The Hague and Scheveningen – J. Smulders & Co., 1900
€375
“’s-Gravenhage and Scheveningen.” Chromolithograph published by J. Smulders & Co. in 1900. Size approx. 71 × 56 cm.
This fine and detailed city plan shows The Hague and Scheveningen at the dawn of the twentieth century – a period of rapid urban expansion and modernization. The map was published by the Hague lithographer and publisher J. Smulders & Co., renowned for their topographical and city maps.
The map covers the entire urban area of the Hofstad (“Court City”): from the historic centre around the Binnenhof and Lange Voorhout to the coast at Scheveningen. Existing buildings are shown in red, open spaces and parks in green, while the as-yet undeveloped Statenkwartier appears as building plots in pink. The map vividly illustrates the transition between city and dunes, with clear boundaries between the densely built-up centre, the villa districts around Willemspark and Zorgvliet, and the new residential expansions toward Duinoord and Bezuidenhout.
At the top of the map, Scheveningen has already developed into a seaside resort of international allure, with the Kurhaus promenade, bathing establishments, and the tram connection to The Hague. Between city and sea still lies a broad belt of dunes and parkland – the later Westbroekpark and Scheveningse Bosjes – which around 1900 remained largely undeveloped.
To the south, the map ends at the railway lines to Rotterdam and Leiden, showing the beginnings of new residential areas in what would later become the Schilderswijk and Stationsbuurt. To the east, the Haagsche Bos is still a continuous green expanse.
The map captures the urban development on the eve of the twentieth century, when The Hague was transforming from a residential court city into a modern administrative and residential capital. The planned street pattern and growth toward the west and south mark the onset of the expansions that, in the following decades—with the introduction of tram lines, gas and water supply—would further densify and extend the city’s fabric.
Price: Euro 375,-
