Monchyplein (now demolished) and now grace the new housing development on the site.

MvdH

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Prinsevinkenpark no. 42 - Nieuw Parkwijk

Jaaaaa, dit is Bèèèrt” I hear on the voice mail. Bert Huisman is a busy bee and hard to catch at home! He’s usually away wandering the area on neighbourhood business, walking in the Scheveningen Woods with his dog Matilde (a light brown, long-haired Briard), or singing and playing in a pop band, together with friend Koos from the Exotenhof greengrocery store – and that’s when he’s not on one of his regular jaunts to France. And soon Bert will have vanished entirely from number 42, though he’s not going far: he’s just bought the smaller house next door at number 40 and his own house is on the market as I write.

When I finally track him down, I get to talk to Bert in his attractive sun lounge or serre with its view out onto the garden and walls decorated with splendid Indian headdresses. It’s just one of the seventeen rooms available to him. The house was christened ‘Nieuw Parkwijck’ by its original occupant, a publisher called Simons, after his former home, ‘Parkwijck’, in Amsterdam. It dates from 1916 and was the last house to be built in the central ‘island’ area of the Prinsevinkenpark; the first was built in 1888. Originally, there was just one country house occupying the whole area. Number 42 was designed and built by Berlage. Its rounded frontage and projecting flat roofs betray the influence of the famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, while the interior is in the original - art deco - style.

History

Bert clearly has a sense of style and history. He looks after the large French-style garden himself. And he has many stories to tell of the history and background of the houses in the area, including some intriguing gossip about the people who lived in them. Everyone knows the house that was once occupied by two inhabitants, one of whom murdered the other in the course of a fight. And the best-known call girl in the Hague once lived in the Prinsevinkenpark. Indeed, it’s even rumoured that Bert’s own house was once a brothel! More concrete evidence of scandal is provided by the names of former occupants scratched into the cement under his front porch, including Panzer Grenadiers of the SS!

Bert himself came to live in the Prinsevinkenpark in 1953. His father was an eye, ear, nose and throat specialist with a practice based at number 1, where his brother now lives. His mother still lives nearby at number 32. Originally, Bert had a career in education, teaching at a fashion college where he himself learnt tailoring. These days, he’s involved in all sorts of voluntary work – everything from keeping the Scheveningen woods properly maintained and free of condoms to campaigning for a Hague Pop Museum. (He does nothing to conceal his abhorrence of the neighbourhood carbuncle, the modern LTO building, or of the way certain new-comers make changes to their newly acquired homes.)

At the end of our talk, Bert is keen to stress that – despite the rather grand appearance of the area – most of the occupants are really just “perfectly ordinary” folk. Even if, as he admits, the population has changed a bit in recent years as more yuppies, with or without kids, replace the older couples and single people (often artists) who used to predominate. But then what’s “ordinary” in the eyes of someone with so little that’s ordinary about him, other than his name

A.K.

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Prinsevinkenpark, smart but not stuck-up

Tucked away between Riouwstraat and Ary van der Spuyweg, the Prinsevinkenpark is a little-known corner of The Hague. But it would be hard to find a classier address. No surprise, then, that one of the most impeccable Dutch government ministers of all time, Onno Ruding, has decided to make his home there, in one of the flats into which the former offices of Uitgeverij Succes (famous for its diaries) are currently being converted.

As a stranger wandering into the Prinsevinkenpark, it’s easy to get confused: should you turn left or go straight on? You can quickly lose your sense of direction, for this is a street that revolves around the island at its heart and forms a miniature world in itself. The houses are tall and distinguished, displaying copious 19th-century ornamentation. They are sizeable properties, but their gardens are oddly small. That’s inevitable, given the way they are grouped around the central island.

Among them is an early Berlage design: already displaying the distinctive style of his later years, it is a compact detached house with small windows in an otherwise unbroken brick façade. Apparently, the house is for sale. It can be yours tomorrow if you’ve a million or so to spare. But there’s also a building here that nobody would give tuppence for: the headquarters of the Dutch Federation of Agricultural and Horticultural Organisations (Land- en Tuinbouw Organisatie or LTO). Unimaginative modern shoebox meets stylish turn-of-the-century architecture, with disastrous results!

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A murder story

At nearby coffee cabin ‘De Prinsevink’, proprietor Frank van der Valk has a juicy tale to tell about a murder committed in one of the Prinsevinkenpark houses in the late eighties. Apparently, a chap called Wim joined forces with a mate of his and the latter’s girl-friend to buy a substantial house in the Prinsevinkenpark for the (even then) paltry sum of 140,000 guilders. Clearly a shady deal, ask no more. The house needed a lot of work on it and things moved slowly. Meanwhile, the friendship between Wim and his co-owners cooled off considerably. They began to have rows. One day, things boiled over and Wim’s mate grabbed a carving knife. Self-defence, he said. Maybe it was all a misunderstanding. But, anyway, Wim was a goner…

If you want to hear the story first-hand, drop in and buy a cup of coffee from Frank and his wife Maryam. While you’re at it, there’s a good chance you’ll get into conversation with one of the present residents of the Prinsevinkenpark or surrounding area. That’s the nice thing about ‘De Prinsevink’: it must be the most democratic place to have a cup of coffee in The Hague – a place where the widow of a senior naval officer can sit happily elbow to elbow with the construction workers and tradesmen who drop in on their daily round. Like Rinus Wijnvoord, a leading local specialist in glass maintenance, though he won’t mind a bit if you call him a window-cleaner.

H.B.

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Living monument

The houses may be impressive, but here and there the gardens are unexpectedly cramped. The owners are compensated by the generous width of the street. The magnificent focal point is a splendid sycamore tree, which stands at the heart of the Prinsenvinkenpark like a solitary policeman directing the traffic. Peering up into the heavy branches, you can just make out the iron cables binding them together. They were put there by the municipality in the 1970s, to prevent the branches tearing away from the trunk under the weight of their own foliage. Old sycamores can be identified from their smooth, almost white trunks and flaky bark. This one is now more than a century old.

Tidying up the house the other day, I came across a leaflet of walks featuring historic and unusual trees in the area (Wandelroutes langs monumentale bomen). It had been lying lost and forgotten in a drawer packed with stuff about the neighbourhood. You know how it is, you think one day you’ll have time to follow up on things but somehow you never do. Well, shortly after I found it, there was one of those Sunday afternoons when we knew we ought to get out for a while but didn’t know where. And then I remembered that leaflet. Aha, good thing I’d kept it after all! It was a walk full of surprises. Even if you cycle around the neighbourhood practically every day of the week, you hardly ever really look at the trees. But during that Sunday afternoon walk we weren’t aware of much else. It was a kind of treasure hunt. The leaflet contains brief information about each of the trees, so that next time you cycle by them each one seems like an old friend. I look at them quite differently since then.
If you’d like to try out the walks yourself and get to know the trees in the area, click here for an English translation of the leaflet.

CR

A/W Community Newspaper, February 2005 -

Translated by JT
This text may not be used or reproduced in any publication or other form of media without prior permission. Contact linda@archipelbuurt.nl

Sumatrastraat

The bustle of the Sumatrastraat

Sumatrastraat is of old a street with its fair share of shops and trademen, although this was not the intention originally. When construction started in 1870, after completion of the Javastraat and a few houses in the Balistraat, Sumatrastraat was planned as a residential street. So when the ground was sold for the building of the premises 246 to 266a for example, it was stipulated that the design of the facade, front garden and "elegant iron gates" must first meet certain requirements. The inhabitants of the first row of houses included a marine officer, a major and a rear-admiral. It wasn't long though before it became a hive of activity, and all kinds of artisans and businesses set up ‘house’ there too.

In 1890 the Archipel quarter numbered 120 ‘hofjes’ (a cross between almshouses and mews cottages) and 95 "ordinary" dwellings. Sumatrastraat alone had 6 ‘hofjes’ – more about that in a later article.

Better?
When people lament that "everything used to be better", what they usually mean is quieter, less hectic and cleaner. Let's go back a hundred years. Some homes were connected to the sewerage system it’s true, but not the ‘hofjes’. In those days the content of the privy was carted away. There was extreme poverty, too. No surprise then that the street boasted 11 addresses licensed to sell strong liquor. Sometimes these drinking-dens had 2 doors: one led to the pub itself and the other to the off-sales counter where the liquor was sold for a few pennies less but without anywhere to sit down. (Take a look at the walled-up door at the corner of Sumatrastraat/Bankastraat across the road from the entrance to Albert Heijn). And there was no electricity supply until 1906.

Quiet? Fragrant?
Imagine the early morning sound of all the carts being pushed over the cobbled streets; the Sumatrastraat alone already had 10 horse-drawn carts. A lot of traffic rattled down the street in those days because it also served as a safer, alternative route to the Laan Copes, which was paved with very slippery cobblestones; a danger to the horses in wet weather.

Then there were the odours and sounds emanating from the smithies (at numbers 38, 40, 60, 74, 211, 234, 238 and 250!!), the butcher's shops and the smoke-houses (at numbers 18, 148, 177 and 195); and don’t forget the bone repository at 220 ... Through the ‘Witte Poort’ (White Archway) leading to numbers 249 to 271, were coach-houses and stables with dwellings for coachmen above; and it goes without saying that there was a farrier’s forge too.
By way of a more fragrant counterpart, there were also 4 bakeries in the street. Mr. T.W. Feenstra (our local resident historian) recalls the following about the Hus bakery, "The many handcarts and delivery bicycles were parked at number 164. In the mornings they were parked at the edge of the pavement, ready to be loaded. The bread was dispensed through a large window in the entranceway (still visible today), which used to open onto the Alexanderhof. I often saw the baker's boys in their corduroy uniforms, their arms full of loaves running to their carts. Uniforms, that to my mind were seldom or never cleaned. Later the same loaves were daintily lifted from the cart with a pair of tongs and deposited in the customers' baskets". Talking of bread, did you know that in 1945, loaves of Swedish white bread were distributed by Simon de Wit (now Albert Heijn)?

The recent past
To conclude, here are some impressions from more recent times. The sale of fish from the back of the van on the corner by Albert Heijn brings back memories of 'Fishmonger Dil', once located at number 348. There was even a sexshop at 344 at one time, later replaced by a fysiotherapy practice. While at 312, Chris Meershoek not only ran a dairy, but a sort of back-up community centre as well, where parcels were left when neighbours were not at home, where he kept spare keys for many of these neighbours and where you could get all the latest details about relationships, inheritances, who was moving and so on. I once had a visitor who had returned from Scotland with an enormous frozen salmon. It did not fit in my freezer so I asked Chris Meershoek whether the ‘monster’ could stay in his deep freezer for a while. No problem.

A videotheque called ‘The Fighter', fitted out with lots of shining brass and deep-pile plush, 'luckily' went up in flames. It then served as a studio to the well-known sculptor Klaus Baumgartner (who lives in the Malakkastraat), and is now used for visualization once more - but of a different kind.
Many people still pause at number 248/250 to admire the museum window. A monument to the Feenstra family business established in 1893 by the grandfather of our neighbourhood archivist T.W. (Bob) Feenstra. Originally just a smithy, it developed into a contractors-cum-plumbers shop. After 104 years in business, it had to close down for lack of a successor. We also miss the rather chaotic bazaar-cum-pet shop and, over the way, the good-humoured advice from the chemist 'De Bruine Beer'.

It is no wonder then that there are so many calls for the preservation or the return of shops in our neighbourhood: too many have vanished already.

E.S.

A/W Community Newspaper, December 2002 -
Also many thanks to Bob Feenstra for the historical information.

Translation YH
This text may not be used or reproduced in any publication or other form of media without prior permission. Contact linda@archipelbuurt.nl

ZEESTRAAT

Whose Zeestraat?

There seems to be some confusion about the status of the Zeestraat. Is it part of the Willemspark area or isn’t it? A sign saying ‘Mesdagkwartier’ on the even-numbered side suggests the worst. Yes, objects my neighbour, but the other side is in the Willemspark, no question about it. Oh well, so what? It’s my street and that’s all that really matters.

Every time I turn into it from the Javastraat, I get an extra spring in my step. For me, this is where the city centre begins. Real life is on the horizon. The Noordeinde is in sight, Hoogstraat and Venestraat beckon, the Bijenkorf hums with life, and there’s a hint of China Town in the air… The Zeestraat is the dream start for one of the most varied walks you can take in the Hague. No need to turn left or right. It’s just straight on all the way and follow your nose until you reach Holland Spoor station, taking in all the many and varied facets of the inner city along the way. From royal residence to common and garden and multicultural.

But today I’ve hardly put one foot in front of the other before I’m seduced by the thought of a cup of coffee at the pavement café outside the Carlton Ambassador Hotel. The establishment’s just celebrated its tenth anniversary under that name and I settle down in the sun to browse through a booklet about its much longer previous history (J. Schoon, <cursief>Ambassador, een Haags hotel in het Willemspark).

Our Ambassador
Apparently the Haagse Beek stream flows underground practically underneath where I’m sitting. And the Krulder family used to have a sort of property empire in this part of the city in the latter half of the 19th century, running boarding houses catering for diplomats, the idle rich and colonials back on leave from the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). The pearl in Krulder family crown stood on the corner of the Zeestraat/Sophialaan and was run by Mrs Krulder-Vos herself. This was the establishment that was eventually to become the Ambassador Hotel. Between 1970 and 1995 it was turned into a hostel for psychiatric patients returning to the community, before finally being resurrected as the Carlton.

That’s not all I learn from this fascinating little book. I never knew that the well-known Hague architect Sjoerd Schamhart (who designed the Couperusduin flats at the end of the Burgermeester Patijnlaan) was responsible for the third and fourth floors of the Carlton Ambassador. Or that the vast painting in the Panorama Mesdag (measuring 120 x 14 metres!) was once exhibited in Munich and Amsterdam.

I reach for my mobile and phone Roos Eggers, who knows the Zeestraat better than anyone. You might almost say she is the Zeestraat (even if she does live on the even-numbered side). “It’s a terrific street. As long as you don’t mind the horseshit, of course. Comes from the carriages taking the ambassadors to the palace to present their credentials. Did you know they gather in the Ambassador to be collected? Funny, isn’t it? But there’s always something going on here. Sometimes the street’s a complete no-go area, when there’s a royal funeral, for example.” And don’t try telling Roos which neighbourhood she lives in: “The Zeeheldenbuurt, of course!”

In the end, I have to go to the Archipel/Willemspark Residents’ Association to get a final answer: according to the local authority development plan, the Zeestraat is definitely part of the Willemspark. It’s ours! Both sides of it. Not that I ever doubted it. Not really.

H.B.

photos courtesy of Janey Tucker

Confusion about neighbourhood boundaries

According to the Willemspark 1 development plan, all of the Zeestraat and part of the Bazarstraat are part of the area surrounding Plein 1813 and therefore lie in the Willemspark. However, the Archipel/Willemspark Residents’ Association only represents the odd-numbered side of the Zeestraat; the other side and all of the Bazarstraat are represented by the Groene Eland Residents’ Association (i.e. the Zeeheldenkwartier). To complicate matters further, a Mesdagkwartier Association was set up in 1995 to promote cultural, historical and commercial interests in the area bounded by Anna Paulownastraat, Nassaulaan, Javastraat and the Mauritskade. Fortunately, all these organisations have regular get-togethers to discuss their common interests!

E.P.B.

---

Zeestraat avant la lettre:

from conspicuous consumption to contemporary communication 1837

The Willemspark proper (the original park area, not the district) is bounded by Zeestraat, Javastraat, Nassaulaan and the Mauritskade. It is named after its original owner: King Willem II, who lived on the Kneuterdijk, but used this land as a park in which to go riding. He planted trees, adorned the area with statuary and surrounded the park with railings (although the public was allowed in through a gateway on the Zeestraat side).

The Zeestraat originally linked The Hague with the sea (hence its name, literally meaning ‘Sea Street’). Before the expansion of the city in the 19th century, the Scheveningen Woods extended to a bridge at the end of the Mauritskade, where the Elandstraat now begins. The Mauritskade then marked the outer perimeter of the city and was therefore known as the Cingelgracht. For centuries, there was a sandy track from the bridge to the coast. In the summer, carts could negotiate it and then drive over the beach all the way up to Haarlem. In the mid-17th century, the poet-statesman Constantijn Huygens (private secretary to Stadholder Prince Frederik Hendrik) initiated a plan to turn the rutted track into a more serviceable paved road. To cover the cost, Huygens was given the right to charge tolls. The toll house that still stands at the city end of the Scheveningseweg is a reminder of that era. Tolls were charged right through until the end of the 19th century and it was not until 1924 that the splendid tollgate was moved to its present position on the Kapellaan.

Changing uses
Where the Carlton Ambassador Hotel now stands, on the corner of the Zeestraat and Sophialaan, there was originally a windmill (known as the Noordmolen or Noordleliemolen) that ground grain. This was demolished in the mid-19th century to make room for five luxury homes, used as temporary accommodation for wealthy families returning from the colonies. These are not the only lost architectural treasures of the Zeestraat. In the 19th century the street also boasted Thermal Baths and an emporium called the Royal Van Boer Bazaar, which sold exotic luxury articles from Japan, China, Turkey and India.

A.v.d.K.

photo courtesy of Janey Tucker

---

Fort Willemspark

On the corner of the Zeestraat and Javastraat is an imposing building set in large grounds. It’s attractive enough with its red and blue window frames, but even so rather remote. The gates can only be opened automatically. You can’t just wander in and ring the bell. In fact, it turns out that even the man who delivers the neighbourhood newspaper hasn’t managed to locate the letterbox.

But when I phone one of the residents to make an appointment, I couldn’t have hoped for a friendlier response. Yes, she says, security around the complex is pretty high, but living there she’s right in the city and her car is safe in the private car park. At least half of the residents are expats and people tend to greet each other in English. They work for multinationals or international organisations and are only in the Netherlands temporarily. There’s not much contact with the neighbours, but Mrs Evenhuis doesn’t mind that: she’s not really one for socialising with the people next door anyway. She’s been living in the building for the last 2 years but she knew it well before that. When she was a member of parliament, this was the Ministry of Social Affairs and she came here regularly. Not that the building looks like government offices now. After all, it was originally designed by A.H. Wegerif (a disciple of Berlage) in 1928 to be one of the first blocks of flats in The Hague.

But no, sorry, I can’t climb the tower: it’s empty and was only ever built to give the building the right proportions. So that’s one lifetime ambition I can forget!

M.O.

A/W Community Newspaper, April 2005 -

Translation JT
This text may not be used or reproduced in any publication or other form of media without prior permission. Contact linda@archipelbuurt.nl

Living in the 'Hofje het Javalaantje'

This hofje, which is situated off the Javastraat proper opposite the 'long' Balistraat, has its own website.

The site is divided into a number of categories: Back then; Now; Between the residents; The location & surroundings; The hofje in the snow; and A peek inside.

There are lots of photos, all but two made specially for the site, showing what an attractive place it is to live.

www.javalaantje.nl

WALKS THROUGH OUR HistoricAL NEIGHBOURHOOD

Walking with trees

Archipel ramble

Walking with Trees

This walk can easily be done in about two hours. You can also do it on a bike, though you’ll have to get off and push from time to time.

   1.

      The walk begins at Plein 1813. This impressive square was laid out in around 1860. The monument in the centre is a national memorial to the liberation of the Netherlands from French Napoleonic rule and the establishment of the kingdom (replacing the former Republic) in 1813.

      The square is ‘guarded’ by 32 colossal horse chestnut trees planted in 1900. The winter is a good time to see these giant trees in all the majestic glory of their knobbley black branches.

   2.

      Facing into town, turn right down Sophialaan (which is also planted with giant century-old horse chestnuts) and go on to Zeestraat. Horse chestnuts were introduced to the Netherlands in the second half of the sixteenth century from Turkey (which is where “Dutch” tulips also originated!). They flower in May and June. The odd thing about these particular trees is that they bear no conkers (chestnuts). 

   3.

      On the right-hand side of Zeestraat, near number 80, are two copper beech trees. Note the thick “belly” on the first of them. This is where a graft was made on the tree around 120 years ago. A fine ‘copper’ cultivar was grafted onto a wild stock and the result has grown into this giant. Both trees have large ring-shaped wounds in the bark where branches have been sawn off or have broken away in the past. In the summer, these trees are a glorious shade of red. In the past, they stood on the bank of a stream known as the Haagse Beek. These days, the stream passes underground at this point and there is no sign of it. Walk on, crossing Javastraat into Scheveningseweg, and look across at the main entrance to the Peace Palace (Vredespaleis), built in 1913 to house the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The Peace Palace and its gardens are open to the public, see www.vredespaleis.nl

   4.

      Scheveningseweg was built in 1665 to link The Hague with Scheveningen. It was designed by the famous poet, statesman and architect Constantijn Huygens. Walk on past the turn into Burg. Patijnlaan. From the footpath on the right-hand side of Scheveningseweg you can soon look over the wall of the Jewish cemetery and see a large number of ancient English oaks growing there. The oldest of these trees dates from around 1820.

   5.

      Turn back into Burg. Patijnlaan then left into Timorstraat. On the corner of Celebesstraat and Timorstraat is a fine old house built in 1879. In its front garden are 2 copper beeches, 2 European beeches and a plane tree. The plane tree is the most unusual of these in The Hague. Plane trees originated from around the Mediterranean. You can tell a plane tree by the way its bark flakes off in the summer. If you didn’t know better, you’d think the tree was diseased.

   6.

      Continue up Timorstraat and turn right into Riouwstraat. The first road on the left is Prinsevinkenpark. Here, a splendid sycamore stands in the middle of the road like a solitary policeman on traffic duty. Look up between the branches and you’ll see iron cables binding them together. They were put there by the municipality in the 1970s to prevent the branches tearing away from the trunk. You can tell an old sycamore by its smooth, almost white trunk and flaky bark. This one is around a century old.

   7.

      Return to Riouwstraat and turn left to walk to the Bankaplein. In the garden at the side of number 3 is a wonderful century-old copper beech. Notice how well it complements the historic architecture of the building.

   8.

      Continue along Riouwstraat and turn left into Batjanstraat. At the end of the street you will practically collide with another glorious copper beech dating from 1890. The reason why there are so many copper beeches in the area is that there was a real vogue for them at the end of the 19th century. They were regarded as particularly chic.

   9.

      Turn right and continue to the Koninginnegracht. Along the side of the canal there is a long row of very fine horse chestnuts overhanging the water. Horse chestnuts are another very common tree in the older parts of The Hague. They were planted in the streets of fashionable neighbourhoods because of their attractive shape and ability to withstand the salt sea air of the city.

  10.

      Return via one of the side streets to Bankastraat and turn left to reach the Nassauplein. Here, there’s a chance to sit down for a few minutes on one of the old benches in the central reservation. While you’re resting your feet, admire the historic buildings with their fine Eclectic-style facades. When the old town hall still stood on the Monchyplein, many officials used to come here on sunny days to eat their lunchtime sandwiches.

  11.

      Carry straight on and cross the Javastraat, bearing slightly right, to reach the Nassaulaan. Pause for a minute to look at the former Royal Manege(riding stables)opposite the end of the Sophialaan. Following a gut-and-stuff operation in the early 1970s, the 19th-century Neo-Gothic facade now conceals the modern offices of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities. The large arches at the base of the building used to be open to allow the horses to be ridden in and out.

  12.

      Turn right under the splendid chestnut trees on Sophialaan to return to Plein 1813. 

Ramble - Archipelbuurt Community Fair

28 June 2008

How to get the most out of this ramble through your neighbourhood:

• If you are 12 or older and have permission from your parents or guardian, do it with a group of friends to make it more fun. 
• If you are under 12 years old, it’s best to do it with your parents or an authorized adult.
• You will get the most out of the walk if you look at everything around you.
• Then you will notice all kinds of things you don’t normally see!
• If you want to, you can try answering the questions on the list. The answers are available at the ‘wijkfeest’ stand at the end of the ramble.
• We are also curious to know what your favourite spot in the neighbourhood is. You can make a photo on your mobile if you want and send it to eva@archipelbuurt.nl. Who knows perhaps you’ll see it published in the next community newspaper or on this website!

Route

Photos

1. Walk to the fountain on Bankaplein.

2. Go up Bankahoogte (extension of Bankastraat). On the corner with Delistraat you will see a former office block that has been converted into apartments. Do you think they are attractive? Do they fit in with the rest of the neighbourhood? (photo 1)

3. Turn right into Delistraat.

4. On the corner of Batjanstraat (number 34) you will see an example the elaborate net curtains typical of a bygone age. This window has been like this for possibly the last 40 years. Interesting to still be able to see something like this in the district!

5. Take a quick look at this section of Batjanstraat. You will see front doors dating from different periods. Can you date them? (photo 2)

6. Continue walking along Delistraat.

7. After the wooded area, interspersed with grassy areas and white benches, and Ternatestraat on the left, just before the houses in the street begin again, is the Delihofje. (photo 3)

8. Go up the narrow lane and take a look round the corner. Make sure to respect the privacy of the occupants and to be as quiet as possible. You’re in for a surprise! Do you recognize it? (photo 4)

9. Return to Delistraat and retrace your steps to the Ternatestraat. It was built in the 1990s and is the Archipelbuurt’s own ‘VINEX project’ (a type of suburban housing). (photo 5)

10.  Take a wander if you want through the ‘DeliPark’ (now on your right) on your way back to Bankahoogte. (photo 6)

11. Continue walking up Bankahoogte and turn right into Kerkhoflaan.

12. Recognize the view of the cemetery? What sort of cemetery is this by the way? If you don’t know maybe they’ll know the answer at the flower stall. (photo 7)

13. There are a number of small houses hidden away in this part of the street and of course the architect bureau PRO. 

14. The camper van is also a permanent resident in the street. What is the date of this model? (photo 8)

15. Return to Bankahoogte and cross over to the long section of Kerkhoflaan.

16. On the left, just before the next cemetery, is a concealed footpath. The horses and riders from the stables on Riouwstraat use it mostly. (photo 9)

17. Now you have come to the Catholic cemetery. What an imposing dome!

18. Cross over the road and have a good look at the pillars either side of the gateway into the woods.

19. Does the stork have a special meaning?

20. Continue along Kerkhoflaan into Ary van der Spuyweg.

21. Fancy a cup of coffee in the Prinsevink? (photo 10)

22. Notice the houses on the left with the red and blue window frames in a completely different architectural style. When do you think they were built? (photo 11)

23. Turn left after these houses onto a narrow path that runs alongside the English Church towards Timorstraat.

24. Behind the high wall that runs the length of Timorstraat is another cemetery. What sort of people are buried here? You should also be able to just see the top of a clock tower. What building does it belong to?  (photo 12)

25. Further along Timorstraat just past Malakkastraat on the corner, tucked away behind a low wall this time, is a beautiful lawn with a row of white benches and immaculately pruned shrubs. There is the only one garden like this in the Archipel.

26. Turn into Malakkastraat and directly on the left you have number 147 with its distinctive blue front door. Think of an appropriate name for the style of this house. (photo13)

27. Carry on along Malakkastraat quite a way till you come to numbers 94 – 100 on the right. Here you’ll find another small hofje at the end of the covered walkway. (photo 14)

28. Take a look but don’t disturb the occupants!

29. Return to Malakkastraat and when you reach number 68 turn right into an alleyway. Enjoy the view in both directions from the bridge over the Haagsche Beek: the ‘Venice of the Archipel’. (photo 15)

30. The buildings backing onto the water to your right once housed a business premises. Try to find out what kind of business.

31. Return back along the alley to Malakkastraat and cross over into another alley directly opposite going towards Celebesstraat this time.

32. Have a look around. Do you recognize any of the things you see in the photos. (photo 16).

33. Return to Malakkastraat.

34. Note the window displays at number 30. Is this poster (photo 17) still in the window?  From what period does it date? What do you have to pay these days for a tin of soup?

35. Carry walking towards Bankastraat past the Vredeskapel. What sort of window do you see above the door? (photo 18)

36. Turn right into Borneostraat.

37. A few doors along, the teel-tale marks on the doorjamb and sign in the window give away the bicycle lock-up.

38. Many of the houses in the Archipel have interesting decorative elements on their facades. Do you know the name of this style of architecture? (photo 19)

39. (Photo 20) What is this called and what was it used for in the past?

40. Turn left into Soendastraat. Pause for a moment. To which shop does the turret belong? (photo 21)

41. Continue walking along the street and you’ll find yourself back at the Community Fair on Bankastraat!

Answers

Shell & Archipel

In 1880, Aeilko Jans Zijlker from the province of Groningen, who left Holland because of an unhappy love affair, discovered oil on a concession (rather aptly)on the island of North Sumatra in the Indonesian archipelago. Ten years later in 1890, the N.V. Koninklijke Nederlandsche Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van Petroleumbronnen in Nederlandsch-Indië was established. King Willem III had a lot of faith in the new company and granted the ‘Koninklijke’ (Royal). It was decided that the main office should be located in The Hague, the seat of the royal court. At that time about forty oil companies were located in the city, so The Hague was also known as Petroleumstad (petroleum city).

Bataafse Petroleum
Maatschappij
in 1917 at number
30 Carel van Bylandtlaan.

The first office was located in the back room of number 92 the Celebesstraat: the residence of the president of the company, J.A. de Gelder. At that time, the office only had three employees, the president himself, an administrator and a caretaker, who earned just 4 guilders a week. In 1907, the N.V. Koninklijke Nederlandsche Petroleum Maatschappij and the Shell Transport and Trading Company decided to work together and they became the Koninklijke/Shell Group. The two original companies became the main shareholders with 60% allocated to Koninklijke and 40% to Shell Transport. This 60/40 division still exists today.

Various sister/affiliated companies of the Koninklijke/Shell Group have been located in The Hague ever since, at a total of 106(!) locations.

From that original very modest address at the Celebesstraat, the company moved around the city.

First relocating in 1907 to Lange Vijverberg on the Hofvijver...

and finally ending up on Carel van Bylandtlaan in 1917 where a new head
office was built.

This building has had a number of extensions added throughout the subsequent years, and the expansion continues to this very day!

Demolition of houses on Raamweg in 1983 to make way for one of the expansion programmes.

Other past addresses of (sections of) Shell in the Archipel

- Balistraat 109

- Bankastraat 143

- Celebesstraat 92

- Javastraat 265 – 267

- Koninginnegracht 45 – 46, 52, 56,65,92,95,98

- Laan Copes van Cattenburgh 52, 81, 113

- Sumatrastraat 164

Kinnema van Eik - 2004

This text may not be used or reproduced in any publication or other form of media without prior permission. Contact linda@archipelbuurt.nl

Sources (and further reading)

De geschiedenis van Shell, Shell
Honderdzes adressen in Den Haag: de Koninklijke en de Residentie, Max van Rooy
Koninklijke Olie: de eerste honderd jaar 1890 – 1990, H. Gabriëls

http://www.shell.nl/
http://www.shell.com/

Other related websites

http://www.expatriatearchivecentre.com/eng/

http://www.outpostthehague.com/

Photos: www.gemeentearchief.denhaag.nl