Haagse Bos (, literally ''Forest of The Hague'') is a rectangular neighbourhood and

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

in the

Haagse Hout Haagse Hout (, literally ''Woods of The Hague'') is one of the eight districts of The Hague. This area was originally called ''Die Haghe Houte'', which later became the current ''Haagse Hout''. The district has 45,600 residents as of 2018.

district of

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, reaching from the old city centre in the south-west to the border of

Wassenaar Wassenaar (; population: in ) is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and Dorp (town), town located in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, on the western coast of the Netherlands. An affluent suburb of The ...

in the north-east. It is also one of the oldest remaining forests of the country. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the park was used by the Germans for launching V-1 and

V-2 The V-2 (german: Vergeltungswaffe 2, lit=Retaliation Weapon 2), with the technical name ''Aggregat 4'' (A-4), was the world’s first long-range guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was develope ...

rockets.

History

Originally, the Haagse Bos was a section of a bigger forest that stretched from

's-Gravenzande s-Gravenzande is a town in the province of South Holland, in the Netherlands. It is a part of the municipality of Westland, and lies about southwest of The Hague. Until 2004 it was a separate municipality and covered an area of 20.77 km2 (of ...

Alkmaar Alkmaar () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland, about 30 km north of Amsterdam. Alkmaar is well known for its traditional cheese market. For tourists, it is a popular cultural destination. The ...

. This was simply called ''Die Hout'' (The Woods). The title eventually gave way to the name ''Houtland'' (which literally means "woods lands") and later became ''Holland''. From this original forest only the Haagse Bos remains. During the reign of William II and

Floris V Floris V (24 June 1254 – 27 June 1296) reigned as Count of Holland and Zeeland from 1256 until 1296. His life was documented in detail in the Rijmkroniek by Melis Stoke, his chronicler. He is credited with a mostly peaceful reign, modern ...

, the forest was considerably reduced to make space and provide wood for the growing nearby fortress, the

Binnenhof The Binnenhof (; en, Inner Court) is a complex of buildings in the city centre of The Hague, Netherlands, next to the Hofvijver lake. It houses the meeting place of both houses of the States General of the Netherlands, as well as the Ministry ...

, and the surrounding village of The Hague. However, even in the Middle Ages there were strict rules in place to protect the Haagse Bos from becoming completely cut down, since the forest was a popular hunting area of the Dutch counts. During the beginning of the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Ref ...

, the Haagse Bos was once again quickly shrunk to make way for more residents of The Hague. In 1571, a sixth of the oak forests were cut to build defences against the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

army. The so-called "Act of Redemption", signed on 1576 by

William the Silent William the Silent (24 April 153310 July 1584), also known as William the Taciturn (translated from nl, Willem de Zwijger), or, more commonly in the Netherlands, William of Orange ( nl, Willem van Oranje), was the main leader of the Dutch Re ...

declared that no further cutting or sale of the forest would be permitted. This law still stands today.De Acte van Redemptie in jaartallen
(''tr. "The Act of Redemption in years "'') . Denhaag.nl. 16 December 2010 (last updated 5 January 2011). Retrieved 22 August 2013. During the

French Occupation French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Fran ...

in the early 19th century, the forest was about to be cut down, but due to saboteurs and work delays the plan was never implemented. After the French occupation the ponds in the forest were made. In the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

the forest was used by the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

as a launching place for their V-1 and

rocket A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entir ...

s. An attempt by the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

to destroy this facility led to the accidental

bombardment A bombardment is an attack by artillery fire or by dropping bombs from aircraft on fortifications, combatants, or towns and buildings. Prior to World War I, the term was only applied to the bombardment of defenseless or undefended objects, ...

on the adjacent

Bezuidenhout Bezuidenhout (; en, "South of the Wood") is the neighborhood ( nl, wijk) southeast of the Haagse Bos neighborhood of The Hague in the Netherlands. Bezuidenhout includes the Beatrixkwartier financial area near the Central Station and streets ...

district. Since 1899 the National Forest Administration of the Netherlands (the ''Staatsbosbeheer'') has owned and administered the park. Despite its protected status, two major motorways cut through the forest: the A12 and the Laan van Nieuw Oost Indië.

References

External links

* {{Coord, 52, 05, 25, N, 4, 20, 0, E, type:landmark_region:NL, display=title Forests of the Netherlands Neighbourhoods of The Hague Parks in South Holland Urban public parks