Dark The Hague

01/04/2016

Today is April 1st - April Fool's.
Even today a lot of people get fooled by jokers. Some are very obvious, while others are really well thought out...

In 1969 the Dutch TV News reported that on April 1st a big national campaign was to be held to catch so-called 'black viewers' – people who didn't pay their license fee for radio and tv.

Inspectors were to drive through the streets with scanners to catch the perpetrators. "Is there anything to do about that?" asked a journalist. "No, because I cannot imagine people wrapping their TV set in aluminium foil," responded one of the inspectors. The aluminium foil would block the scanners' signal of the passing-by inspectors.

The next day all the aluminium foil in all the stores was sold out within a few hours!

Would you like to hear more strange stories? Stories about murder, blood, prostitutes, ghosts and other mysteries? If so, join our English guided city tour tonight.

http://www.darkthehague.com/agenda/tours/dark-city-tour-2016-04-01/

Experience the most spine-chilling and bloodiest city tour of The Hague with a guide on 01-04-2016. Do you dare to defy the gruesomeness?

05/01/2016

Vergaderen over nieuwe Duìstâhre zaken voor 2016.

14/12/2015

Today Michel de Nostredame, aka Nostradamus, would've become 512 years old. Of course he never made that, for he died in 1566 at the age of 62...

This French pharmacist is mostly known for his 10 volumes of Les Prophéties (The Prophecies). The authenticity of volumes 11 and 12 is still questioned today. In these books Nostradamus predicted many things, such as the arrival of Hi**er, Lady Diana's tragic death, the French Revolution, the Big Fire of London, the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the attacks on the WTC in NYC.

As far we know, he never mentioned The Hague in his books, unfortunately. That may be for the better, because there has been so much bloodshed here that he would've had to write a complete 13th volume...

www.darkthehague.com wishes you all a Darkish week!

10/12/2015

Like & share, please...

Living in or visiting The Hague? Discover the hidden past of this Royal City as you go on an English guided city tour past places with a mysterious history. Blood, murder, prostitutes, ghosts and more!
All our stories are historically correct, yet The Hague will never be the same to you again...

Buy your tickets at:
http://www.darkthehague.com/agenda/

An overview of our planned tours. See when you can join the Darkness in a Dark The Hague Tour or Het Huiveringwekkend Hofkwartier (in Dutch).

23/10/2015

BE QUICK!
There are only 4 tickets left for our special Halloween Darkness Tour next Saturday.

If you don't want to miss out, please book NOW.

www.darkthehague.com/events/halloween2015

14/08/2015

Yes, these Braves also dared and survived our city tour through the Horrific Court Area tonight. Even though this photo was taken at the end of the tour, their new mental scars hardly show (on the outside at least).

Are you one of these Braves? Please tag yourself, like our page and share your Braveness on your own timeline.

07/08/2015

These were the Braves that survived our Dark The Hague Tour tonight. Yes, they were smiling then, but little did they know what horrors would be put in their minds by our tour guide Patrick.

We ended with MORE people than there are in the photo! We are getting used to "losing" some along the way to never to be heard of again, but tonight one person arrived a little late and when we were crossing the Buitenhof two more enthusiastic Braves joined spontaneously. How great is that?!

And afterwards Patrick even ended up giving tips on good restaurants and bars.

Are you one of these Braves? Please tag yourself and feel free to share your Braveness on your own timeline. You've all earned it! :-)

24/07/2015

A sold-out tour tonight!
These Braves dare to dwell in The Hague's dark history!

Are you one of the survivors? Feel free to tag yourself and share among your friends. ;)

22/07/2015

Following the death of Koos H, a small piece about this serial killer from The Hague.

In 1980 the police found a small garret during a raid at Zuidwal 20. There were metal handles in the ceiling and on the floor. The windows were boarded up and the ceiling, the floor and the walls had been lined with thick carpet. There were S*M attributes scattered around and there stood a bed with only a bottom coils. Police also found traces of blood and a young girl's earring in the carpet.

"A torture chamber," the police said.
"A dry sauna under construction," so the owner claimed.
The owner was Koos Hertogs, aka Koos H.

Koos H. was born on December 16th, 1949 in The Hague's Schilderswijk (Painters Area) as one of the sixteen children in this catholic family. As a boy he was already so unmanageable that he was placed in the youth departement of Detention under Hospital Orders (TBS, unique to The Netherlands) at 16. In 1973 a psychiatrist described the problematic youngster as a psychopath, who lived in a narcissistic dream world and behaved continuously immoral.

Once grown-up Koos Hertogs worked as a doorman of nightclubs and s*x houses. He was heavily addicted to co***ne and a well-known figure in The Hague's underworld.

Police raided his house on Zuidwal 20 in 1980, because they were looking for the murderer of the 11 year old Edith Post, whose body had been found in the dunes near Wassenaar. Koos H. was already known to the police and was regularly seen near playgrounds and primary schools. His neighbors said they had seen young girls in and around his house...

In the attic room police found blood traces of other murdered girls: Emy de Boer, aged 18, and Thialda Visser, aged 12.

But Koos H. kept silent... Until police received an anonymous tip that the injury to his little finger had been inflicted by one of the girls. In her agony she had bitten her killer so hard that a piece of her tooth had broken off and her jaw was torn.

Police had all the evidence they needed and while Koos H. continued to deny in court, he was sentenced to life-in-prison for the murder of the three young girls. Detectives also suspected him of the murder of 5 others and the r**e of two. Yet to this day that has never been proven.

In 2010 Peter R. de Vries aired hidden camera recordings on his TV program in which Koos H. partially confessed to the murders and other crimes. Also contacts with a senior judge were mentioned where the word 'pedophelia' was spoken.

Koos H. holds the record for being the longest in Dutch prison. He lived to become 65 years old.

17/07/2015

These were our Braves for the tour tonight. Notice their smiles? That's because this photo was taken at the beginning...

Are you one of these Braves? Please, tag yourself, share on your own timeline and remember to like our page to be kept updated.

09/07/2015

GREAT NEWS!!!
Thanks to the great feedback and reviews of our Braves we are now no.1 of all tours & activities in The Hague!
Naturally we are very proud of this as this is a crown of our product. We would like to thank everyone for helping us achieve this great position.

Visiting The Hague and are you brave enough to discover its hidden past full of historical facts and urban legends about murderers, executions, criminals, ghosts and other mysteries? Please visit us at www.darkthehague.com.

http://www.darkthehague.com/the-no-1-tour-in-the-hague/

16/06/2015

Dear Braves,
We've already received 15 awesome reviews on Tripadvisor which have gained us the #2 position of Tours in The Hague (and #146 of the 180 to-do's in total)

Unfortunately we are still lacking some English reviews on our Dark The Hague Tours. Would you please be so kind to write a review if you've participated? We would appreciate that so much!

Many, many thanks in advance.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g188633-d7902591-Reviews-Duister_Den_Haag-The_Hague_South_Holland_Province.html

Ranked #146 of 180 attractions in The Hague. Been here too? Add it to your map!

12/06/2015

Wow! We just got a lot more likes. Thank you so much!

Please let us know what kind of messages you would like us to post here and we'll do our best to accommodate.

08/06/2015

June 8, 2015.
Today in 1714 Sophia of the Palatinate (commonly referred to as Sophia of Hanover) passed away. She was born on October 8, 1630 in The Hague and was the youngest daughter of Elizabeth Stuart and Frederick V of the Palatinate, a.k.a the Winter Queen & King. Also, Fredrick was a grandson of William of Orange.

A 1701 British law, The Act of Settlement, declared that all her protestant descendants could become king or queen of England.
The Act for the Naturalization of the Most Excellent Princess Sophia, Electress and Duchess Dowager of Hanover, and the Issue of her Body was also installed which declared that all her descendants would automatically have the British nationality. These laws are still in place to this day.

Her blood line has reached all over Europe and to The Netherlands. Princess Beatrix and King William-Alexander are directly related to her. In 2006 there was some commotion because Beatrix would also have the British nationality, which she never claimed by the way.

The last in line for the British throne is the German Karin Vogel. She will be UK's new Queen if the 4.972 people before her decline the invite.

Sophia's mother, Elizabeth Stuart, was tangled up in a heated argument with her former lady-in-waiting, Amalia of Solms Braunfels. During Patsy's Royal Orange Tour on April 30 of this year, this battle was displayed publicly and led by Miss Patsy Stonehenge.

www.darkthehague.com wishes you a Darkish week.

The most spine-chilling and bloodiest walks in Town

24/04/2015

April 30th was traditionally known as Queen's Day, but since Máxima didn't want it, the Hague's only diva-guide, Miss Patsy Stonehenge, has declared it to be known as "Queen Patsy's Day" from now on.
In her honor we have created a completely NEW themed tour which is all about the Dutch Royal Family: "Patsy's Royal Orange Tour".

While Queen Stonehenge takes you past several (formally) palaces she will not only reveal the origin of Queen's Day and our national anthem, the Wilhelmus, but she will also open her book on the 'Oranges'...

Historical truths,
Some fun facts and anecdotes,
More than a few scandals,
Nothing is spared.

Naturally the Queen of April 30th will do this in her own unique and unparalleled way!

For tickets, please visit:
http://www.misspatsy.nl/en/verschijningen/orange_2015_en/

On "Queen Patsy's Day" miss Stonehenge will not only open the book on the Dutch Royal family, but also on other high-placed locals.

17/03/2015

Exactly two years ago Patrick guided his first group through the darkish streets of The Hague. Since then he has led hundreds of Braves and told them his gruesome stories. Every week he cannot wait to take a new group under his, relatively safe, guidance.
That's why we shine a dark Facebook Light on him today...
Patrick, you're our Dark hero!

Twee jaar geleden wandelde Patrick voor het eerst door de Duistâhre straten van de Hofstad. Inmiddels heeft hij honderden mensen al zijn bloederige verhalen verteld en elke week staat hij weer te popelen om een nieuwe groep onder zijn, relatief veilige, hoede te nemen. Vandaar dat hij vandaag best een beetje in de Facebook-spotlight gezet mag worden. Patrick, je bent onze Duistâhre held!

02/03/2015

"In Den Haag daar woont een graaf en zijn zoon heet Jantje."
- There lives a count in The Hague, whose son's called Little John.

Exactly three years ago, on March 2nd, 2012 local sculpter Ivo Coljé passed away. He was only aged 61. His most famous work is the statue of 'Haagse Jantje' (Little John of The Hague) on Lange Vijverberg.

During our Dark The Hague tours we reveal the tragic and bloody history behind count John 1st and the Dutch nursery rhyme.

If you'd like to know more, please purchase your tickets via www.darkthehague.com.

18/02/2015

Would you like to discover the hidden secrets of The Hague's history?
Under the "safe" guidance of an English speaking tour guide you will be taken to follow in the blood-soaked footsteps of murderers, executioners and their victims.

No dry and boring facts or figures,
but the sinful, gruesome and most of all bloody details!

Get your tickets here:
http://www.darkthehague.com/events/horrific-2015-02-20/

The atmospheric Hofkwartier (Court Area) is one of the oldest and most picturesque parts of the city. But hidden behind this façade are killers, executions, diseases and other mysteries. The blood of politicians, nobles, kings and the ordinary “Hagenezen” still seeps through the walls – even centuri…

12/02/2015

Coming Friday we're organizing another Dark The Hague tour with an English speaking guide. He'll take you to places with a strange or mysterious history and to follow in blood-soaked footsteps of murderers, executioners and their victims...

Get your tickets here:
http://darkthehague.com/events/horrific-2015-02-13/

The atmospheric Hofkwartier (Court Area) is one of the oldest and most picturesque parts of the city. But hidden behind this façade are killers, executions, diseases and other mysteries. The blood of politicians, nobles, kings and the ordinary “Hagenezen” still seeps through the walls – even centuri…

07/02/2015

This week the Bronovo Hospital, or the 'Bobo Hospital' as locals like to call it popularly, celebrated its 150th anniversary. For this occasion it opened an exhibition in the hospital itself and released a special Bronovo Times filled with historical stories.

In this edition of 'Nice 'n Dark for the Weekend' a few short stories of this hospital's patients. Not those of the ministers, actors, singers, queens, princes or princesses who have been treated there, but other people, the normal people. After all, everyone can require medical attention in a wink of an eye...

For instance if you're an acrobat - a dangerous profession and they know this at the Bronovo as well, because in 1936 three acrobats of the Strassburger Circus named 'The Dominici's' who had been performing in Scheveningen were brought in. They did an act with a metal balance beam which suddenly broke in half, making them fall over 49 feet to the ground. After they had been carried off however, the show went on.

Or take the 'Vasallo's' of the Boltini Circus. As an advertising stunt, they had decided to balance on each other's shoulders while standing on a ladder in front of the Hall of Knight (Ridderzaal). Shame that they hadn't anticipated the hard winds that blew in 1968.

Also, the stressful work of members of parliament can take its toll. In 1968 a lot of them passed through the Bronovo. For they received a temporary discount on a medical check-up at the hospital and so suddenly even politicians remembered to be Dutch.

But also normal, every day life can be dangerous. Mrs. Strijker from Voorburg learned this the hard way when she got the bright idea to wash her gown in petrol while her kitchen heater was still lit.

And as an 11-year old girl in 1957 you can hardly expect to be run over by well-known minister Luns' car while crossing the street.

The Bronovo personell must've looked surprised when in 1965 two gravediggers were carried in who had both passed on during the funeral service of mr. G. Vrolijk at The Hague's General Cemetery.
The first collapsed and died instantly of a heart attack. This frightened his colleague so much that his heart also gave out.

In any case, we of www.darkthehague.com wish the Bronovo Hospital
a healthy and successful next 150 years. We, for one, shall be keeping a close eye on its patients...

Text sources: Nieuwsblad van het Noorden, Maasbode, Leeuwarder Courant, Het Vaderland.
Photo source: Ziekenhuis Bronovo (1948), blauwefeniks.nl

23/01/2015

Next Friday we will be taking another English guided tour though the Horrific Court Area (Hofkwartier). If you'd like to join in, please book through our website: www.darkthehague.com/calendar

05/12/2014

Bookings for 2015 are now open!

And don't forget to book our Christmas Tour with Miss Patsy on December 19th.

www.darkthehague.com

The most spine-chilling and bloodiest walk in Town!

14/11/2014

After a great tour, which started out wet but fortunately got dry along the way, the great group and our tour guide, Patrick, are enjoying a drink at the PrinsTaveerne! 😊

02/11/2014

We would very much like to thank all our fans for the great Halloween weekend.

For the first time in our history we organized a themed tour in English and we can promise you it will not be our last. So from now on, aside from our regular Dark The Hague tour each Friday, all our themed tours (led by Miss Patsy Stonehenge) will be available in English as well. :-)

Also, if you have any photos of Miss Patsy, please share them with us through [email protected].