Free audio walk in Den Haag
Extraordinary People
- 77 min
- 4.8 km
- 10 stops
- Free
Starts at Lange Vijverberg 11
About this walk
Start at Paleis Noordeinde and explore The Hague through the lives of remarkable people. Do you know who Cupido and Sideron were? Along the way, you’ll also encounter philosophers, politicians, and the person behind the city’s first public library. Expect to meet quite a few Jans and Johans — truly classic Dutch names. This route begins and ends at Paleis Noordeinde.
The stops
Walk them in order; each story plays when you reach its pin.
- 1Stop 1
Cupido and Sideron
Two young boys, taken from opposite sides of the Atlantic, ended up living at the very center of Dutch royal power — and their story has been quietly hiding in plain sight ever since.
- 2Stop 2
Statue of Louis Couperus, Lange Voorhout
The bronze figure watching over this elegant boulevard belonged to a man who turned family secrets and quiet heartbreak into some of the most celebrated novels in Dutch literature.
Read the story - 3Stop 3
Johan Rudolf Thorbecke
The man standing before you quietly rewrote the rules of power in the Netherlands, and the country has never been the same since.
Read the story - 4Stop 4
Statue of Johan van Oldenbarnevelt
The man standing before you in bronze was once the most powerful figure in the Dutch Republic, and he paid for it with his life.
Read the story - 5Stop 5
Monument to Johan de Witt
The monument standing before you honors a man who helped shape a golden era of Dutch power, yet ended his days at the hands of a furious mob.
Read the story - 6Stop 6
Haagse Harry Statue
This bronze figure in a tracksuit might look like he wandered off a street corner, but he's one of the most beloved characters this city has ever produced.
Read the story - 7Stop 7
Spinoza Statue at the Paviljoensgracht
The man standing before you was expelled from his community, banned by the Church, and went on to shape the foundations of modern democracy.
Read the story - 8Stop 8
Bierkade: Where Jan Steen Learned to Paint Chaos
The street you're standing on was once home to a painter whose name became synonymous with glorious, unapologetic disorder.
Read the story - 9Stop 9
Scheurleer's Lending Library: Where Knowledge Became Public
One man with a bookshop and a bold idea quietly changed the way an entire country thought about knowledge.
Read the story - 10Stop 10
William of Orange
The man on horseback before you was hunted, betrayed, and ultimately killed — yet he built a nation that still stands today.
Ready when you are
Walk Extraordinary People with ROODS.
10 stops through Den Haag, about 77 minutes. Open ROODS in your browser, walk to the first pin and the story plays.
- Stories on a map, with narrated audio
- Walk at your own pace, stop where you like
- Runs in your browser. An app is optional.
