Timeline for The Hague

Over the past 800 years The Hague has grown from a small hamlet to the international city of peace and justice.

A number of important developments have contributed to The Hague’s unique and rich heritage. The following chronological timeline for The Hague describes the main highlights in the city’s history.

1230-1568: A court in the area known as Die Haghe was established by Floris IV, Count of Holland and a small village appeared. In the 14th century the trade and textile industries flourished. However, due to a lack of customary privileges and defensive walls, the country fell into the hands of the Burgundians in 1433. The Hague was no longer a Count’s residence, but only the seat of the stadholders.

1568-1795: The Eighty Years’ War, the Dutch revolt against Spanish rule, was fought. The Spaniards used The Hague as a base of operations. An intervention by the Prince of Orange prevented The Hague’s downfall and from that time onwards, the city continued to grow, from 16,000 in 1622 to 30,000 by 1700.

1795-1815: In the winter of 1794-95 the French army entered the Republic and a revolutionary Batavian city government was installed. In 1806 this government was succeeded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and in that year The Hague finally obtained city status. However, times were tough for the population and resistance against the French grew. The number of inhabitants stagnated at around 42,000 and about 20% of the population had to live on charity. In November 1813 the French left the city and the Prince of Orange, later King William I, landed by boat in Scheveningen.

1815-1880: With the Kingdom of the Netherlands, The Hague regained its status as seat of government and the city had 70,000 inhabitants by 1850. In the second half of the 19th century urban life modernised at a rapid pace and brought prosperity to the city.

1880-1940: During this period industry and trade expanded enormously. The Hague was also building its international reputation. In 1899 the population had reached 200,000 and this was also the year in which The Hague hosted the First Peace Conference. The Permanent Court of Justice was then set up in The Hague and has remained here ever since.

The Kurhaus and other large hotels in Scheveningen, the fame of the innovative impressionistic style of ‘The Hague School’ and the city’s reputation with authors like Louis Couperus all added to The Hague’s grandeur. After years of flourishing, The Hague experienced the food shortages of the First World War, followed by economic crisis in the 1930s.

1940-1945: The Second World War was a big blow to The Hague. 1942 marked the beginning of the deportation and destruction of the Jewish community of The Hague. Most of them did not survive the war. In an attempt to destroy German missile launchers the English made a capital blunder and accidentally bombarded the Bezuidenhout district on 3 March 1945. An estimated 520 inhabitants of The Hague perished and a large part of the district was destroyed. In the last winter of the war severe food shortages led to the death of 2,100 inhabitants. Finally, on 5 May 1945 liberation came at last.

1945-2009: The city of The Hague continued to grow thanks to the influx of repatriates from the former Dutch East Indies and later immigrants from Suriname, Turkey and Morocco. The highest population figure was reached in 1958 when The Hague had 606,825 residents. This number dropped to 441,000 in 1999, but with the development of the new residential areas of Leidschenveen and Ypenburg the number of inhabitants reached 500,000 in 2011.

Over the past 15 years international organisations such as the International Criminal Court, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and Europol have chosen to locate in The Hague, reinforcing its position as the international city of peace and justice.