Hague parks, from wigs to caps
The Hague
It is said that The Hague is the most segregated city in the Netherlands. In other words, the city with the most clearly visible distinction between the social classes. It could hardly be otherwise. This city has long been home to the government and top civil servants at the Binnenhof and a whole collection of ministries. Add to this the royal family, the associated nobility, the military elite and lo and behold: everything from the top layer has been clinging and clumping together in this glorified village for hundreds of years. Because, remember, The Hague still does not have city rights. This city began as a village, not even by the sea. The seaside village is Scheveningen, only much later swallowed up by the growing city. Once a simple place, 'Die Haghe' grew out of its strength as government and royalty settled there. Powers obviously need staff and subordinates, all those people who keep the apparatus of state and monarchy running. What is special about this situation is that social distinctions were strictly demarcated between 'sand' and 'peat'. The 'upper classes' traditionally built their houses on sandy soil, roughly along the coast. Further inland, where the subsoil in earlier times consisted of peat, we find the 'lower classes'. Another designation is that between 'the wigs' and 'the caps'. We can laugh about it, but actually that situation has not changed. The modern 'wigs' are still around and they still live in their own neighbourhoods. Nowadays, their ranks are joined by 'expats', expensive knowledge workers from often Western countries. You won't find them in the working-class neighbourhoods, where not only the modern 'hats' live, but also migrants from an infinite number of backgrounds. That difference is still huge. You won't easily come across a 'kakker' from Duttendel in working-class Moerwijk and certainly not vice versa. We see the same principle at the parks we visit on this route. Clingendael and Ockenburgh are estates that lie on sandy soil and were owned by nobility. Westbroek Park, too, is found on 'distinguished ground'. Zuiderpark is a pure people's park, sandwiched between residential areas for 'ordinary people'. The only 'middle-class' park is the Haagse Bos. Not a real park, more like a cultivated forest. It is right next to the city centre, which now has no class distinctions. Once the municipality's slogan was 'The Hague sparkles'. It is. No, this is no Amsterdam. Nightlife is at a lower ebb; don't expect to spend a night out here after your bike ride. The split character of The Hague does provide an interesting contrast between the different population groups. Everything bubbles and ferments together, like in a big vat. Except when it comes to the residential areas. There are firm boundaries in between, which indeed are not so clearly evident in any other large Dutch city. By bike, those boundaries are easy to cross, especially since 'sand' and 'peat' are never really far apart. This premium cycle route was created by: Matthijs Termeer
| Directions | Distance | Total distance | |
|
Start: Kerkpad , 2596 BH Den Haag | 32.7 KM | |
|
From
32
to
33
|
987 M | 1 KM | |
| Head northeast | 26 M | ||
| Continue onto Kerkpad | 376 M | ||
| Continue onto Leidsestraatweg | 252 M | ||
| Make a slight right to stay on Leidsestraatweg | 94 M | ||
| Continue straight | 239 M | ||
| You are now at section 33 | 0 M | ||
|
From
33
to
34
|
1795 M | 1.8 KM | |
| Head southwest | 259 M | ||
| Turn right onto Waalsdorperlaan | 26 M | ||
| Turn left onto Benoordenhoutseweg | 727 M | ||
| Continue straight | 654 M | ||
| Turn right onto Ruychrockpad | 129 M | ||
| You are now at section 34 | 0 M | ||
|
From
34
to
35
|
1078 M | 1.1 KM | |
| Head northwest on Groenendaal | 280 M | ||
| Continue straight | 479 M | ||
| Continue onto Oude Waalsdorperweg | 319 M | ||
| You are now at section 35 | 0 M | ||
|
From
35
to
36
|
1549 M | 1.5 KM | |
| Head west | 32 M | ||
| Exit the roundabout onto Oude Waalsdorperweg | 44 M | ||
| Make a slight right | 40 M | ||
| Turn right onto Maurits Kiekpad | 1.4 KM | ||
| You are now at section 36 | 0 M | ||
|
From
36
to
37
|
2399 M | 2.4 KM | |
| Head south on Pompstationsweg | 1.4 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Cremerweg | 52 M | ||
| Turn right onto Haringkade | 34 M | ||
| Turn left onto Duinweg | 515 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Hogeweg | 350 M | ||
| You are now at section 37 | 0 M | ||
|
From
37
to
24
|
2408 M | 2.4 KM | |
| Head northwest on Van Stolkweg | 377 M | ||
| Turn left onto Van Stolklaan | 155 M | ||
| Turn left onto Kanaalweg | 25 M | ||
| Turn right onto Scheveningseweg | 92 M | ||
| Turn left onto Van Dorpstraat | 312 M | ||
| Turn right onto Johan van Oldenbarneveltlaan | 37 M | ||
| Keep right onto Johan van Oldenbarneveltlaan | 163 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Doornstraat | 168 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Doornstraat | 166 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Doornstraat | 98 M | ||
| Turn right onto Statenlaan | 121 M | ||
| Turn left onto Westduinweg | 668 M | ||
| Turn left onto Kranenburgweg | 26 M | ||
| You are now at section 24 | 0 M | ||
|
From
24
to
23
|
2829 M | 2.8 KM | |
| Head northwest on Kranenburgweg | 26 M | ||
| Turn left onto Duindorpdam | 17 M | ||
| Make a slight left to stay on Duindorpdam | 80 M | ||
| Turn right onto Nieboerweg | 36 M | ||
| Turn right onto Houtrustweg | 517 M | ||
| Turn left onto Zeezwaluwstraat | 104 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Cort van der Lindenpad | 2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 23 | 0 M | ||
|
From
23
to
3
|
3630 M | 3.6 KM | |
| Head southwest on Cort van der Lindenpad | 2.1 KM | ||
| Continue straight | 24 M | ||
| Continue onto Deltaplein | 441 M | ||
| Continue straight | 28 M | ||
| Turn right | 16 M | ||
| Turn right | 60 M | ||
| Continue onto Zandmotorpad (F370) | 963 M | ||
| You are now at section 3 | 0 M | ||
|
From
3
to
20
|
1017 M | 1 KM | |
| Head southeast on Hoek van Hollandpad | 170 M | ||
| Continue straight | 76 M | ||
| Turn right | 35 M | ||
| Make a sharp left | 114 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Wijndaelerduin | 96 M | ||
| Turn right onto Solleveldpad | 526 M | ||
| You are now at section 20 | 0 M | ||
|
From
20
to
2
|
2232 M | 2.2 KM | |
| Head southeast on Wijndaelerweg | 20 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Solleveldpad | 405 M | ||
| Turn right onto Monsterseweg | 494 M | ||
| Continue straight | 298 M | ||
| Continue onto Mick Clavanpad | 630 M | ||
| Continue straight | 385 M | ||
| You are now at section 2 | 0 M | ||
|
From
2
to
7
|
1578 M | 1.6 KM | |
| Head southwest on Madesteinweg | 84 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Madesteinweg | 345 M | ||
| Turn right onto Nieuweweg | 36 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Nieuweweg | 17 M | ||
| Turn right | 115 M | ||
| Turn right | 32 M | ||
| Continue onto Van Berckenrodepad | 949 M | ||
| You are now at section 7 | 0 M | ||
|
From
7
to
5
|
3625 M | 3.6 KM | |
| Head northeast on Gemma Frisiuspad | 514 M | ||
| Turn right onto Blaeupad | 364 M | ||
| Turn left onto Nicolas de Ferpad | 110 M | ||
| Turn right onto Lozerlaan | 39 M | ||
| Turn left onto Melis Stokelaan | 10 M | ||
| Continue onto Melis Stokelaan | 1.1 KM | ||
| Make a slight right to stay on Melis Stokelaan | 523 M | ||
| Make a slight right to stay on Melis Stokelaan | 94 M | ||
| Continue onto Melis Stokelaan | 459 M | ||
| Make a slight right to stay on Melis Stokelaan | 394 M | ||
| Make a slight right to stay on Melis Stokelaan | 65 M | ||
| You are now at section 5 | 0 M | ||
|
From
5
to
27
|
1383 M | 1.4 KM | |
| Head northeast on Melis Stokelaan | 623 M | ||
| Turn right | 42 M | ||
| Turn left | 29 M | ||
| Make a slight left | 11 M | ||
| Continue onto Meester P. Droogleever Fortuynweg | 223 M | ||
| Turn right onto Henriëtte Roland Holstweg | 455 M | ||
| You are now at section 27 | 0 M | ||
|
From
27
to
28
|
3320 M | 3.3 KM | |
| Head northeast on Johanna Naberweg | 77 M | ||
| Turn slight left onto Meester P. Droogleever Fortuynweg | 134 M | ||
| Turn left onto Veluweplein | 218 M | ||
| Turn left onto Schalk Burgerstraat | 911 M | ||
| Turn right onto Paul Krugerlaan | 141 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Delftselaan | 6 M | ||
| Turn left | 8 M | ||
| Continue onto Monstersestraat | 156 M | ||
| Turn right onto 's-Gravenzandelaan | 433 M | ||
| Continue straight | 5 M | ||
| Continue onto Blauwe brug | 20 M | ||
| Turn right | 7 M | ||
| Turn left | 31 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Prinsegracht | 637 M | ||
| Continue straight | 40 M | ||
| Continue onto Grote Markt | 55 M | ||
| Continue onto Grote Marktstraat | 441 M | ||
| You are now at section 28 | 0 M | ||
|
From
28
to
30
|
824 M | 0.8 KM | |
| Head northeast on Kalvermarkt | 277 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Fluwelen Burgwal | 187 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Herengracht | 181 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Bezuidenhoutseweg | 146 M | ||
| Turn left | 33 M | ||
| You are now at section 30 | 0 M | ||
|
From
30
to
32
|
2008 M | 2 KM | |
| Head northeast on Bezuidenhoutseweg | 240 M | ||
| Turn left | 218 M | ||
| Continue onto Zuiderpad | 146 M | ||
| Make a slight left | 130 M | ||
| Turn right onto Kerkpad | 1.3 KM | ||
| You are now at section 32 | 0 M |