Museums in The Hague

Escher in the Palace (Escher in Het Paleis) is a permanent exhibition dedicated to the world-famous Dutch artist M.C. Escher, whose art startled millions of people all over the world. Escher was famous for his optical illusions that play with our perceptions. Located inside the stately Lange Voorhout Palace, it is sometimes simply referred to as the Escher Museum.

The Hague Museum of Photography (Fotomuseum Den Haag) opened its doors in December 2002. It is part of the Kunstmuseum The Hague and works closely with the print room of Leiden University Library. It has hosted many prolific exhibitions of the works of some of the most eminent photographers in the world, such as Man Ray, Anton Corbijn, Erwin Olaf and others.

Museon is a museum dedicated to culture and science in The Hague. A significant percentage of Museon's visitors are school children as it hosts educational exhibitions and programmes for younger audiences. Its collection is mainly in the areas of ethnology, archaeology, geology, biology, history and science.

Kunstmuseum (formerly known as Gemeentemuseum Den Haag) is an art museum in The Hague renowned for its large Mondriaan collection. The building itself is culturally significant, built in the 1930s by the Dutch architect H.P. Berlage. The modern art includes paintings by Degas, Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh, Mondriaan and more. There is also a print room, a fashion collection, pottery, glass art and musical instruments.

The Historical Museum of The Hague is located in the royal city centre. It tells the story of The Hague, its inhabitants and its government, with frequent temporary exhibitions as well as a permanent collection. The museum is housed in the former archery house of St. Sebastian's guild and dates from 1636. It is built on the site of a gatehouse that was used by the civic guard.

The Prison Gate Museum (Gevangenpoort) tells the thrilling tales of crime and punishment in days gone by. The museum has a history that stretches back seven centuries and is among the top 100 most important monuments in the Netherlands. It is housed next to the 18th-century art gallery founded by William of Orange in 1774.

The Mesdag Collection is a private art museum in The Hague which houses the exceptional collection of 19th-century art assembled by the renowned marine painter Hendrik Willem Mesdag (1831-1915) and his wife Sientje Mesdag-van Houten (1834-1909). As well as paintings, there's also a large collection of Japanese art and pottery.

The two-storey Mauritshuis is beautifully symmetrical and consists of 6.400 square meters of exhibition space. It was once the residence of count John Maurice of Nassau. Today, Mauritshuis has a large art collection, including paintings by Dutch Golden Age painters. The most famous painting in the Mauritshuis is arguably Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring. The museum also features a broad range of works by Rembrandt, Jan Steen, Frans Hals, Hans Holbein the Younger and others.

Huis van het Boek is located in the charming former residence of Baron Van Westreenen van Tiellandt (1783-1848) and focuses on the history and development of old and modern books, manuscripts and other prints.

The Turkish Museum (Turks Museum Nederland) highlights the centuries-old relationship between Turkey and the Netherlands as well as the experiences and memories of the first-generation immigrant workers.

The Louwman Museum prides itself on being the world's oldest private collection of coaches and cars. In the purpose-built museum in The Hague, there are over 250 cars on display, all collected by the Louwman family. One of the highlights is the Benz Patent Motor Car from 1886. Located near the A44 highway at the edge of The Hague Forest, the 10.000 square metre exhibition space is a treasure for car-lovers of all ages.

Visit the only museum in the Netherlands focused purely on sculpture. Located in Scheveningen, the Beelden aan Zee Museum building, designed by Wim Quist, manages to remain out of sight from the dunes. The exhibition consists of portraits, sculpture heads and a fascinating timeline of modern sculpture by sculptors such as Karel Appel, Man Ray, Wim Quist, Tom Otterness and Fritz Koening.