This building on the Korte Vijverberg went up in 1636 as the hall of the Saint Sebastian militia, the civic guard that was supposed to defend the town. They practised with the longbow in the garden behind it and met inside, under portraits of themselves. Arent van 's-Gravesande designed it, and it ranks among the oldest buildings on the pond.
Today it holds the city museum: townscapes, models, the dolls' house, a whole wall of Hague faces across the centuries.
The strangest object sits in a small box. In 1672 the brothers were killed and mutilated by a crowd a short walk from here. Bystanders carried off pieces as keepsakes. A tongue and a finger surfaced again later and are still on display, laid out neatly in a place where you would never expect them.
The spot where it happened lies minutes away, at the edge of the .
Our walking routes through The Hague are ready if you want to make an afternoon of it.
Sources. Story: Haags Historisch Museum (haagshistorischmuseum.nl) on the Sint Sebastiaansdoelen and the collection, including the remains of the De Witt brothers. The building: Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed. Photos: Source photo:
