The Hague – Frederik de Wit, 1698

“HAGA COMITIS, COMMONLY CALLED ’S-GRAVEN-HAGE”

“Haga Comitis, Vulgo ’s-Graven-Hage,” copper engraving published by Frederik de Wit in Amsterdam in 1698 as part of his townbook “Theatrum Ichonographicum Omnium Urbium et Praecipuorum Oppidorum Belgicarum XVIII Provinciarum” [Overview/atlas of plans of all cities and the principal towns of the seventeen Dutch provinces]. WIth original hand colouring. Size (print): 38.5 × 50.5 cm.

It is actually rather remarkable that The Hague was included in a city atlas, as it was not formally a city. Only in 1806 did The Hague receive the honorary title of “city” from Louis Napoleon. Yet because it was already a large and important town in the seventeenth century—effectively the capital of the Republic of the United Netherlands—and had several institutions normally found only in cities, Frederik de Wit nevertheless included a plan of The Hague in his atlas.

Prince Maurice had advanced plans to transform The Hague into a fortified city, but the States General regarded this as an infringement on the independence of the administrative centre of the Dutch Republic. As a first step towards a defensive ring, eleven canals were nevertheless dug between 1613 and 1619 in a rectangular layout. These canals still exist today: the Prinsessegracht, Smidswater, Hooigracht, and the canals along the Mauritskade, Hogewal, Prinsessewal, Noordwal, near the Westermolens, Lijnbaan, Buitenom, Zuidwal, Bierkade, Uilebomen and Zwarteweg. The canal belt was laid out very generously around the built-up area. The town was able to expand modestly within these canals until about 1850. On this plan by Frederik de Wit one can still see many gardens and orchards within the canal ring, even a stretch of dune landscape.

The old comital castle, the Binnenhof, served as the governmental centre of the Republic. The Dutch government is still seated there today. And The Hague still cannot officially call itself the capital. According to the Constitution of 1815, Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands. Nevertheless, the government has always remained in The Hague.

The plan was printed from a copperplate originally made for the atlas of Johannes Janssonius of 1657. For this atlas Janssonius had the map copied from the town book of Joan Blaeu of 1649. De Wit substantially modified the copperplate by adding new developments (for example the Hofje van Nieuwkoop). For a long time it was therefore believed that De Wit had used an entirely new copperplate.

Price: Euro 1.750,-