5 peaceful hidden streets in The Hague

Visit these picturesque small streets in Scheveningen if you want to get an impression of what this fishing village looked like at the end of the 19th century. The tiny houses you find here, were built for the fishermen’s families in a time that Scheveningen was growing rapidly due to the scale increase of the fishing industry.

In between Dunne Bierkade 26 and 29, a small gate gives entrance to a charming private alleyway, locally known as the Spinozastraatje. Rumour has it that around 1670 this back alley was used by the protestant political leader of the Dutch Republic Johan de Witt when secretly seeking advice from Jewish philosopher Spinoza, who lived around the corner.

Dubbed the best kept secret of The Hague, these three small and peaceful streets in the middle of the Schilderswijk, look nothing like the neighbourhood around them. The houses, called the Van Ostadewoningen, had been commissioned around 1890 by well-off Jews to help less fortunate Jewish workers. Since the synagogue was quite far away, anyone with a modest income was welcomed, and that still is the case today.

These cute little streets have very different origins. While the barracks at the Mallemolen were built to house Napoleon’s soldiers, the homes at the Schuddegeest are one of the earliest examples of social housing for workers. Between 1945 and 1972, many well-known Dutch artists settled at the Mallemolen and the small streets were nicknamed ‘Little Montmartre’.

Stroll through the quiet streets behind the Scheveningseweg and marvel at the grandiose villas dating back to around 1900 in this secluded forested inner dune area. Attorney Van Stolk had this villa park (Van Stolkpark) designed by Jan David and Louis Paul Zocher, after the introduction of the horse tram had made the area more accessible. Many of the villas are on the list of national monuments.