Zuiderpark to become national monument

The Dutch national government has decided to make The Hague’s Zuiderpark a national monument following a request by The Hague Municipal Council.

The goal of being designated a national monument is to preserve the monument’s qualities and values and to use them in any future developments. Zuiderpark’s cultural and historical values can be found in the park design, duck decoy (1639), the natural stone monument dedicated to Scheepstra and Ligthart (authors of the Ot en Sien books) and the main entrance on the Veluweplein (by municipal architect D.C. van der Zwart).

According to Deputy Mayor Rabin Baldewsingh (Monuments and Historical Sites), ‘Zuiderpark is a beautiful spot in the middle of the city. I think it’s fantastic that we are now protecting this location which is so vital to the city’s image so that future generations can continue to enjoy it.’

Park design

Zuiderpark was built in the 1920s and 1930s in the meadows at the edge of the city. The initial idea for a large public garden was part of architect H.P. Berlage’s plan to expand The Hague in 1908. Construction on the park began many years later following a design by P. Westbroek, director of the Municipal Department of Parks and Public Gardens, and landscape architect D.F. Tersteeg. The park officially opened in 1936.

The park consists of a core part with large ponds and open playing fields. There is also a series of more or less independent parks with recreational, educational and sport facilities which are open to everyone. The park is valuable because it was the first Dutch example of a public garden reflecting modern ideas about educational values and experiencing nature.