Information
Since 1884, The Hague Historical Museum has occupied premises in the building that was once the meeting place of St Sebastian’s archers’ guild, on the lake known as the Hofvijver. It was originally part of The Hague Municipal Museum.
The collection of The Hague Historical Museum originated in the eighteenth century from a small collection of remarkable group portraits of magistrates and was later expanded to include cityscapes and militia pieces. It continues to be supplemented with diverse voices from the city with topical relevance. The museum’s collection now numbers around 12,000 objects that are related to the history of The Hague.
Among the masterpieces in the collection are the Portraits of Frederik Hendrik and Amalia van Solms, produced in 1634 by the Delft painter Michiel van Mierevelt, Willem Jansz. Cock, standard bearer of the Orange Company of the Hague Militia, by Everard Crijnsz. van der Maes (1617), and The Magistrate Receives the Officers of the Militia at St Sebastian’s Target Range in 1618 by Jan van Ravesteyn. The imposing, 4.6-meter-wide city panorama of The Hague by Jan van Goyen from ca. 1650, and Map of The Hague in 1570 by Cornelis Elandts, dating from 1663, are important objects in the collection that tell the story of the city of The Hague.