woman's history of south holland heritage tour event Verita's Visit

Woman’s history of Holland heritage

She’s on a small platform of the Gouda city hall. It’s almost as if she steps forward to offer us the chalice she holds in her hand. Her whole being radiates with gratitude and humility. Or is it a sign of resignation? Does she know she is going to lose her Holland heritage?

by Vera ter Beest

Typical Dutch activities with kids and grandchildren travel 2022 family tours sightseeing Verita's Visit

Typical Dutch activities with your kids

The Netherlands is calling and here you are: making plans for a family travel to Amsterdam and beyond. Include one of these typical Dutch activities with your kids in 2022. I'm sure your family is going to love it.

by Vera ter Beest

travel tips school holiday The Hague outdoors with kids Verita's Visit bike tours

The Hague outdoors with kids : park & play

Dubbed as the Green city by the sea, visiting The Hague outdoors with kids is just one big celebration.

by Vera ter Beest

Half day team event Hague area

Pack your bags! You’re going on a trip to the Netherlands. The grand finale: a half day team event Hague area with your work team. After a couple of days of trainings and workshops in the company’s Dutch headquarter you and your international colleagues head out for adventure!

boating Gouda event teambuilding Verita's Visit bootrace — Boat race corporate event Gouda area

Relaxing or active half day team event around The Hague

The global organisation you work for has given you carte blanche for a half day team event The Hague. It’s up to you and your team to decide if you want to do an active event or something relaxing. It could be a workshop Delft blue painting or a boat race on the Leiden lakes.

Connecting with your global team

Due to time differences it’s not easy to get your team members from US, UK, Europe and South Africa together in a meeting to discuss the subject of the trainings in the Dutch headquarter or the content of the company outing on the last day. So, emails go back and forth and you manage to set up a call with some of the colleagues who have been in the team for a while now.

Dutch culture activities in cities around the Hague

These hardcore team-building event participants have quite some suggestions. One of them reminds you: “We’ve done a canal cruise in Leiden a few years ago and a cooking workshop in The Hague”. “The activity should definitely something fun. I don’t mind traveling outside of The Hague, see a different city” another colleague writes in a email. After a while yet another colleague adds:

“Indeed! See a bit of the area, would love it if we could incorporate some Dutch culture. Food would be great too.”

Fun group activity on Dutch food

Food does give an extra dimension to a group activity, you think. After having gathered all suggestions, you have an idea of what kind of half day team event Hague area could look like. After the trainings and workshops you don’t want to have to think too much. So, it should be a fun and relaxing outing. It should not take too long either. Some kind of tour in a historical city not far from The Hague to absorb the Dutch culture and maybe add something food-related. Could you combine it with a local festival or typical Dutch event that already takes place?

Holland greenhouse tomato facts

Some Holland greenhouse tomato facts to prepare for your visit to the Dutch horticulture hotspot. Just a few basics on the tomato plant and the vegetable itself.

by Vera ter Beest

custom made bike tour castles Hague kasteel op maat gemaakte tour Haag Verita's Visit

Hague castle event venue once a brewer's farm

There's a The Hague castle event venue, that was once was a brewer's farm. Jan, son of a golf club maker made money brewing beer. On an estate the size of 7 rugby fields he built a farmhouse. Now, when you walk in the dense estate's forest it is not a farmhouse that's hidden from sight.

Delft brewer's fortune

Jan Pieterszn. Colff doesn't want to follow his father's footsteps and make golf clubs. He does what many do in his days and opens a brewery. In de Witte Hoefijsser - In The White Horseshoe- is right next to the canal in Voorstraat 2 in Delft. Two centuries later, in 1770, his grandson Pieter Maartenszn. enjoys great fortune. He adds Hoeffijser to his name and replaces his great grandfather's 'Colffmaekerswoning' - house of a golf club maker- . Pieter proudly calls the new building 'House of Hoeffijser'. It comprises a mansion surrounded by a canal and a small farmer's house. To make sure outsiders understand the difference between mansion and farmer's house the first is referred to as Large Horseshoe.

The woman and the Dutch estate

Mid 19th century brickmanufacturer Cornelis Schiffer van Bleyswijk renovates the whole estate and dedicates it to his wife Suzanna de Wildt. The Large Horseshoe estate is now De Wiltenburg, later known as Wittenburg. It still is not a Hague castle event venue, but this will change. At the turn of the 20th century an esquire knocks on the door and buys estate De Wittenburg.

custom made tour castles Hague kasteel op maat activiteit Haag Verita's Visit — Front side castle De Wittenburg

Wittenburg becomes a castle near Hague

Fashion changes with time. Esquire Helenus Martinus Speelman has high demands when it comes to the design of his new house. His architect Johannes van Nieukerken has to make several designs before Helenus finally approves the design. This is the moment the brewer's farm, the brickmanufacturer's house becomes the castle near Hague. Parts of demolished houses in Amsterdam and The Hague form the castle. When his mansion is almost finished and the tower is built, Helenus tells the workers to remove tower and upper floor. Still not happy with the result, he asks his friend, also promoter of the interests of Dutch castles, for advice. The upper floor and tower are rebuilt.

The Hague castle event venue & hotel

What was once a brewer's farm is now a The Hague castle event venue. Royalty, ministers and corporates have been coming to this stately 4 star hotel and event locationfor ages. With the opening of the new restaurant, Sophie, named after the wife of Helenus you can now also enjoy the estate's tranquility during a lunch, high tea or dinner in De Wittenburg.

side event location Hague Haag locatie personeelsuitje Verita's Visit — Lime tree lane towards castle near Hague

Explore the estate and it's surrounding

One extra tip: Explore the park which is full of monuments and monumental trees. From different sides you'll find great sneek peaks on the castle, its pond and outside terrace. When you you enter estate De Witteburg via the original lime lane you'll see the estate's border monument with the initials of Helenus.

History tour nature Hague geschiedenis activiteit natuur Den Haag Verita's Visit — Initials H.M.S. on estate's border monument

You can also reach this Dutch castle by bike. There is an amazing cycle route from The Hague to Leiden that passes several estates in this part of Holland. Some, like this castle near Hague are hard to spot in spring and summer due to the lush monumental trees.

Cycling Route The Hague Beach and Parks

For a nice bike ride in nature you don’t have to go far from The Hague city centre. This cycling route The Hague beach and parks is about 12 km. Enroute you see a windmill, glass houses, lots of water and an amazing mix of meadows, forest and dunes.

Church and Mill The Hague family bike Verita's Visit Den Haag familie uitje — Church and Mill The Hague

The place The Hague city was born

When you visit The Hague you most probably see the highlights of the city centre: Peace Palace, Mauritshuis, Palace Noordeinde and the Parliament with its 13^th century Hall of Knights – Binnenhof and Ridderzaal –. Now Hall of Knights is an old building, but it is not the oldest in The Hague. If you want to see where the actual history of the city begins and enjoy some good nature head about Southwest. Located about 7 km from the city centre is Loosduinen, a former village and since 1923 a district of The Hague.

Abdijkerk Den Haag Abbey church bike tour Holland Verita's Visit fietstocht op maat — Abbey church The Hague- same style as Hall of Knights

The woman who gave birth to 364 children

This cycling route The Hague beach and parks starts at the oldest building of The Hague. When you visit the Dutch parliament the name Floris VI might pop up. This count of Holland was the one who started the construction of the Binnenhof. Many years before that he was in Loosduinen. There he gave orders to construct an abbey. Apart from the church, there's nothing left of the abbey.

The Miracle of Loosduinen attracted many pilgrims to the church. For centuries childless women visited the grave of Margareta of Henneberg. Legend says she gave birth to 364 children in the year 1276. She died the very same year.

Windmill guided Hague bike tour Verita's Visit fietstocht rondleiding molen Den Haag — Windmill Hague bike tour Verita's Visit

Windmill The Hague

Just around the corner is The Hague windmill De Korenaer. It still produces flour. The grain was once kept in the building on the foot of the hill. It used to be the grain shed and now is a museum. The museum tells you how Loosduinen became known as the gardeners’ village, entrance of the vegetable and fruit growing area.

Apple picking in The Hague Park De Uithof

The cycling route The Hague beach and parks goes through multiple green areas with many polder and forest landscapes. From the windmill you cross the bridge over the highway and are surrounded by nature. The Hague park De Uithof is a beautiful green area with meadows, hills, lots of water. It also has one of the oldest orchards of pears, plums and apples. End of August you can pick fruit there. Cycle through the other side of the park to find a wide canal. There is a small road on the other side with a view on the glass houses of Westland. You now pass by the entrance of the largest greenhouse area in the Netherlands.

family bike tour Verita's Visit Hague Haag familie fietstocht met gids — Bloom in cycling route The Hague beach and parks

The Westland entrance: vegetable and fruit growing

The Uithof is connected with another park. Madestein is a great mix of shrubs, different trees that offer shade on warmer days, ponds and canals. From this park you cycle straight into estate Ockenburgh. Now part of the National Park Holland Dunes – Hollandse Duinen- the estate was created in the 17^th century by Jacob Westerbaen. This poet was passionate about flowers and plants. Gardener for life, he is seen as the founder of horticulture and fruit growing. Some even call him the very first Westlander.

The-Hague-beach-parks-cycle-tour. — From a series of The Hague parks straight to the beach

Cycling route The Hague beach and parks: distance

Follow the cycle path in The Hague park Ockenburgh and you’ll get to the dunes and beach. The cycling route The Hague beach and parks described here is a round of approx. 12 km. When you reach the beach you can either cycle all the way to Hoek van Holland or head towards Scheveningen, the popular The Hague beach. This way you can easily keep cycling for as long as you want. At the end, the distance of this cycle route The Hague beach and parks is all up to you.

by Vera ter Beest