Parkenroute in English

7/28/2019 Parkenroute in English

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Scheveningen

Zuiderpark

Kijkduin

Den Haag


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Colophon

Parkenroute is produced by Fietsersbond (CyclistAssociation) The Hague region, in coperationwith the municipality of The Hague.

Published by the municipilitality of The Hague,Multimedia department.First edition: Marc h 2008 Circulation: 2000 Route, tekst and design: Joh an Bommel .Correctios and supplements: Daan Goedhart en Bob Molenaar.English edition: Feb. 2010: Cheng Newton.


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Part 3

Part 2

LoosduinenZuiderpark

Uithof

Ockenburgh

page 18 Parkenroute Den Haag

Part 1

Scheveningen

Zorgvliet N44

Kijkduin

Ockenburgh

Loosduinen

Parkenroute: a green route with historical appeal.

In this booklet, you can discover The Hagues Parkenroute, de-

signed by the Cyclist Association's regional office in The Hague

(Fietsersbond). The bicycle is an ideal mode of transport for ex-

ploring the surroundings in a healthy and environmentallyfriendly way. Cycling is made all the more attractive when it

takes you to beautiful and green surroundings. You will notice

immediately that this is a popular route for both the residents

of the Hague and for tourists, and one which leads you around

the parks and gardens of The Hague, of which there are many.

Throughout the route you will find local information so that

you may learn and appreciate the history of these parks and

outdoor areas.

Follow the yellow signs marked with with The Hagues stork

and prepare to be pleasantly surprised with the splendid green

areas of The Hague!

P.W.M. Smit

Deputy Mayor for Transport, Binckhorst and Environment

Guide to the Parkenroute:

The route directions are signposted in yellow. The signs are rectangular inshape, 45cm by 15cm. Each sign has the logo of The Hague municipality, thelogo of the cyclist association Fietsersbond, the name of the bicycle routeand an arrow.

In a few places, cycling may not be permitted for traffic safety reasons orrisk of damage to the area. This is also signposted.

In the route descriptions of this booklet we used abbreviations:TR is Turn Right and TL is Turn Left.


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Parkenroute Den Haag page 17Cross the bridge and continue on.

At the end of the road, cross dia-gonally to the left.

Note: due to work being carried

out there may be changes to the

street plans. Currently, you canuse the grass trail leading to a

small gravelled path. Follow this

small path and at the end TR onto

a gravelled lane. This lane takes

you to the entrance of a forest (see

the diagram).

Dirk van Wassenaarlaan

Forest

Gravelled lane

small pathFlat

The 13th century Stenen Kamer(Stone Room) of Madestein.

In the forest, on the left, you will seethe archaeological remains of the

'Huis de Camp'. A significant farmwas situated here in the MiddleAges.

The information panel gives details.

right, but go straight on to asmall cycle path.

This small cycle path leads you toMonsterseweg. TR.

Follow Monsterseweg until theentrance of the Ockenburgh esta-te (on the left).

If you wish to join Parkenrou-te Part 2, carry on then TL.

Cross the bridge and enter theestate. Be careful when crossingMonsterseweg! For the routedescription see page 10.

To finish Part 3, continue alongthis cycle path along Monsterse-weg until you reach the crossingwith Lozerlaan.

This is the end of Part 3.

Scheveningen

Zuiderpark

Kijkduin

Den Haag

Content

The Parkenroute consists of three parts:

1) the northerly section route in the blue ellipse page 1- 72) the westerly section route in the red ellipse page 8-123) the south-westerly section route in the green ellipse page 12-17

The distances of the routes are 22km, 20km and 19km respectively.

Part 1 and Part 2 are linked at the junction of Willem de Zwijgerlaan andKranenburgweg. Part 2 and Part 3 are linked at the junction of LoosduinseHoofdstraat and Ockenburghstraat. At the bicycle path near Paviljoen Ma-lieveld (Malieveld Pavilion) is a sign STARTPUNT. This is the officialstarting point of the Parkenroute, but you can begin at the route you prefer.We have included places of interest in the route descriptions.On page 18 are the route maps with a little more detail. We wish you muchpleasure and hope you enjoy cycling in the green city of Den Haag.

Continuation of route

Follow the lane through the forestuntil you reach a crossing.

Dont follow the main road to the


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page 16 Parkenroute Den Haag Parkenroute Den Haag page 1cycling. There are also two allot-ments, as well as a maze createdfrom tall hedges. There is alwayssomething exciting to do here.


At the T-junction TL.

The cycle path comes to a bridgewhich leads to another cycle pathrunning along Erasmusweg. TR.

After a couple of hundred metersthe cycle path ends. TR onto thecycle path which re-enters theUithof.

Stay on this cycle path. On theright, you see a waterway and a

On the left you see the large buil-ding (De Uithof) housing the in-door ski slopes and ice-skatingrink. Close by is a cycling and rol-lerblading track.

At the end of the cycle path TLinto Jaap Edenweg. Use the cyclepath running beside the road onthe right. On the left is De Uithof.

Follow the path till the trafficlights at Nieuweweg.

Cross over into Madepolderweg.This is the Madestein recreationalarea.

After about 100m, use the cyclepath and follow the path to theleft.

Cross Madesteinweg and continuestraight on.

After a couple of hundred meters,take the first cycle path on theright. To the right is a grassfield.

The path leads to Oostmadeweg.You will see a residential area,Vroondaal, being developed.It was only a few years ago when

Madestein was a greenhouse area

but now it is an attractive housing

estate.

Cross the road into Dirk van Was-senaarlaan.

Route description Part 1From Koningin Julianaplein, crossBezuidenhoutseweg.

TR into Koningskade. (On yourright is the Koekamp meadow).

At Malieveld pavilion, TR intoKoekamplaan.

Malieveld and Koekamp

Malieveld

During the 10-15th century, in theera of the Counts of Holland, theHaagse Bos forest stretched fromthe northern outskirts of The Hagueto Lange Voorhout. Malieveld wasthen an open space in the forest andbelonged to the Counts. Here theCounts played their pall mall' game,which later evolved into a form of

tennis. The edge of the forest laterbecame the scene of wild parties inwhich the whole population of TheHague took part. Malieveld is now apopular venue for fairs, circuses anddemonstrations.

Koekamp

Koekamp was a secluded field inthe Haagse Bos where cattle weregrazed. They were used in a form ofbull fighting in which two cattle werepitted against each other. Koekampis now a deer park.


At the end TR into Boslaan.

After 100 metres, at the firstbridge, TL. Cross the UtrechtseBaan motorway and cycle straightahead into Haagse Bos forest.

After the bridge, keep to the left.

After the next bridge, at the cycle

path junction, TR.

Continue on this cycle path. CrossLaan van N.O. Indi and proceedinto the forest.

Haagse Bos

The history of The Hague is closelylinked to that of Haagse Bos. Around1200, the Counts of Holland, whothen resided in the town of s-Gra-venzande, hunted in the forest. This

was before the settlement called DieHaghe, the precursor to The Hague,was ever mentioned. Due to the ef-fects of wars and urbanization, theforest has been reduced to its cur-rent size. During the Eighty Year War(1568-1648) the Spanish army cutdown one sixth of the oak trees the-re. Some two hundred years later,Napoleon ordered the complete de-struction of the forest. Fortunately,the plans were sabotaged by the inhabitants of The Hague and Napole-

on was overthrown before the ordercould be carried out completely.However, the Second World War al-most resulted in the complete de-struction of the woods. After the liberation, only about 30% of the treeswere left standing. The ponds werecompleted in 1821. Stadtholder (re-presentative of the King) FrederikHendrik commissioned a mansion in

Dirk van Wassenaarlaan

meadow. At the end you see thehedges of a maze.

the path curves to the left. Followthe next curve to the right.

After about 150m TL onto a steepincline.

Higher up, TL.Follow the cycle path until the T-junction. TR.

The cycle path zig-zags along theWennetjessloot dyke.

At the second crossing TR. TheANWB cycle route coming fromthe other direction also uses thisexit.


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page 2 Parkenroute Den Haag Parkenroute Den Haag page 151821and this is now Huis ten BoschPalace, the residence of Queen Bea-trix. The garden was a gift from theDutch people to their queen.


TL at the back exit of the palace.

At the gates, TL into Leidsche straatweg.

After about 500m, TR. This cyclepath leads to Benoordenhoutse-weg.

Cross the road at the pedestriancrossing and continue along Laanvan Clingendael (keep to theright).

At the entrance of Clingendaelpark TR onto the cycle path run-ning along Wassenaarseweg.

ClingendaelOriginally, this was the site of a

farm. Philips Doublet I purchased itin 1591 from Jhr. Willem van Dorpand turned it into a country estate.He shared his keen interest in plantsand trees with his famous friendsJ.Westerbaen (poet & doctor),C.Huygens (poet, musician & diplo-mat) and J.Cats (poet and politician).His grandson, Philips Doublet III, improved and altered the estate, and,being a keen gardener himself, crea-

ted the garden according to thefashion of the time. It wasn't untilthe 19th century that Clingendaelwas given its present appearance.Around 1850, the then owner, theBaron van Brienen, commissionedlandscape architect T. Dinn to con-struct the Japanese Garden. The garden is open to the public only inApril/May, when it is at its most

beautiful. The Clingendael mansionis now the home of Netherlands In-stitute of International Relations.The Municipality of The Hague ac-quired Clingendael in 1954. Theestate has been open to the publicever since.


Continue along Van Brienenlaan.You are passing two parks at thesame time: Oosterbeek on your

right, Clingendael on your left.

Oosterbeek

Oosterbeek dates from 1640, whenJonathan van Luchtenburch built hiscountry estate here. For a time, itwas in the hands of the prominentfamily from Delft, the van der Dus-sen. In 1839 it was purchased by theBaron van Brienen van de GrootteLindt, the owner of Clingendael, whohired the famous Zocher garden ar-chitects to design the park. The gar-

den was transformed from its for-mal, symmetrical layout, to theEnglish landscape style with its sof-ter planting, gentle slopes and win-ding paths which can still be seentoday. The Municipality of The Ha-gue acquired the park in 1953 andopened it to the public a year later.Oosterbeek has a rich collection ofplants.

The elevated areas at the side of theLoevesteinlaan were constructedfrom debris and waste from the Se-cond World War. The result is a finepark, not only with recreational faci-lities, but also with a large variety oftrees, shrubs and flowers.To give an idea of the scale of thepark, it has an area of 110 hectaresand 18 kilometres of paths. The

countrys largest free pop festival,Parkpopfestival, held annually inJune, attracts approximately250,000 visitors.


In the park, first take the widering road on the left, HenrietteRoland Holstweg.

Then TR into P. Drooglever For-tuynweg.

At the bend, TR into the cyclepath Johanna Naberweg.

This cycle path meets the widering road again. Cross diagonallyto the right into Marie Heinenweg.

You now leave the park and cometo Loevesteinlaan. Cross over intoHengelolaan.

Stay on Hengelolaan for at least 1km until you see the football

fields on the left. Turn left to en-ter the sports park. Be carefulwhen crossing Hengelolaan! The-re is an uneven road runningthrough the park.

At the end, cross over the tramli-

ne and TR into Melis Stokelaan.

Uithof

Situated in the south west of TheHague, the Uithof, together withMadestein and Ockenburgh, form agreen buffer between the city andthe greenhouse area of Westland.The province of South-Holland hasdesignated certain areas for naturedevelopment and the Uithof is animportant link in this ecologicalnetwork.

Construction of the Uithof began inthe 1970s. The idea was to bringtogether recreation and nature.The Uithof is well known for its in-door ski and ice-skating centre.There are many other facilities in-cluding a climbing wall, tennis, cy-cling, canoeing, and go-karts.All of this is set amongst muchgreenery and is ideal for walks and

This beautiful green route takesyou to Lozerlaan.

Cross this road and proceed into

the Uithof recreational park.


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page 14 Parkenroute Den Haag Parkenroute Den Haag page 3for children and pleasant gardenswere all planned around houses. Theobjective was that you could justwalk out of your house and go for astroll, with or without your dog....

continuation of route

At the end of the path, crossHoutwijklaan at the traffic lightsand take the cycle path immedia-tely to the right.

After 50m TL. The Houtwijk reti-rement home is on the right.

Turn into the second cycle pathon the right.

This leads to Trude Mertenslaan.Proceed in a clockwise direction.TL at the third street.

Cross the tramline and go pastthe barriers into Zuidwoldepad.You will have to go on foot

here.

The path leads to Meppelweg.Cross it and TL.

Cycle all the way down Meppel-weg until the T-junction with Loe-vesteinlaan. Cross over and TL.

The cycle path curves to the rightinto Vreeswijkstraat.

After about 200m, TR and cycleinto Zuiderpark.

Zuiderpark

In 1908, Mr H.P. Berlage designed,as part of the plan for the develop-ment of The Hague, a large publicpark set in the polders south of thecity. He foresaw an increase for resi-dences in this area and thereforeplanned for a large recreation area.The idea was ridiculed at the time,but 10 years later, plans were madeto develop the park.A further 10 years later, it wasagreed that the design was to befully implemented, and work beganin the 1920s. Construction conti-nued at a faster pace when theworkforce was supplemented withunemployed people in the 1930s.The earth excavated from buildingthe ponds were used to raise thelevel of the park in several areas.


At the end of the path,TL immediately after the bridge (a concretecycle path) in the direction forScheveningen.

At the cycle path T-junction, TR.

After 150m, take the first leftroad (heading towards Scheve-ningen).

At the crossing, go straight over.Cross the viaduct and carry on,passing the TNO buildings.

At the end of the road TL.

Just before the roundabout TR,again in the direction of Scheve-ningen. On the left are barracks.At the barracks exit, the roadbecomes a cycle path.

Stay on this cycle path until youreach a crossing with a garden-caf (yellow). TL here.

After 20m, at the traffic lights,cross Van Alkemadelaan and pro-ceed into Pompstationsweg road.

Stay on this cycle path, passingNieuwe Scheveningse Bosjes.

On reaching Badhuisweg TR.

After 50m, TR onto the cycle pathrunning along the inner edge ofthe woods.

Austrian pine and mountain pine.After World War II, this had to bedone all over again (see Schevening-se Bosjes, page 5). Also, domesticrubble, which had no other purpose,was used in the post-war reconstruc-tion of this area.

Nieuwe Scheveningse Bosjes

In earlier times, this area was partof the vast wilderness of The Hague.Nieuwe Scheveningse Bosjes, as itstands now, dates from the 1930swhen, as a form of relief work,unemployed people were asked toplant this dune area with poplars,


Before you come to Badhuiswegagain, you will pass a bunker. At

the garden-cafe De Boshut TLand cross over Nieuwe Parklaanonto Cremerweg.

Cremerweg runs along the edgeof Westbroekpark.

Westbroekpark

Westbroekpark was designed in theearly 1920s by the then director ofcity parks and gardens P. Westbroek.It grew in popularity after the flowerexhibition in 1948. With its flowerbeds, groves of trees and many pic-turesque views, the park was a beau-tiful example of the Englishlandscape garden. The flower gar-den contains hundreds of beautifulspecies of plants, but the highlightof Westbroekpark is the Rosarium.Here, the newest varieties of roses,coming from growers across theworld, can be found.

After the watermill (see photo)TL. Follow the cycle path into theKleine Hout community park.

At the T-junction, by a woodenbridge, TR.

Further on, TR at the crossingonto Albert Schweitzerlaan.

The road leads to Escamplaan.

Cross diagonally to the left.

TR immediately into Prof. dr. A.Verjaarweg and after 10m TRagain. (You are behind Haga hos-pital in Leyweg).

At the end of this road, carry onto the cycle path Florence Nigh-tingale park.


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page 4 Parkenroute Den Haag Parkenroute Den Haag page 13continuation of route

After the bridge, TR into Haring-kade and then immediately leftinto Duinweg.

Half way up lies the Belvdre(see page 5).

At the top, TL into Hogeweg. After100 meter TL again.

This is not a dead end for cyclists.Follow the cycle path to descendinto Prof. B.M. Teldersweg.

TR here. Before the turn you willsee, on the left, the National Mo-

To continue with Part 1, turn

back and go back down Wil-

lem de Zwijgerlaan.

To continue with Part 1

Cross Van Boetzelaerlaan andcontinue on Willem de Zwijger-

laan till you reach Stadhouder-slaan.

Cross straight over onto Eisenho-werlaan. After 50m, TR into Cats-heuvel.

At the end, TR into the cycle pathrunning in between the buildings.

You will come to Johan de Witt-laan. Adriaan Goekooplaan isdiagonally opposite. Cross at thetraffic lights to get to it. Immedia-tely on your right is the back

entrance of Catshuis, which lieswithin Zorgvliet park. This is the

official residence of the Prime Mi-

nister of Netherlands.

Zorgvliet

In 1643 Jacob Cats bought a pieceof land just north of The Hague. Ni-ne years later, at the age of 75, hefinally had the opportunity to deve-lop his estate. He devoted much ofhis time to the garden, preparing theground with care and treating thepeat before planting.


At the T-junction TL. Keep on thispath, passing hockey fields. Onthe left is Heempark.

At the cycle path crossing, conti-nue straight on. A pond is on the

left.

the right, by the trampole numberM2868, TR. The cycle path runs inbetween the houses.

Follow this cycle path to gothrough Houtwijk neighbourhood,passing B.Thoen plantsoen (alittle park). At the end, turn to-wards the left and follow the roadas it turns to the right.

At the crossing, go straight overA.v.d. Tangstraat and follow thepath into a community park. Onthe left is a little island.

At the Y-junction, cross the bridgeon the left (see photo below).

BuurtparkenBokkefort, and later, Kleine Hout andFlorence Nightingalepark are buurt-parken (community parks). In the1970s, when these neighbourhoodswere built, the construction philoso-phy was to have low-rise buildingssurrounded by greenery. Thus,trees, parks, sports fields, play areas

nument for victims of war fromthe Dutch Indies.

At the first set of traffic lights, gostraight on. At the next junctionTR into Scheveningsweg.

Follow the cycle path and take thefirst left into Frankenslag.

Watch out for the deceptive turns

100m along Frankenslag - donttake the wrong road. At the endof Frankenslag, TL into Van Boet-zelaerlaan.

After 20m, TR into Willem deZwijgerlaan.

At the end of this lane, you

can start Part 2 of the Parken-

route. Go to page 8 for Part 2.

At the next crossing, TL and crossthe bridge. On the left is a water-side cafe.

At the Y- junction, TL

At the T-junction, TR

100m further, at the first cyclepath, TL. The path is on an incli-

ne. Go over the cycle/pedestrianbridge Lozerlaan.

At the end of the cycle path TRinto Forellendaal road.

TR onto the cycle path on Karper-daal. The cycle path runs alongsi-

de a strip of green, with a water-way on the left.

The path takes you onto Brasem-daal. Here TL.

The road leads to Forellendaal.TR.

At the crossing TL onto Margare-tha van Hennebergweg.

After the second side street on

At the T-junction TR.

Stay on this cycle path till the T-junction and TL.

At the next T-junction TR. On theright lies the Bokkefort park.


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page 12 Parkenroute Den Haag Parkenroute Den Haag page 5

In 1925, the dune area betweenKijkduin and the Verversingskanaalwas closed to the public. The dunesattracted too many visitors, as a re-sult of which dune vegetation wasseverely damaged and the dunesalmost destroyed. This area wasthen developed as a park. Landfill

material was used in layers of 40 -50cm, and then covered with half ameter of sand. Footpaths were laidthrough the park. Later, the unem-ployed were sent to carry out plan-ting in the area. The park is now richin vegetation such as Creeping Wil-low, Sea Buckthorn, Privet, Gojiberry(Matrimony vine), pines and hard-woods. There are also a couple ofplaygrounds.


At the end of the descent is Dui-

velandsestraat. TR.About 200m further, TL onto Nie-boerweg at the bend. The roadrises. On the left lies the districtof Duindorp and on the right isBosjes van Poot.

Follow the cycle path/strip of lanetill Houtrustweg. TL to cross thebridge.

Turn sharp right into Kranenburg-weg.

After about 300m, you return tothe start ofPart 2: the cycle pathby the pump station.

Here you can join Part 1 which

takes you back to CentraalStation. See page 4. TL hereinto Willem de Zwijgerlaan.

Route description Part 3

At the traffic lights, cross overLoosduinse Hoofdstraat. After30m, TR onto the cycle path forMadestein recreational area.

Madestein

In contrast to the parks in Part1 and

2, the parks in Part 3 were createdout of nothing. This was just an areaof polders and greenhouses with notmuch natural vegetation that had tobe conserved. Thus, there werecountless possibilities for develo-ping the area and providing recrea-tional facilities to suit modern pre-ferences. Now there are childrensfarms and numerous sports andplaying fields for all kinds of recrea-tional activities.Madestein was constructed in 1969on two polders: the Oostmadepolderand the former Zwarte polder. Situa-ted here is Heempark H.J. Bos, foun-ded in 1977. In this single area, thedifferent landscapes that can befound in the province of South Hol-land are recreated. The Heempark iscertainly worth a visit. After another100 m, TL. There is also a children'sfarm.

Being curator of Leiden University hehad access to Leidse Hortus (HortusBotanical garden of Leiden), andthus cultivated plants and seeds col-lected from abroad. Zorgvliet beca-me a cultural attraction. Subsequentowners continued to develop and

alter the estate. During the time ofthe French the garden was laid outin the formal French style. Later, itwas recreated according to the styleof William Kent, in a more naturalEnglish landscape design.

Scheveningse Bosjes

In the past, an extensive, undula-ting dune area lay between Scheve-ningen and The Hague. This wascalled the Wildernisse, also knownas Graefelijkheids Wildernisse (theCounts Wilderness). In 1798, WillemHeijtveldt received permission to develop 500 m2 of dune land. He builthis wooden farmhouse and cultiva-

ted the land. Willem, originally fromRotterdam, was a returning emigrantat the time of the Batavian Republic.He was thus nicknamed `the Bataaf'.Today, tennis courts occupy the siteof the farm. It took more than twocenturies for this area to becomeforested. Recurring storms often uprooted large trees due to the sandy

ground. The area has been in itspresent form since1860 as a resultofmeasures set down by deputy mayorJhr. H.C.A. Ver Hell. He also initiated

the Waterpartij. Although storms, salty


Turn into the first cycle path onyour right. This will lead you tothe end of the woods where thereis a cafe. TL into Kerkhoflaan.

Opposite the entrance to the Ca-

tholic cemetery is the old tollgate

which used to stand at the begin-

ning of Scheveningseweg.

Take the first left into Dr. AlettaJacobsweg. Carry on under theviaduct and go straight over atthe next junction to Badhuisweg.

Past the ministry building, takethe first right road into Kwekerij-weg. After 10m, turn sharp right.The cycle path now runs behindthe ministry building.


At the end of the road, cross overScheveningseweg and the tramli-ne and proceed into the park. Thisis Scheveningse Bosjes.

At the crossing with the wide

cycle path, TR. In the woods, fol-low also the signs of the long dis-tance cycleroute 4A.

Westduinpark

sea air and the sea had harmed the

forest, there was also a threat from the

population. During the time of theFrench, the poor from Scheveningen

used the wood as fuel for their fires. The

forest suffered the same fate during

World War II, both from the occupiers

and the Hague population.


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page 6 Parkenroute Den Haag Parkenroute Den Haag page 11At the end of the cycle path, keepright till the T-junction. TL intoSt.Hubertusweg.

Go up this incline. On the right isthe largest part of Hubertuspark,an old dune area.


On the descent, TR at the T-junc-tion.

and is now called Maurits deBrauwweg.

At the end of the road, TR ontothe cycle path on Van Alkema-delaan. On the right lies KleinZwitserland.

Klein ZwitserlandKlein Zwitserland (Little Switzerland)is a low lying area within a highersurrounding dune region. The Kas-wetering, a watercourse, flowsthrough the park. The landscapewas formed as a result of excava-tion.

HubertusparkHubertuspark was in the past a po-pular hunting ground. Around 1930,under the direction of the city parksand garden services, unemployedpeople worked to increase theheight of the dune artificially. It wasbuilt to such a height that you couldsee the sea from the top. This wassuch an arduous, manual task thatthe workers nicknamed it `bloed-berg' or Blood Mountain.Cycling is not permitted in the park

and we will take you on a routearound it.

Ockenburgh recreational area

This area is made up of two artifi-cial dunes, Blijrustduin and Schapenatjesduin, built on ancient peatland. 4000 years ago, mounds ofsand formed along the coast. Some

of these became waterlogged, trap-ping plants and animals, and overthe thousands of years, peaty soilformed.In the 1960s, this area consisted ofmeadows and sport fields, all ratherexposed to the wind. Around 1970,a total of 1.1 million cubic metres ofdebris and rubble from the city cen-tre of The Hague was used to incre-ase the height of the area. This in-cluded the debris from the old SER(Social Economic Council) buildingand the Provinciehuis.

Sand which lay 2.5m under the peatwas brought to the surface. Theoddly shaped dunes thus formedwere then planted with typical dunevegetation. The top of the dune wascolonised by plants whose seedswere brought by the winds from theoriginal dunes nearby.

Haagse Beek

There is much to discuss about thisbrook. M. van Doorn and J. Menne-ma ma have written a book about it,recommended reading if you areinterested in the natural history of

The Hague. Originally, the brook hadits source at Schapenatjesduin. Thispuinduin, a dune constructed outof debris, was originally an area ofwetlands near Kijkduin. From here,the stream flows in a north-easterlydirection through the Segbroekpol-der and passes Meer and Bos. AtZorgvliet park, it turns towards thedirection of the city, making an arcaround Catshuis. It then flowsthrough the garden of Vredespaleis(Peace Palace) and then disappearsunderground ending up in the Hof-

vijver, by the Binnenhof.


At the junction, cross over Kijk-duinsestraat onto Duinlaan.

After 100m, the cycle path endsand you come to a road. Here, TLonto Katwijkselaan.

At the T-junction, TL into Scheve-ningselaan.

At the next junction TL ontoZandvoortselaan.

100m further, TR onto Kijkduinse-straat which is on an incline.

The cycle path leads to Biesieklet-te, a guarded cycle park. TR ontothe cycle path. This is the direc-tion for Scheveningen.

Head for Scheveningen, followingthe cycle path through Westduin-park.


At the roundabout of the sportscentre, take the second exit. On

the left is Storks baseball fields.At the end of the cycle path TRonto Machiel Vrijenhoeklaan.

After 20m TL onto Hoek van Hol-landlaan.

After 40m TR onto Domburglaan.The brook Haagse Beek is on yourright.

Cross the bridge a little furtheron. On the left is the citys plantnursery.

50m after the bridge, TR onto anincline. This path takes you ontoKlatteweg. TR here.

At the entrance to Klein Zwitser-land, the road curves to the left


TR at the first crossing intoWaalsdorperweg.

TR at the next crossing. Just be-

fore the entrance of the barracks,TL into Van Voorschotenlaan.

At end of the road is the junctionwith Waalsdorperweg. Diagonallyacross to the right is Oostduin-laan. Cross over at the trafficlights.

Stay on Oostduinlaan (for 500-600m) till you reach Groenhoven-straat on your right. TL here ontothe cycle path Goetlijfpad. Be ca-reful when crossing.

Continue on to Goetlijfstraat.TR at the first street. Cycle pastthe Florence block of flats as faras the entrance of Oostduinpark,then you should dismount.

Walk straight in. On the right isthe Oude Koepel, which is withinOostduin park. Arendsdorp parklies to your left.


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page 10 Parkenroute Den Haag Parkenroute Den Haag page 7continuation of route

After the restaurant, you comeout to Heliotrooplaan. TL.

At the junction, TR onto Laan vanMeerdervoort.

At the end of the road, cross over

Ockenburghstraat. TL.

Follow this road until you come tothe cross-roads with the blue(ANWB) road signs for Monster

Here, you can start Part 3 ofthe Parkenroute. See page 12

for the description of Part 3.

Continue with Part 2

TR in the direction of Monster.

After 200m, TR to cross thebridge for the Ockenburgh estate.

Ockenburgh

No one knows for certain where thename Ockenburgh comes from. What is

known is that between Rijswijk and Wa-

teringen, there is land which was oncethe property of Albertus de Ockenberge.

The poet and doctor Jacob Westerbaen

took a liking to the name and called his

country estate after it. He bought some

land outside Loosduinen which was

mainly marsh land, covered with dune

sand. Westerbaen set about developinghis land, creating canals and ditches for

drainage and reforested the area.

In his greenhouses, he grew melons

and grapes! He built himself a country

house which he named Kleyn Paleis.

Here, he and his famous friends Jacob

Cats (Zorgvliet) and Constantijn Huy-gens (Hofwijck) would discuss poetryand exchange ideas on their botani-

cal and rural interests. After Wester-baen, the estate passed throughseveral owners.Although a large house now standson the spot of the original house,some features of Kleyn Paleis, as can


Follow the cycle path through theestate. You will pass a white

country house and then cross awooden bridge. 200m after that,go straight over the smallroundabout and join a red colou-red cycle path. This path goesthrough a golf course. This is theOckenburgh recreational area.

At the T-junction TR. On the leftare football fields.

Arendsdorp and Oostduin

Arendsdorp

A farm existed on the site of thepresent-day Arendsdorp park at thebeginning of the 16th century. Itcaught the attention of the well-to-

do Mr. Arent van Dorp. It was usualat that time for the well-off to ex-press their wealth through their ma-terial possessions and so in 1586,Mr van Dorp bought the farmhouseand its land and developed it into anestate worthy of his status. Throughmarriage and sales transactions,Arendsdorp came into the hands ofthe Fagel family, who also ownedOostduin and the two estates wereinextricably linked for generations.Arendsdorp was bought by The Ha-gue municipality in 1939. The park

with its vistas and open spaces isreminiscent of English parks.

Oostduin

Around 1580, Baptist de Montevaldona

built his country house in an area now

known as Oostduin. Ownership of the

estate changed several times and inclu-

ded the prominent families of Fagel and

Van Bylandt. The last owner was the

Countess Marie A.O.C.Van Bylandt.

It was the practice of The Hague s upper

classes to spend their summers in their

country houses and to spend their win-

ters in their beautiful residences in Lan-ge Voorhout. This was so for the Coun-

tess. Just after the First World War, she

made this her permanent home, remo-

delling the estate and lavishing attention

to the house and garden. Oostduin was

filled with the most beautiful plants and

design ideas obtained from internatio-nal exhibitions around the world.

The great country house was demo-lished in 1946 and the park wasopen to the public in 1958.Still standing within the grounds isthe old domed octagonal building,


Go through the drive of the flatsand you will come out to Wasse-naarseweg.

Cross diagonally to the right ontoJozef Isralsplein.

At the second left street TL intoJozef Isralslaan.

At the traffic lights, cross Benoor-denhoutseweg onto Boslaan. Con-tinue on this two-way cycle pathuntil the first bridge across theUtrechtse Baan.

TR to cross the bridge and thenTL. After 50m TR. Centraal Sta-tion is 300m away on the left.

To continue part 1: see page 1

with two lower towers on eitherside. This was where the Countessenjoyed taking tea.Close to the entrance of the park is athatched cottage de Rietjes (TheStraws). A cement painting of a pairof knights is found on the side wallof the house.

be seen from old pictures, is stillidentifiable. The house was finallybought by the municipality in 1931.Ockenburgh is at its best in springwhen it is ablaze with the colours offlowering rhododendrons and aza-leas.On the south side lies the splendidforested area and the Hyacintenbos(hyacinth forest) where fields of wildhyacinths and other stinzenplan-ten(rock garden plants) are found.


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page 8 Parkenroute Den HaagRoute description Part 2

At the end of Willem de Zwijger-laan, cross diagonally to the leftover the canal and past the pumpstation. TL onto Houtrustweg.

Take the first right onto Laan van

Poot. You will soon come to thepark Bosjes van Poot.

Bosjes van Poot

Bosjes van Poot gets its name fromthe burly gamekeeper who went bythe name of Poot. This was someti-me during the first half of the19thcentury, when Poot, who was in theservice of the Grand Duchess VonSaksen Weimar, fought off a groupof rascals with a stick.In earlier times, the vegetation in the

area consisted of no more than astrip of scrub oak along the road. Amix of pine and hardwood trees wasplanted around 1920. Now, there isa bird sanctuary of about 1 ha. insize, the Van Schierbeektuin.

At the roundabout Eiberplein,take the third exit and then TLonto Wildhoeflaan.

At the traffic lights, cross Sport-laan and continue onto Daal enBergselaan.

After about 200m, TR into EvertWijtemaweg. This is a cycle paththrough Bosjes van Pex.


Stay on the cycle path after thecar park.

Go past the stables until a footballfield on the left and then TL. Atthe end of the cycle path, TR into

Daal en Bergselaan. On the left isthe Wapendal nature reserve.

At the cross-roads, go straightover De Savornin Lohmanlaaninto Godetiaweg.

Take the second right turn ontoAronskelkweg.

At the end of the road TR onto

Bosjes van Pex

The name is traced back to the far-ming family Pex, who lived on theland for several generations. Theyalso had two other farms, namelyBerg en Dal and De Wildhoef. Thesefarms were situated on high groundand surrounded by scrub oak on thelower lying areas. The woods used

to stretch to an ancient lake in Seg-broek. In the 1960s there was a lar-ge tarmac roller-skating rink whichwas used as an ice-skating rink inthe winters. However, this winterpractice ended with the opening ofthe skating centre De Uithof.


Cross Nieboerweg onto Laan vanPoot. After about 700m, TL intoKwartellaan.

Take the second right turn intoKiplaan.

Parkenroute Den Haag page 9Muurbloemweg. The road slopesupwards.

After about 100m TL into thepark Meer en Bos.

Now go further in.

The walking route (red arrows)

is shown on the map.

Meer en Bos

Archaeological findings showed thatthis dune area had an establishedsettlement at the time of the Batavi-ans. A Batavian-Roman road, calledRijnweg, ran along the coast fromhere to Forum Hadriani (Voorburg)and Lugdunum Batavorum (Katwijk).

Further research indicated that thisarea had been inhabited much ear-lier and it is believed that this musthave been the earliest settlement inThe Hague.The current park is all that is left ofan ancient dune forest that used to

exist in the Segbroekpolder. Thelake is called Segmeer or Wijndae-lermeer, the latter being the old na-me found in the 1280 register ofEarl Floris V.In 1606 Maarten Adriaanszoon vander Voort bought this fishing lake,along with the house, barns and 50morgen of land. Later, the van derMijle family bought and further de-

veloped the estate.The estate had severalsubsequent owners,

two of them being theCats family and vanOldenbarneveldt fami-ly. However, it doesnot have such a grandappearance as, for example, the estates ofZorgvliet or Clingen-dael.At the edge of the parklies the De Wulp, a birdsanctuary (see map)run by The Haguesbird protection society,

where every yeargroups of volunteerslook after and care forthe birds.

birdsanctuary

Parkenroute in English

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