City - The Hague

The history and geography of the Netherlands come alive - literally and figuratively - along the #9 tram route that runs through The Hague. A ride on the #9 tram will take us from the spirit of Dutch colonial times, past the seat of government and a miniature of the major sites in the Netherlands, and onto one of the region's most beautiful seacoasts.

TheNineLine for The Hague is marked in yellow in the map on the right. Starting at Vrederust we get a feel for the international flavor that pervades many parts of the Dutch life. With Surinamese, Turks, and Moroccans making up together nearly a third of the population of this neighborhood we can think of this area as a "Dutch Oven" - what else would you call the local version of a "Melting Pot"?

TheNineLine aficionados will be particularly thrilled as the tram passes the HOVM, the Hague Public Transportation Museum. Housed in an old tram depot that is now a nationally recognized historic building the museum is heaven-on-earth for transportation lovers. The Dutch expertise at public transportation is demonstrated through the development of the tram and bus systems to the convenience and success they have achieved today.

We quickly reach the center of The Hague, which interestingly is where the government sits and where Queen Beatrix lives and works but which is not the capital of the Netherlands. And if you want to know why: when Belgium and the Netherlands were united they used to switch the capital back and forth between Amsterdam and Brussels every few years, but for convenience the government stayed at The Hague. When that arrangement broke up Amsterdam became the capital of the Netherlands, but government inertia being what it is the seat stayed at The Hague.

Actually government is what the central part of The Hague is all about. Without a university and with only a limited major corporate presence, local and international government institutions give The Hague much of its look-and-feel. Various international courts, legal and criminal bodies, and the Peace Palace dominate the landscape, together with a set of museums celebrating the incredible Dutch artistic heritage.

Onward with the #9 line - we reach the fabulous Madurodam which is the Netherlands-in-miniature. Named for the Dutch resistance hero George Maduro who died in the Dachau concentration camp just before it was liberated, Madurodam lets you see many of the highlights of the country on a scale of 1:25. The process of building the exhibits parallels that of their real-life counterparts - pictures and drawings are made of the originals including their settings and environments, these are reduced in size, and then the building plans are made for the Madurodam version. This isn't easy - Schiphol-Madurodam took nearly two and a half years to build!

The end of the line comes at Scheveningen, the very popular beach resort area. Although often thought of as a separate city, it is actually a district of The Hague. Touring, fishing, health, entertainment, shopping, and bathing are all part of the Scheveningen culture. After our very interesting trip on TheNineLine we're ready for some relaxation - and Scheveningen is a great place to do it ...