For now and for everyone, travel is off the cards. The world is in the grip of a pandemic like none we have seen in our lifetime. That means physical trips to bars, cafes, museums and beaches are simply not possible. If you’re a regular reader of our blog you will know that we have mad love for The Netherlands. We visit as often as we can. One of the Dutch cities we have fallen in love with is the Royal City By The Sea – The Hague. Located on the North Sea coast of the western Netherlands many people simply associate it with being the home of the U.N.’s International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, which of course it is but it is also has a lot more to offer visitors too. This includes a number of museums. So, even though you cannot travel at the moment, you are still able to visit the best museums in The Hague virtually.
Mauritshuis Museum
The Mauritshuis Museum which is home to approximately 850 pieces of art, is one of of the best museums in The Hague. The majority of pieces are classic paintings from the Dutch Golden Age. They include an impressive Rembrandt collection including The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp and the revered Vermeer piece, The Girl With The Pearl Earring. You will also find pieces from Rubens, Jan Steen, Frans Hals, Van Dyck, Adriaen Coorte and many more.
Obviously nothing compares to seeing the magnificent and well-known pieces up close but until the day when you are allowed to visit the Maurishuis Museum again, why not explore everything it has to offer from home and learn more about all its famous pieces?
Museum Voorlinden
Another favourite of ours is Museum Voorlinden who’s vision is to connect people, art, nature and architecture. It is a must ‘visit’ if you are a lover of modern art. Museum Voorlinden is home to a number of permanent and temporary collections. It also has an amazing library. If you ever get the chance to physically visit, we’re sure you will be blown away by it too. Also, we would highly recommend a guided tour, simply to ensure you do not miss anything.
Museum Voorlinden is home to a number of ‘quirky’ exhibitions including Leandro Erlich’s Swimming Pool, Ron Mueck’s Couple Under an Umbrella and James Turrell’s Skyspace. Check out all Museum Voorlinden’s highlights here.
Louwman Museum
The Louwman Museum is a family-owned museum that dates back to 1934. It showcases a collection of motor vehicles highlighting the history of the motor car. The Louwman Museum is the perfect museum to visit in The Hague if classic cars are your thing as it is now home to over 275 historic and classic motor cars, coaches and motorcycles. The current owner of the collection is Evert Louwman, the Dutch importer of Lexus, Toyota and Suzuki.
You can visit the collection at home and learn the history of every piece in the collection. You can also take a number of video tours including one of the original DB5 from the James Bond film Goldfinger and one of the oldest buses that still exists.
Kunstmuseum The Hague
Another of the best museums in The Hague that you can take a virtual visit to is the Kunstmuseum. This museum was founded in 1866 and is now home to 160,000 works of art, making the Kunstmuseum is one of the biggest art museums in Europe. It is housed in a beautiful art deco building designed by architect H.P. Berlage and it is renowned for having the largest Mondrian collection in the world. This includes his last work, Victory Boogie-Woogie, which is on display.
With modern art, pottery and glass art, print, fashion and music collections, there is something for everyone. You can learn more about the collections and a number of the masterpieces on display at the museum on the Kunstmuseum’s website.
Humanity House Museum
At Humanity House, you can embark on a journey through the museum. You find yourself in the place of a refugee where you get to see, hear and experience personally what it must feel like to have to survive in an area affected by conflict or disaster. Obviously, at the moment because of COVID-19, you cannot take this journey, however, you can meet – virtually – eight remarkable people, all with remarkable stories of their escape from war or conflict from different countries around the world.
Watch and listen to the stories of Yvonne, Bruce, Shaza, Aiham, Ram, Akhrat, Desbele and Lidija. You then have the opportunity to ask them anything you want. Owing to the subject matter, the museum is suitable for children aged 10 and older only.
So looking for a bit of escapism during lockdown? Look no further and enjoy some of the best museums in The Hague.
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